Dash Crofts

Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1940^[1]) is an American musician. He is best known as one half of the soft rock duo Seals and Crofts with Jim Seals.

Dash Crofts
Crofts (right) with Jim Seals in 1975
Background information
Birth name	Darrell George Crofts
Born	(1940-08-14) August 14, 1940 (age 84) Cisco, Texas, US
Genres	Folk, rock and roll
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, mandolin, drums
Years active	1957–present
Formerly of	The Champs, Seals and Crofts

Crofts was originally a drummer in his early career, when he met Jim Seals, then a saxophonist. The two would go on to play in The Champs, eventually creating the duo Seals and Crofts, in which both members sang and played the guitar and mandolin among other instruments; they would go on to record hits such as "Summer Breeze" and "Diamond Girl".

Early life

Darrell George Crofts was born in Cisco, Texas in 1940.^[1] He has a twin sister called Dorothy.^[2] Crofts' nickname "Dash" came from when he was a baby; his mother entered him and his twin into a "beautiful baby" contest and said they would look even cuter if they were entered in as "Dot" and "Dash".^[2]

Career

He took up the piano at age five before switching to drums at age ten.^[2] In high school he played drums in Dean Beard & The Crew Cats, where he met the bands saxophone player Jim Seals.^[1] After graduating, Crofts' father applied him for a job, which he quit after just one day.^[1] He and Seals moved to Southern California and both joined The Champs from 1958 to 1965. Crofts was drafted into war in 1962 and spent two years with the Army in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.^[2]

In 1969 the two started working as a recording duo under the name "Seals and Crofts". Throughout the 1970s the duo had hit after hit with their self penned songs including "Summer Breeze" and "Diamond Girl" and had four albums go gold and two go platinum.^[3][2][4] Both Seals and Crofts picked up the guitar and Crofts additionally took up the mandolin as it would be easier to take on planes and carry around while travelling.^[2]

The two parted ways in 1983 but reunited in the 1990s and in 2004. Crofts released a solo album, Today, in 1998.^[5]

Personal life

Crofts, his wife and two children lived in Mexico, then Australia and then Nashville, Tennessee.^[6] He lives on a farm in Texas and raised arabian horses.^[6]