Mark Smith

Mark standing on a fairway of his golf course

Meet Mark Smith from Palm Desert, California.

I became an America fan on January 22, 2000, when I attended my first America concert near Hemet, CA, near the town where Woodsy lives. I loved their music from the early seventies and had purchased their first six lp's during my college years, but I was never really "a fan". Imagine my surprise nearly thirty years later when I'm driving home from work and I hear an advertisement on the oldies station that America will be in concert about an hour from my house. I had no idea that the group was still together and hadn't heard of any America song after "Daisy Jane". To show how completely clueless I was, I couldn't figure out why at the concert there were only two main guys instead of three. ...was the third guy sick, or what? I didn't even know which of the three guys was missing. How clueless can you be, anyway? I left the concert high on America and begin completing my America cd collection and playing America all day every day. I did that for a few months and was surprised when my love for the band didn't wane. I was sure that this was a passing infatuation and that I would "od" on America sometime soon. Well, it's still America all day every day and I don't think it's going to go away. I attended seven concerts in 2000, and one so far in 2001, although I hope to catch the boys quite a few times this summer.

Looking at the glass half empty... what a major bummer going Americaless for about twenty-five years. Looking at the glass half full... what a joy to discover all of these previously unknown "Tall Treasures" and to be able to enjoy, no, more that enjoy---gozar (for you Spanish speakers) this "new stuff" over and over again every day.

On the personal side, my wife of twenty-six years is from Mexico City and thinks I'm an America freak. We have three "kids", one married, one in college, and one in high school. My kids think I'm an America freak. I'm a golf course superintendent at a course rated in the top 100 by Golf Digest. My goal in life is to hear HAT TRICK live.

My America top ten:

1. HAT TRICK
2. Another Try
3. Three Roses
4. Windwave
5. Never Be Lonely
6. Inspector Mills
7. Woman Tonight (my concert favorite)
8. Catch That Train
9. Glad to See You
10. Wheels
11. Ventura Highway

I go by msmith on the chat folder and windwave on the live chat. God bless, and God bless America. Saludos a todos los aficianados del grupo America.

Feel free to send your comments or questions to Mark.