Dan Peek, an original member of the rock band America who later forsook the group for a life in Christian music, died Sunday at his home in Farmington, Mo. He was 60.

Peek died in his sleep, his wife, Catherine, said. The cause is not yet known.

Formed in the late 1960s, America was known for its lush, melodic folk-rock sound and the tight vocal harmonies supplied by its members, Peek, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell.

Peek, who sang lead and backup vocals, also played guitar, bass, keyboards and harmonica.

The band’s best-known songs during his tenure include its biggest hits, “A Horse with No Name” and “Ventura Highway,” both written by Bunnell; “Sister Golden Hair,” by Beckley; and “Lonely People,” by Peek. Peek also wrote “Woman Tonight” and “Don’t Cross the River” for the band.

After leaving America in 1977, Peek recorded Christian pop, including the successful solo album “All Things Are Possible,” released in 1979. In recent years, he lived in somewhat reclusive semi-retirement while continuing to write songs.

Daniel Milton Peek was born in Panama City, Fla., on Nov. 1, 1950.

When he was a teenager, a new posting took the family to England. It was there, in a London high school, that he met the young Beckley and Bunnell, also children of U.S. military fathers.

The three began singing together in various permutations, under various names. They dissolved briefly when Peek returned to the United States to attend Old Dominion University, but joined forces again when he came back to London a year later. They called themselves, nostalgically, America.