Heartsfield

Country-rock outfit Heartsfield first surfaced amid the flourishing 1970s country-rock scene, yet major-label deals and high-profile arena bills alongside the Doobie Brothers, Eric Clapton, and Fleetwood Mac never translated into the commercial breakthroughs achieved by contemporaries such as the Eagles or Pure Prairie League. Their signature track from those years, “Music Eyes,” reached number 95 on the Billboard chart in 1974. Heartsfield earned recognition for intricate vocal harmonies and dense layers of roots-driven instrumentation featuring pedal steel, dobro, banjo, mandolin, and related accents, and they have been cited as an influence on major 1990s ensembles including the Dave Matthews Band and Phish. The band also maintained a demanding touring regimen modeled on the Grateful Dead, logging roughly 300 performances annually throughout the decade and frequently stretching songs into extended jams. After ten years together, Heartsfield dissolved in 1981. Co-founder Perry Jordan revived the group in 1999 with fresh personnel and issued the album Rescue the Dog in April 2001.