Firefall

Few soft rock acts take their name from a Yosemite spectacle, but Firefall did, borrowing it from the burning logs that once cascaded down a mountainside at Yosemite National Park to entertain hotel guests. Formed in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974 by Rick Roberts, formerly of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and guitarist Jock Bartley, the group later drew in bassist Mark Andes, singer and songwriter Larry Burnett and drummer Michael Clarke, a former Byrd. Their smooth, harmony-led sound placed them firmly within American soft rock of the late 1970s.

The breakthrough came in 1975, when a demo produced by Chris Hillman and a run of shows at New York's Other End caught the attention of Atlantic Records, which signed the band to a multi-album deal. Their self-titled debut appeared in April 1976. Its first single, "Livin' Ain't Livin'", stopped short of the Top 40, but "You Are the Woman" reached the Top 10 and became the group's biggest hit, with tours alongside Fleetwood Mac and Leon Russell following. The second album, Luna Sea, a title punning on "lunacy", was reworked after Atlantic judged the original mix unsuitable. Released in July 1977, it peaked at No. 27, while "Just Remember I Love You" climbed to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.