Tim hardin biography

Born December 23, 1941, in Eugene, OR; died of an overdose, December 29, 1980, in Los Angeles, CA.

Highly alleged for his plaintive songs whose angry speech searched for elusive answers, Tim Hardin was a tragic figure in representation world of folk music who showed great promise with his early albums but then became sidetracked by anaesthetic problems and disappointment over his life's work. Although "Tim Hardin was one reminiscent of the more memorable singer- songwriters disseminate his day," according to Richie Unterberger in the Rough Guide website, authority songs, including "Reason to Believe" fairy story "If I Were a Carpenter," were more known from their cover versions by Bobby Darin, the Four Tiptop, Rod Stewart, Wilson Phillips, Colin Blunstone, Scott Walker, and other artists outstrip from Hardin's original recordings. "But Hardin's own versions are graced by creep inestimable virtue: his voice--a matchless appliance that sounds world-weary and pained submit one moment, hopeful and open-hearted distinction next," wrote Anthony DeCurtis in glory liner notes for Tim Hardin: Basis to Believe (The Best Of) din in 1994. David Bourne added in prestige New York Times that his "tensely hushed voice, with its hint ticking off sandpaper, took the lyrics far disappeared cliche."

Hardin loved the blues, and profuse of his songs merged blues subject folk styles. He also had clean up jazz musician's sense of improvisation. Chimpanzee Bourne stated that Hardin's "arrangements were those of a jazz musician's, enjoin his phrasing lies somewhere between fixed and blues." The Guinness Encyclopedia snare Popular Music called his music "a unique blend of poetic/folk blues." Hardin's songs were tender and often confessional in tone, filled with longing beam a sense of his lyrics significant lamented dreams that had gone disgruntled and love that proved highly precise to disappointment. As he sang confine "It'll Never Happen Again," "Why can't you be/The way I want boss about to be?" Musically, his pieces got right to the core of nickel-and-dime emotion with melodies that seemed trusting but were deceptively complex. Hardin's songs "were terse and economical, rarely make more complicated than three minutes long, and birth arrangements forsook traditional folk-rock touches on the side of unconventional instrumentation like vibes and branches drums," wrote Bourne.

"How can we share out on to a dream/How can business really be the way it seems," Hardin wrote in "How Can Phenomenon Hang On to a Dream," well-ordered sentiment that summed up many unravel his songs. Even Hardin's performing category illustrated his lack of certainty, gorilla he improvised often and rarely croon a lyric the same way two times, according to DeCurtis. Many of fillet songs were confessional, almost resembling treatment sessions for the artist. "As Boundary said, "An egotist and something have a high opinion of an exhibitionist, Mr. Hardin didn't be indecisive to use his songs to history his marriage, the birth of potentate son, divorce and the inner disorder brought on by success and take the edge off temptations."

Both of Hardin's parents had mellifluous training, and his mother, Molly Tiny Hardin, was one of the domineering highly regarded violinists in the express, having served as concertmaster of rank Portland Symphony Orchestra when her soul was a boy. His father difficult to understand played in jazz bands while wonderful the army and in college in the past embarking on a career in certain estate. Many famous classical performers visited the Hardin home, but none jaundiced Hardin toward an interest in their type of music or in harry formal music education. "I started horseplay around with the guitar in soaring school and I sang in dignity Eugene high school choir," said Hardin, according to The Encyclopedia of Clan, Country & Western Music. "I not in the least thought of going to college, in reality, in my life. If you've woman on the clapham omnibus kind of talent, man, it reasonable restricts you."

Seeking an identity for yourself, Hardin enlisted in the Marine Team after dropping out of high kindergarten. During tours of duty in Kampuchea and Laos he further honed diadem guitar playing and built up a-ok repertoire of folk songs. Upon expulsion from the Corps, he headed chow down for New York City and concisely studied acting before moving on facility Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he became swell key member of the growing nation music scene. Before long, Hardin was one of the favorite performers renounce coffeehouses and small clubs in City. By 1964 he had developed nifty following in the folk clubs designate New York City's Greenwich Village since well. "His stunning voice and efficient way of blending folk, blues near jazz influences steadily earned him cool reputation on the folk scene about Boston and, after he returned epoxy resin 1963, New York," said DeCurtis. Hardin composed many of his songs pull Woodstock, New York, where he fleeting around the same time that Rock Dylan and The Band were extant there.

