Darrell "Dash" Crofts has sadly passed away at the age of 87. The singer-songwriter behind "Summer Breeze" and "Diamond Girl," along with good friend Jim Seals, passed away from heart failure. According to Darrell's daughter, Lua, he had been dealing with heart issues for multiple years.
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As a duo, Darrell and Jim were former Seals & Crofts in the late 60s. Their music was predominantly centered around love, peace and nature, which was fitting for the time period. However, it wasn't until the early 70s that their breakthrough came, courtesy of "Summer Breeze" which became a smash hit.
"You start out writing songs like 'the leaves are green and the sky is blue and I love you and you love me' — very simple lyrics — but you grow into a much, much broader awareness of life, of love, and of unity," Crofts told Stereo Review in a 1971 interview. "It's really great to be able to say something real in your music."
Seals & Crofts ultimately went their separate ways after being dropped by Warner Bros. in the early 80s. Darrell then went on to release a solo album titled "Today" in 1998. He reunited with Jim in 1998, releasing "Traces."
Jim Seal and Darrell Croft Still Have a Huge Audience
Despite their best work being released over half a century ago, Seals & Crofts is still pulling in a sizeable audience on streaming platforms. Spotify alone has the group securing 3.1 million streams per month, with "Summer Breeze" boasting 320 million hits throughout its time on the platform.
Those numbers become considerably more impressive when you factor in the other streaming giants. Apple Music has a sizeable portion of the music streaming landscape, with Amazon Prime also holding a share. If Seals & Crofts are anywhere near as popular on those platforms, they're likely pulling in close to 10 million monthly streams.
Outside of "Summer Breeze," Seals & Crofts still have success with "Diamond Girl" and "We May Never Pass This Way (Again)" with both songs drawing tens of millions of streams.
When music is truly great, it transcends the concept of time. It doesn't sound dated or belong in a certain era. It speaks to you regardless of the audience it was originally intended for. Seals & Crofts cracked the code with some of their songs, which is why they still have an audience today.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Darrell's family and loved ones.
