Tommie Steele

Meet Tommie Steele from Colstrip, Montana.

Hi, I'm a 31-year-old student, housewife, and mother of five children (Four boys and a girl). I'm from Colstrip, Montana - one of those little blink-and-you-miss-it towns in the eastern part of the state. I love traveling, reading, NFL football, and above all, music.

My mom and dad didn't care much for the music of the 1970s, and I was largely ignorant of most of what was on the radio for the first half of my childhood. I listened mostly to my mom's 50s and 60s collection (mostly Motown) and my dad's country western stuff. I'm not knocking that, but I didn't realize what I was missing out on!

I was about 10 years old when "You Can Do Magic" was released. I remember hearing it on the radio while my sister and I were visiting her boyfriend. (I was quite the pest - I followed them around unmercifully, to my sister's chagrin and my dad's delight.) "Hey, that's really good! Who is that?" I asked.

My sister's boyfriend looked at me as if I were from a different solar system. "You're kidding, right?" came the reply. "That's America."

"Oh," I said innocently. "They're really good! Have I ever heard of them? Have they done anything else?"

When he was finally finished laughing at me, he pulled out his collection of America albums, put them in my hands, and told me to go home and listen. I did, and thus began my love affair with the music of America. I was just knocked out by their tight harmonies and arrangements. Dewey's imaginative songs struck such a chord with me ("Cornwall Blank" blew me away... so powerful!), and Gerry's soulful ballads and smooth voice brought tears to my eyes. (I was one of the many who had a crush on Gerry :) ) It was such an awakening for me!

In the 20 years since then, my older friends and my husband (A self-described "America junkie") have educated me about the music of the 70s, but no band ever touched my soul like America did and still does. I haven't seen them in concert yet, but the day will come. (I can't believe how many of the fans on this site have met the members of the band!)

Thanks, Dewey and Gerry, for all the wonderful musical moments you have given me and all of your fans! Can't wait to get the Holiday Harmony CD...

And thanks, Steve, for putting together this absolutely GREAT website and allowing us to share our stories!

Feel free to send your comments or questions to Tommie.