Smoke From a Distant Fire

Hey there, Zoo Freaks, your hippie DJs at THE ZOO are groovin’ to the soulful vibes of Smoke From a Distant Fire by the Sanford Townsend Band, straight off their 1977 album of the same name. This track’s got that blue-eyed soul that lights up the airwaves, and we’ve got some far-out trivia to share. Johnny Townsend spilled the beans in a Rhino interview, saying the song kicked off as a playful jab. Ed Sanford was griping about sleep, telling Steve Stewart to ditch his classical tunes for something that’d pay the bills. Stewart grabbed his guitar, strummed a killer R&B riff, and Townsend jumped in, pulling the song’s title from a poem Ed wrote in college. That poem, by the way, was inspired by Steve Stewart’s girlfriend cheating on him while he was at Auburn University, as noted in a post on X. Talk about turning drama into a Top 10 hit!

Dig this: the song was recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, with none other than Jerry Wexler at the helm. Wexler, who worked with icons like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, called this band the best he’d ever produced, according to engineer Jerry Masters in a Songfacts chat. Masters himself said it was the peak of his 50-year career, and that’s no small feat when you’ve got names like Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson on your résumé. The tune’s got those punchy horns and a sax solo that just wails, making it a standout from the disco-heavy 1977 scene. Fans on Reddit still rave about its live performance on The Midnight Special, with one user calling it “fucking fantastic” for outshining the studio cut.

Now, let’s rewind to how the Sanford Townsend Band got rollin’. Ed Sanford and Johnny Townsend, both hailing from Alabama, were keyboard whizzes who first jammed together in a Tuscaloosa outfit called The Heart—not to be confused with the Wilson sisters’ crew. After going their separate ways, they linked up again in Los Angeles, scoring a publishing deal with Chappell Music. They were penning tunes for big names, like Peacemaker for Loggins and Messina, co-written with Kenny Loggins. Their demo tape caught Jerry Wexler’s ear, and boom—Warner Bros. signed ’em. Their self-titled debut dropped in 1976, but it was Smoke From a Distant Fire climbing to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 that put ’em on the map. They toured with heavyweights like Fleetwood Mac on the Rumours tour and The Marshall Tucker Band, but their later albums, Duo-Glide and Nail Me to the Wall, didn’t catch the same fire.

For all you Zoo Freaks wanting to keep up with the band, there’s not much official presence these days, but you can dig into their legacy. There’s no official website for the Sanford Townsend Band, and their social media is pretty quiet. You might find some chatter on Facebook in fan groups like the 70s Rock Fans community, where folks share love for classics like this. On Instagram, search hashtags like #SanfordTownsendBand for fan posts, but don’t expect an active band account. Over on X, you’ll see occasional shouts, like from @in_yacht, dropping trivia about the song. For deeper dives, fan sites like AllMusic or Discogs have killer details on their discography. So, crank up that vinyl, Zoo Freaks, and let Smoke From a Distant Fire keep burnin’ in your soul!