Discover America

Discover America is the second studio album by Van Dyke Parks released by Warner Bros. in 1972. Its sound is a major departure from his debut record, Song Cycle (1967), featuring all cover versions of previously written songs. The title is derived from the poem "I Am Waiting" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

Background

Most of the album's songs were originally written by early Calypso musicians between the 1920s and 1940s, but had fallen into the public domain by the time Discover America was recorded in 1972. As such, nearly all of the songs are listed as "Public domain; arranged & adapted by Van Dyke Parks." Lyrical themes run a wide range of American history, from John Jones, to early 20th-century musicians Bing Crosby and The Mills Brothers, actor Jack Palance, and political figures Franklin Roosevelt and J. Edgar Hoover.

Parks would continue his study of Calypso and Caribbean music on his third album, Clang of the Yankee Reaper, released in 1975. Throughout the 1970s, Parks acted as producer on Calypso albums for other artists, including The Esso Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band's Esso in 1971, and The Mighty Sparrow's 1974 album, Hot and Sweet.

Chris Staples

Chris Staples is a singer and songwriter from Pensacola, Florida, currently the frontman and main musician for Discover America. Previously, he was the vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Twothirtyeight. One of the founding members in 1995, Staples stayed with the band until its split-up in April 2003, due to members' individual ambitions. He subsequently pursued a solo career, recording the acoustic albums Panama and Burned and Blistered. In 2004 Staples released Blackest Hair, Bluest Eyes on Makebreak Records, including recordings from his earlier releases and two additional songs. In 2005, Staples moved to Seattle, Washington and formed a separate project he called "Discover America". Psychology, the project's first album, was released on Tooth & Nail Records and was engineered, produced, and recorded in Staples' home studio. Discover America then independently released an untitled EP in 2007, followed by Songs for Sale, another EP released only on iTunes, in 2008. The project's second full-length album, Future Paths, was released in 2010 by Lujo Records.