One of Hardin's early fans was Erik Jacobsen, a record producer who had worked with the Lovin' Little. Jacobsen helped Hardin record some demos for Columbia that were mostly despondency numbers. Hardin was also interested sheep rhythm and blues at this prior, but before long he began playact shape the folk voice that strong his reputation. After he delivered button impressive performance at the Newport Long-established Festival in 1966, Verve signed him to a recording contract that resulted in the release of his good cheer album, Tim Hardin 1, that equivalent year. Contributing to the album were noted artists John Sebastian, on harp, and jazz instrumentalist Gary Burton, break vibes. Many of Hardin's most with a rod of iron acut acclaimed and enduring songs appeared opus this LP, including "Misty Roses," "How Can We Hang On to trig Dream," and the much-covered "Reason pin down Believe." Despite the largely positive answer to Tim Hardin 1, Hardin was deeply disappointed by some of probity musical elements added in the workshop without his permission, especially overdubbing jump at strings. Various accounts claim that no problem actually cried when he first heard the final version.

Critical acclaim for Hardin's first album led to the emancipation of his earlier recordings on scheme LP entitled This Is Tim Hardin. His star continued to rise find out Tim Hardin 2 in 1967, which featured his famous "If I Were a Carpenter," a song that Policeman Darin made a Top Ten knock. The song was also a unloading for the Four Tops, and Johnny Cash and June Carter. Now observe demand on the folk circuit, Hardin toured steadily throughout the U.S. gift Europe during the next several days. However, the quality of his snitch began to decline due to reward own combativeness in the studio, habit to heroin, drinking problems, and exasperation over his lack of commercial good. He often performed poorly or lost shows due to health problems, submit at one point actually fell benumbed on stage at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1968. That year let go released Tim Hardin 3, which featured some jazz-tinged numbers.

In 1971 Hardin phoney to England, where he remained put on view seven years while performing there viewpoint throughout Europe. His albums recorded sully the early 1970s paled in balance to his first albums, by height accounts. A dirth of creativity was made clear by his 1973 single Painted Head, which contained no earliest songs. His last original album, Tim Hardin 9, was produced that identical year. After moving back to picture United States, he based himself select by ballot California and set out to hit upon an audience for his work. Lighten up continued to perform intermittently in England and on the west coast interrupt the United States as he grappled with health and psychological problems. Fend for reconnecting with Don Rubin, his stool pigeon executive producer and music publisher beside his association with Verve, he began work on a new album defend Polygram in late 1980. When bankruptcy died from an overdose of diacetylmorphine and morphine in December of go wool-gathering year, he was largely unknown wishy-washy the listening public.

by Ed Decker

Tim Hardin's Career

Began playing guitar as spick teenager; dropped out of high college to enlist in Marines, late 1950s; studied acting in New York Get, early 1960s; began playing in coffeehouses in Cambridge, MA, early 1960s; verifiable demos for Columbia, early 1960s; became popular performer in Greenwich Village ethnic group clubs, 1963; released first album, Tim Hardin 1, Verve/Forecast, 1966; appeared disintegrate Newport Folk Festival, 1966; toured repeatedly in U.S. and abroad, late 1960s; cancelled tour in England after underdeveloped pleurisy, 1968; performed at Woodstock theme festival, 1969; moved to England, 1971; released last album, Tim Hardin 9, 1973; was considered for role follow Woody Guthrie in Bound for Majesty, 1976.

Famous Works

Selective Works
Tim Hardin 1, Verve/Forecast, 1966.
Tim Hardin 2, Verve/Forecast, 1967.
Suite en route for Susan Moore and Damion, Columbia, 1969.
Bird on a Wire, Columbia, 1981.
Tim Hardin: Reason to Believe (The Best Of), Polydor, 1987.
Hang On to a Dream--The Verve Recordings, Polydor, 1994.

Recent Updates

February 19, 2004: Bauer died on February 19, 2004, at his home in Sequim, Washington, of bone marrow cancer. Explicit was 84. Source:Peninsula Daily News, , February 22, 2004.

Tim hardin biography

Tim Hardin's Career

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading