Like the celebrated steed that was the subject of its classic hit, “A Horse With No Name,” America galloped its way into the hearts of millions of Pinoy fans during its hugely successful comeback concert tour here in December 2007.

For five marvelous evenings, the pop sensations took the music scene by storm with its array of chart-topping hits like “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross The River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People,” “Sister Golden Hair,” and many more, leaving a trail of insistent clamor for more from appreciative audiences.

The two years of waiting by music enthusiasts will finally come to a happy ending when America returns this month for another tour, this time featuring the group not as a standard main performer but at the lead of a rare, star-studded, three-in-one concert production.

America will be joined by music legends Ambrosia and John Ford Coley in a spectacular act showcasing a magnificent fusion of pop, rock and folk music during a major concert on July 31 at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

Billed as “America, Ambrosia & John Ford Coley Live!,” the Big Dome performance to be mounted by Ovation Productions will kick off a four-night concert series that will also feature solo shows by America at the Nueva Caceres University in Naga City on Aug. 1; Subic Convention Center, Aug. 2; and Summit Center, Zamboanga City, Aug. 4.

Following the three-in-one concert, Ambrosia will perform solo a longer set during a dinner-show at the Hard Rock Café in Makati City on Aug. 1.

The musical event marks the first time that America, Ambrosia and John Ford Coley will share the same stage to demonstrate their distinct talents, vocal qualities and styles as they perform their greatest hits.

It will reunite America with its local fans almost two years after its sold-out five-night 2007 tour, which was highlighted by a jampacked show at the Big Dome in its comeback bid more than two decades since its 1981 debut at the Folk Arts Theater (now Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas).

The musical career of America started in 1972 when a group of three talented, young musicians harmonized its way to the top of the charts with “A Horse With No Name.”

The classic made America a global household name and launched Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek as superstars for their timeless sound that assimilated strands of rock, pop and folk elements into an exciting musical brew.

An impressive string of hits followed, including “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross The River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People” and “Sister Golden Hair,” which became cornerstones of the ’70s Top 40 and FM rock radio.

Behind America’s success was the combination of Beckley’s melodic pop rock and Bunnell’s use of folk-jazz elements, slinky Latin-leaning rhythms and impressionistic lyric imagery that contrasted with Peek’s more traditional country-rock leanings and highly personal lyrics.

After Peek left the fold in 1977, Beckley and Bunnell carried on as a duo and was propelled to the upper reaches of the pop charts with the 1982 smash single, “You Can Do Magic.”

The success of the pair as singers, songwriters and musicians continued unabated until the present day as shown by such landmark releases as “Human Nature” (1998) and “Holiday Harmony” (2002), an album comprised of seasonal classics, and the live showcases, “America – Live” (2000) and “Grand Cayman Concert” (2002).

Ambrosia, on the other hand, became a phenomenon with its fusion of symphonic art rock with a slightly-produced pop sound, a unique tune that was evident in its 1975 self-titled debut album, which spawned the chart singles, “Holdin’ On To Yesterday” and “Nice, Nice, Very Nice,” the latter based on Kurt Vonnegut’s “Cat Cradle.”

The group earned a Grammy Award nomination for its 1976 album, “Somewhere I’ve Never Traveled,” and scored another hit the following year when it covered The Beatles song, “Magical Mystery Tour” for the transitory musical documentary, “All This And World War II.”

The forthcoming show will mark John Ford Coley’s seventh visit to the country since his debut concert here in the ’70s at the height of the popularity of the duo of England Dan and John Ford Coley.

He skyrocketed to worldwide popularity with such hit songs as “Tell Me You Love Me,” “Love Is The Answer,” “Gone Too Far,” “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight,” “Nights Are Forever,” “We’ll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again,” “Come Back To Me,” “Soldier In The Rain,” “Sad To Belong,” “Simone,” “Westward Wind,” “Part Of Me, Part Of You,” and many more.

He has performed with top-hit makers like Elton John, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, Chicago, Carole King, Bread, Loggins and Messina, Led Zeppelin, Carly Simon, Bill Cosby, Dave Mason, Steve Miller Band, Randy Bachman, Jesse Colin Young, Air Supply and Gordon Lightfoot, to name a few.

“America, Ambrosia & John Ford Coley Live!” is presented by Ovation Productions in cooperation with ETC, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, C/S Origin and RJ 100.3 FM and sponsored by Edsa Shangri-La, Chrysler, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Philippine Star, BusinessWorld, Philstar.com, GetzMo!, Focalcast and Optimasigns Solutions.

