[Cover photo credit to Hugh Stewart]

Gerry Beckley, co-founder of the band America, has announced a forthcoming solo album, Merciful, arriving August 28, 2026, via Blue Élan Records. The album’s first single, “When The Wells Run Dry”, is out now. It was written with longtime collaborator Jeff Larson, and the song “wrestles with impermanence — of inspiration, of relationships, and even of the world around us.”

Beckley shares:

I consider that mix of light and dark my signature sound. So much of rock is based on youth and rebellion, but as songwriters, we get to move those boundaries around as we age.

Produced by Beckley and Larson, Merciful was largely recorded in Gerry’s home studios between Sydney, Australia and Venice, California. Beckley played nearly every instrument himself, joined by a small circle of collaborators including bassist Jason Scheff, pianist Nate Strasser, string arranger Matt Combs, guitarists Steve Fekete and Dave Rosser, horn player Nick Lane, saxophonist James Valentine, backing vocalist Jeff Larson, drummers Ryland Steen, Luke Davison, and Brian Young.

The 13-song collection finds Beckley revisiting old ideas, uncovering unfinished songs from the vault, and pairing them with new writing.

The album also includes a cover of the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” featuring Graham Nash, the soulful groove of “75,” the shimmering “Brand New Night,” and “All the Wounded Cowboys,” inspired by a story told to Beckley by photographer Henry Diltz. Elsewhere, Beckley revisits “Monster,” originally released on America’s 1977 album Harbor, now reframed with nearly fifty years of hindsight.

Though Beckley has officially retired from touring, music remains central to his everyday life, whether joining friends at a Sydney pub to play bass or making surprise appearances, like his recent performance of “Sister Golden Hair” with the Killers in Australia.