Tim Hardin
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| Tim Hardin | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Timothy James Hardin |
| Born | December 23, 1941 Eugene, Oregon, United States |
| Died | December 29, 1980 (aged 39) Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano |
Timothy James Hardin (23 December 1941 – 29 December 1980) was an American folk musician and composer.
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[edit] Career
Hardin dropped out of high school at age 18 to join the Marine Corps. After his discharge he moved to New York City in 1961, where he briefly attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He was dismissed because of truancy and began to focus on his musical career by performing around Greenwich Village, mostly in a blues style.
After moving to Boston in 1963 he was discovered by the record producer Erik Jacobsen (later the producer for The Lovin' Spoonful), who arranged a meeting with Columbia Records. In 1964 he moved back to Greenwich Village to record for his contract with Columbia. The resulting recordings were considered a failure by Columbia, which chose not to release them and terminated Hardin's contract.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1965, he met actress Susan Morss (known professionally as Susan Yardley)[1][2], and moved back to New York with her. He signed to the Verve Forecast label, and produced his first authorized album, Tim Hardin 1 in 1966. This album saw a transformation from his early traditional blues style to the folk style that defined his recording career. This LP contained "Reason To Believe" and the ballad "Misty Roses" which did receive Top-40 radio play.
Tim Hardin 2 was released in 1967 and contained one of his most famous songs, "If I Were a Carpenter".
An album entitled This is Tim Hardin, featuring covers of "House of the Rising Sun", Fred Neil's "Blues on the Ceilin'" and Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man", among others, appeared in 1967, on the Atco label. The liner notes indicate the songs were recorded in 1963-64, well prior to the release of Tim Hardin 1 by Verve Records. Tim Hardin 3, released in 1968, was a collection of live recordings along with re-makes of previous songs; it was followed by Tim Hardin 4, another collection of blues-influenced tracks believed to date from the same period as This is Tim Hardin.
In 1969, Hardin again signed with Columbia and had one of his few commercial successes, as a non-LP single of Bobby Darin's "Simple Song of Freedom" reached the US Top 50. Hardin did not tour in support of this single and a heroin addiction and stage fright made his live performances erratic. Also in 1969 he appeared at the Woodstock Festival where he sang his famous "If I Were a Carpenter" song. He recorded three albums for Columbia--Suite for Susan Moore and Damion: We Are One, One, All in One; Bird on a Wire; and Painted Head--none of which sold well. His output as a songwriter decreased and eventually ceased during this period, a circumstance blamed on his ongoing drug problems.
During the following years Hardin moved between England and the U.S. His heroin addiction had taken control of his life by the time his last album, Tim Hardin 9, was released on GM Records in the UK in 1973 (the album did not see a US release until it appeared on Antilles Records in 1976). He died of a heroin and morphine overdose, and is buried in the Twin Oaks Cemetery in Turner, Oregon.
[edit] Selected Discography
- Tim Hardin 1 - (1966 Verve Forecast FT/FTS 3004)
- This is Tim Hardin - 1967 (demos recorded 1963/64) (ATCO 33-210)
- Tim Hardin 2 - 1967 (Verve Forecast FT/FTS 3022)
- Tim Hardin 3 Live in Concert - 1968 (Verve Forecast FTS 3049)
- Tim Hardin 4 - 1969 (Verve Forecast FTS 3064)
[edit] Cover versions of Tim Hardin penned songs by other artists
- Black Sheep Boy - Okkervil River on their concept album Black Sheep Boy, Scott Walker on his album Scott 2.
- Don't Make Promises - Helen Reddy on her album I Don't Know How to Love Him.
- Eulogy to Lenny Bruce - Nico, on her debut solo album, Chelsea Girl, Damon and Naomi on their album Damon and Naomi with Ghost.
- How Can We Hang On to a Dream? - Echo and the Bunnymen, on their Avalanche EP.
- If I Were A Carpenter - Stan Webb's Chicken Shack, Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash & June Carter, The Four Tops, Leon Russell, Rod Stewart, Doc Watson, Joan Baez, the Nice, Small Faces, Robert Plant, and John Holt.
- The Lady Came from Baltimore - Joan Baez, Scott Walker on his album Scott
- Misty Roses- Colin Blunstone, Jess Roden
- Reason to Believe - Scott Walker, Paul Weller, Billy Bragg, Rod Stewart, Ron Sexsmith, Wilson Phillips and Weddings Parties Anything.
- Red Balloon - Rick Nelson, Small Faces, Kula Shaker.
[edit] References
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