(Tickets to the Araneta Coliseum show of “America, Ambrosia & John Ford Coley Live!” on July 31 are available at Ticketnet outlets at all SM Department Stores.)

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In this corner: The brand and the boxer

From the pigeonhole:

Unrivaled. Exemplary. Timeless.

These are but three of many extolling adjectives that have been used by people from around the world in hailing Filipino boxing champion Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao. At 30 years old, the “People’s Champ” or the “Pambansang Kamao,” as Manny is alternately called by Filipinos, is at the top of his game.

Manny is the first Filipino and Asian boxer to have won five world titles in five different weight divisions. Champion boxers from Marco Antonio Barrera to Ricky Hatton have all been clobbered inside the ring by Manny, prompting the Ring Magazine to rate the Pinoy slugger as top pound-for-pound boxer in the world. For his sterling achievements, Manny has been named by Time Magazine as one of the world’s most influential people of 2009.

And now comes another distinction: Manny has been chosen by the Victorinox Swiss Army watch to become the first Filipino to have a limited edition timepiece named after him by an international brand.

Marnie Chua, Victorinox Swiss Army watch brand manager in the Philippines, said that Pacquiao was lone luminary when they were thinking of paying tribute to Filipino greats. “We did not even have a list because any name we tried to put beside his, dwarfed in comparison,” he said. “Manny alone can embody the brand’s core philosophy of innovation, functionality and reliability.”

Like Pacquiao, Victorinox Swiss Army watch is the benchmark in the fine mechanical timepieces industry. The brand’s legacy of distinctive styling, high-performance features, and Swiss-made craftsmanship spans 125 years. Their watches are the only ones authorized by the Swiss government to carry the name Swiss Army. No wonder Victorinox Swiss Army watch’s famous Cross and Shield emblem has become a guarantee of quality to connosieurs of timepieces; much in the same way that Filipinos think only of Pacquiao when speaking of the “best of the best” boxers.

Emerson Yao, Victorinox Swiss Army watch managing director, drew several analogies between the brand and the boxer. He said that Pacquio triumphs inside the ring because he commits himself to rigorously disciplined training before a fight. Likewise, each Victorinox Swiss Army watch undergoes stringent and multiple quality control tests.

Like Pacquiao who uses a scientific approach in his boxing techniques, Victorinox Swiss Army watch regularly reinvents both its supply chain process as well as its on site quality monitoring.

The Victorinox Swiss Army watch Pac-Man edition was approved by the brand’s mother company in Switzerland. Only 1,000 pieces of the edition will be available in the market, truly making it a rare “must-have” among collectors and anyone who has been made prouder to be Filipino because of Manny’s achievements.

The design of the Pac-Man edition is understated class: An image of boxer is engraved on the face of the watch. On the back case is a rendition of Manny’s face. Behind it is the Philippine flag with the words “A tribute to a Filipino boxing legend.”

Like all Victorinox Swiss Army watches, the Pac-Man edition is covered by a three-year limited warranty; more than the average offered by many top-quality brands. Every purchase of a Victorinox Swiss Army watch Pac-man edition comes with a boxing glove printed with Pacquiao’s signature.

“We weren’t thinking of profit when we thought up this idea,” said Chua. “If we were, then we would have manufactured more than a thousand watches. Our aim is to further uplift the Filipino spirit by coming up with an edition which they will value and show off because it reminds them of greatness.”

The Victorinox Swiss Army watch executives said that Pacquiao graciously accepted their offer to make him the ambassador of the brand in the Philippines. “Manny’s humility makes him all the greater in our eyes,” said Chua.

The special Victorinox Swiss Army Watches Maverick II Chrono “Pacman” Limited Edition, is being sold in all Lucerne, Chronos, Swissgear, Ltimestudio, and Wristpod stores nationwide.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings on July 7 go to Dingdong Avanzado, Imelda Ylanan, Bong Chavez, Marie Christine Ledesma, former UAE Ambassador Roy V. Señeres, Marivic Martinez, Jack Teotico, Tristan Albert Flores-Wenceslao, Grace Figues, Bert Pasquin, Rosalinda Tongos, Al B. Blanco, Dr. Ben Dorado, Dr. Candy Noche-Apacible, Justine Angela Michelle B. Recio, Charles Owen of SMC, and John “Sweet” Lapus… Happy wedding anniversary to Allan and Libby Lavarro.