Denny Zager

• Name — Zager and Evans • Origin — Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. • Genre — * Psychedelic pop • folk rock • psychedelic rock • Years Active — 1962–1971 • Label — * RCA Victor • White Whale • Vanguard • Past Members — * Denny Zager • Rick Evans • Danny Schindler • Mark Dalton • Paul Maher • Dave Trupp

Denny Zager and Rick Evans met at Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1962. They were joined by drummer Danny Schindler (later of the Benders) in the Nebraska band the Eccentrics until Schindler's tour of Vietnam in 1965. Evans also left in 1965 and reunited with Zager in 1968. As Zager and Evans, the duo were backed by another Nebraska native, Mark Dalton, on bass. Their first drummer, Paul Maher, was later replaced by another Nebraskan, Dave Trupp. Trupp and Dalton were also the rhythm section in the Liberation Blues Band and backed Evans on some solo demo material prior to Zager and Evans's recording of "In the Year 2525" in 1968.

Written by Evans, "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" warned of the dangers of technology, portraying a future in which the human race was destroyed by its own technological and medical innovations. The last stanzas of the song suggest mankind undergoes a continuing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. "In the Year 2525" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969, ultimately claiming the top spot for six weeks. It also hit No. 1 in the UK and No. 2 in Australia. The song topped the charts at the time of two major cultural events: the first Moon landing on July 20, 1969 and the Woodstock Music Festival a month later. The record sold over four million copies by 1970 and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in July 1969. "2525" was originally written in 1964, but not recorded or released until 1968 on the Truth Records label. After radio stations in Lincoln and Omaha made "2525" a regional "break-out" hit record, RCA Records signed the duo and released the song with "Little Kids", also written by Evans, as the B-side nationwide. Zager and Evans also immediately recorded an album of the same name, again using Trupp and Dalton as the primary rhythm section. Sales of the original hit recording, including singles sales, album usage and compilation inclusions, are estimated at over ten million worldwide. In Italy, the duo released an Italian version on RCA Victor 1583: "Nell'anno 2033" b/w "Donna" ("Woman").

Zager now builds custom guitars at Zager Guitars in Lincoln, Nebraska. Evans largely retired from public life but he continued to chat online with Dalton and his best friend, Nashville producer Gary Earl, until his death in February 2018. Drummer Dave Trupp died in November 2015 at the age of 72. Mark Dalton still performs on bass in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

• Year — Album — Peak chart positions — Record Label • US — CAN • 1969 — 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) — 30 — 7 — | RCA Victor • The Early Writings of Zager & Evans and Others — — — — — | White Whale Records • | 1970 — Zager & Evans — — — — — | RCA Victor • | 1971 — Food for the Mind — — — — — | Vanguard Records • "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

• Year — Title — Peak chart positions — Record Label — B-side — Album • US — US A/C — UK — AUS — CAN — CAN A/C • 1969 — "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" — 1 — 1 — 1 — 2 — 1 — 1 — RCA Victor — "Little Kids" — | 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) • "Mr. Turnkey" — 106 — — — — — 86 — 48 — 41 — "Cary Lynn Javes" — Zager & Evans • "Listen to the People" — — — — — — — — — 96 — — — "She Never Sleeps Beside Me" • 1970 — "Help One Man Today" — — — — — — — 94 — — — — — "Yeah 3 2 " — | • "Crutches" — — — — — — — — — — — — — "Plastic Park" — | Zager & Evans • | 1971 — "Hydra 15,000" — — — — — — — — — — — — — | Vanguard Records — "I Am" — | Food for the Mind • "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.