WIN double tickets to see The Bellamy Brothers at Carnival City up for grabs

The well-known South African country singer Jason Bradley is the opening act for The Bellamy Brothers. Their performance in the Big Top Arena, at Carnival City, takes place at 6pm on November 26.

• Answer this simple question to win:

In which year did Let Your Love Flow become a number one hit?

• How to enter:

Like and share out competition post and email the answer to lanan@caxton.co.za along with your full name and contact number.

Winners’ names will be posted on the Boksburg Advertiser Facebook page on Thursday afternoon, and contacted telephonically with their unique winner’s code which must be used to redeem the tickets.

• Rules:

Only one entry per person will be entered into the draw.

Entries close at noon on November 23.

• About The Bellamy Brothers

Howard and David Bellamy’s first official gig was in 1968, when they played a free show with their father at the Rattlesnake Roundup in San Antonio, Florida.

They honed their early skills by playing black clubs throughout the south, and singing backup for artists such as Percy Sledge, Eddie Floyd and Little Anthony & The Imperials.

Songwriting had become David’s drug of choice during the long road gigs he and Howard were regularly pulling bodies and equipment to and from. It was his songwriting that soon provided the duo a national breakout.

The break came in the form of the hit Spiders & Snakes, written by David and recorded by Jim Stafford. The song became a smash hit, eventually selling more than three million units worldwide. It became the catapult that rocketed the brothers onto the LA music scene.

Young and impressionable, Howard and David fell into the musical circle of the greats of the day: Bob Dylan, James Taylor, and Van Morrison, as well as West Coast based country rockers like Poco and the Byrds.

• Smash hit

The Bellamys officially lifted off in 1976 when their single Let Your Love Flow became an instant smash hit in both the US and Europe.

It stayed on the international charts long enough to build a huge international fan base for the hip young brothers that endures to this day. In Germany alone, it perched at number one for more than two months.

The love was indeed flowing as the Bellamys jammed for audiences during their sold-out concerts and on shared stages with the likes of Loggins & Messina, the Doobie Brothers and the Beach Boys, with their patented blend of rock/country music. By the late 70s the Bellamys were emerging on the country charts with another bona fide smash hit, If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me), which was originally scrawled on a dinner napkin by David and rocketed them to the top of the country charts.

It proved to be the first of a string of fourteen number one singles in the US alone.

• International fame

In the 2000s, The Bellamy Brothers held the record in both the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association Awards (CMA) for the most duo nominations. Numerous Grammy nods were also directed at the brothers.

Internationally, the story has been the same – though the titles may be different. The Bellamys have released more than two dozen hit songs outside the US that were never released here.

“For the international releases, you have to have a strong melody,” notes David. “The lyrics are very important, but internationally the melody is something fans can lock into, even if they can’t understand the lyrics.”