[Cover photo credit to Kenny Thomas]

Gerry Beckley, the singer, songwriter, and co-founder of the band America, has unveiled a track that he considers “The story of my life in many ways.” It’s titled “Well Worn Shoes.”

With this tune, Beckley grapples with “the weight of prolonged tours and separation from family, contemplating the profound impact it may have had on his journey.”

Beckley’s tenth solo album, titled simply Gerry Beckley, will be released on June 28, 2024 via Blue Élan Records. When the band America recently took an open-ended hiatus from touring, Beckley found time to go through some of the songs he had accumulated.
 
For the album, Beckley says there was a pragmatic reason for putting his own name as the title for his 10th solo outing.

He comments:

There wasn’t an obvious title that was leaning in its favor, and I’ve never done a self-titled album, so it felt like, OK, this might be it.

Beckley plays the bulk of the instruments on 12 tracks but gets help from a core group of players that includes former Chicago bassist Jason Scheff, guitarist Steve Fekete, drummer Brian Young and backing vocalists Jeff Larson and Brian Eichenberger. Nick Lane and Matt Combs arranged horn and string parts, respectively.