Tim Hardin, the folk singer and composer, was born 73 years ago today. Hardin wrote the Top 40 hits If I Were a Carpenter, covered by, among others, Bobby Darin, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, The Four Tops and Robert Plant. His song, Reason to Believe, has been covered by many artists, including Rod Stewart (who had a chart hit with the song). Hardin was born in Eugene, Oregon and attended South Eugene High School. He dropped out of high school at age 18 to join the Marine Corps. He discovered heroin in Vietnam. After his discharge he moved to New York City in 1961, where he briefly attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He was expelled 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 not released and Columbia terminated Hardins recording contract. After moving to Los Angeles in 1965, he met actress Susan Yardley 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 which contained Reason To Believe and the ballad Misty Roses. Tim Hardin 2 was released in 1967 and contained If I Were a Carpenter, In 1969, Hardin again signed with Columbia and had one of his few commercial successes, as a non-LP single of Bobby Darins Simple Song of Freedom reached the 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 If I Were a Carpenter song solo, as well as a full set of his music while backed by a band that included drummer Muruga Booker. In 1973, Hardin appeared on stage with Harry Chapin as part of Chapins concert in Potsdam, New York. They jammed on a blues riff that survives in a bootleg recording. Some of the topics covered in the seven-minute long jam include drug use, travel and death. In Chapins introduction, he makes reference to Hardins participation as a session musician on his first two albums. During the following years Hardin moved between England and the U.S. His heroin addiction had taken control of his life. Hardin died of a heroin overdose in 1980. He was 39. Here, Hardin sings his song, If I Were a Carpenter at Woodstock in 1969.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 08:15:56 +0000
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