Dowdy Ferry Road is the fifth studio album by the pop rock duo England Dan & John Ford Coley. The album's single "It's Sad to Belong" was a moderate pop hit and a #1 smash on the Adult Contemporary chart. A second hit from the LP, "Gone Too Far," reached #23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Being from the Dallas, Texas area, England Dan and John Ford Coley named Dowdy Ferry Road after a street in the southeastern part of town. Dowdy Ferry (Exit #476) connects with Interstate 20 in Texas.

Dowdy Ferry Road
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1977
StudioHazen’s Recording Studio (Hendersonville, TN)
GenrePop rock, soft rock
LabelBig Tree
ProducerKyle Lehning
England Dan & John Ford Coley chronology
Nights Are Forever
(1976)
Dowdy Ferry Road
(1977)
Some Things Don't Come Easy
(1978)
Singles from Dowdy Ferry Road
  1. "It's Sad to Belong"
    Released: April 1977
  2. "Where Do I Go from Here"
    Released: 1977
  3. "Gone Too Far"
    Released: 1977

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]

Cash Box said of the single "Gone Too Far" that "Coley's melody and lyric work perfectly with the slick harmonies and tasteful instrumentation."[2]

Track listing

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  1. "Dowdy Ferry Road" (Dan Seals) – 3:23
  2. "It's Sad to Belong" (Randy Goodrum) – 2:54
  3. "Soldier in the Rain" (John Ford Coley, Sunny Dalton) – 4:45
  4. "Love is the One Thing We Hide" (Seals) – 2:53
  5. "Gone Too Far" (Coley) – 2:58
  6. "Where Do I Go From Here" (Parker McGee) – 2:59
  7. "Falling Stars" (Coley) – 2:56
  8. "You Know We Belong Together" (Coley, Seals) – 3:01
  9. "Don't Feel That Way No More" (Seals) – 3:07
  10. "Holocaust" (Seals) – 3:09

Personnel

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  • John Ford Coley – acoustic guitar, keyboards, lead and backing vocals,
  • England Dan Seals – acoustic guitar, lead and backing vocals
  • Steve Gibson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
  • Bobby Thompson – acoustic guitar
  • Doyle Grisham – steel guitar
  • Shane Keister – keyboards, Moog synthesizer
  • Kyle Lehning – keyboards
  • Joe Osborn – bass
  • Larrie Londin – drums, percussion
  • Dennis Good – trombone
  • George Tidwell – trumpet
  • Billy Puett – woodwinds
  • Buddy Skipper – woodwinds, horn arrangements (1), woodwind arrangements (6, 8)
  • Bergen White – string arrangements, woodwind arrangements (4, 10)
  • The Shelly Kurland String Section – strings
  • Sheri Kramer – backing vocals
  • Lisa Silver – backing vocals
  • Wendy Suits – backing vocals
  • Diane Tidwell – backing vocals

Production

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  • Producer – Kyle Lehning
  • Engineers – Kyle Lehning and Marshall Morgan
  • Recorded and Mixed at Hazen’s Recording Studio (Hendersonville, TN).
  • Mastered by Glenn Meadows at Masterfonics (Nashville, TN).
  • Art Direction – Bob Defrin
  • Photography – Jim Houghton and Earl Steinbecker

References

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  1. ^ Viglione, Joe. Dowdy Ferry Road at AllMusic
  2. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 24, 1977. p. 24. Retrieved 2021-12-26.