If there is one enduring quality that America, Ambrosia, and John Ford Coley share as singers and entertainers, it is their common passion for excellence in their craft.

Although their songs became top hits in the 1970s and 1980s, helping define the music of the eras, their appeal and popularity have transcended years and continue to endure until today despite the emergence of new artists with new sounds and styles.

This consummate dedication to music provides a powerful attraction to new generations of fans, who are consistently drawn by the three singing legends through regular performances, remakes of their chart-busting hits and frequent concert tours worldwide.

In a rare act showcasing a wonderful synergy of talents and styles as they create an exquisite fusion of classic pop, rock and folk, America, Ambrosia, and John Ford Coley will gather together on the same stage 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 show to be mounted by Ovation Productions will kick off a four-night concert series that will also include solo performances by America at the Nueva Caceres University in Naga City on Aug. 1; Pagcor-Tagaytay City, Aug. 2; and Summit Center, Zamboanga City, Aug. 4.

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

America returns to the concert scene almost two years after its successful five-night tour in 2007 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.

When Peek left the fold in 1977, Beckley and Bunnell carried on as a duo until it 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).

Other hit songs popularized by the tandem were “All My Life,” “Sandman,” “Only In Your Heart,” “Muskrat Love,” “Daisy Jane,” “Inspector Mills,” “Riverside,” “California Dreamin’” and “I Don’t Believe In Miracles.”

Ambrosia, on the other hand, was a Los Angeles quartet whose fusion of symphonic art rock with a slightly-produced pop sound was very 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.”

After its 1976 album, “Somewhere I’ve Never Traveled,” earned a Grammy Awards nomination, the group 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.”

In 1978, it made its biggest pop breakthrough with “How Much I Feel,” its first gold CHR hit from its third album, “Life Beyond LA,” which landed Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The band followed this success in 1980 with another Number 3 hit, “Biggest Part of Me,” and the Number 13 follow-up single, “You’re The Only Woman.”

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.

Coley started as a classical and rock pianist in high school and college in Dallas, Texas where he and schoolmate Dan Seals began their acoustic act, Coley and Wayland, which eventually became known as England Dan and John Ford Coley.

The duo got its first break in 1972 with the song, “Simone,” which became a Number 1 hit in Japan and was quite popular in France, followed two years later with “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight,” which catapulted them to the top of the charts.

When the partnership ended in 1980, Coley formed another group, entered acting and wrote songs for film and television before returning in 1996 to active touring, in which he currently performs the hits and other favorite songs with groups like Ambrosia, Alice Cooper and Terry Sylvester (formerly of The Hollies).

He also rides the bill with numerous other acts, including Three Dog Night, Lou Gramm (of Foreigner), Christopher Cross, Poco, Stephen Bishop, Al Stewart, Edgar Winters and many others.

“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 Philippine Airlines, 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.)