Wikipedia

Tim Hardin

Not to be confused withTim Harding (disambiguation)orTim Harden.

James Timothy Hardin(December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980)[1][2]was an Americanfolkandbluessongwriter. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including "If I Were a Carpenter"and"Reason to Believe",became hits for other artists.[3]

Tim Hardin
Hardin in 1969
Hardin in 1969
Background information
Birth nameJames Timothy Hardin
Born(1941-12-23)December 23, 1941
Eugene, Oregon,U.S.
DiedDecember 29, 1980(1980-12-29)(aged 39)
Los Angeles,California,U.S.
GenresFolk
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active1964–1980
LabelsVerve,Columbia

Hardin grew up inOregonand joined theMarine Corps.He started his music career inGreenwich Villagewhich led to recording several albums in the mid- to late 1960s, and a performance at theWoodstock Festival.Hardin struggled withdrug abusethroughout most of his adult life, and live performances were sometimes erratic. He was planning a comeback when he died in late 1980 from an accidentalheroin overdose.

Early life and career

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Hardin was born inEugene, Oregon,to Hal Hardin and Molly, née Small, who both had musical training. His mother was an accomplished violinist who performed with thePortland Symphony Orchestraand his father, who worked at his wife's family's mill, had played bass in jazz bands.[4][5]

Hardin attended South Eugene High School but dropped out at age 18 to join theMarine Corps.He is said to have discovered heroin while posted in Southeast Asia.[6]

After his discharge he moved to New York City in 1961, where he briefly attended theAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts.[6]He was eventually excluded for poor attendance[7]and began to focus on his musical career by performing aroundGreenwich Village,playing folk and blues numbers. During this time he became friends with"Mama Cass" Elliot,John SebastianandFred Neil.[8]

After moving toBostonin 1963, he was discovered by the record producerErik Jacobsen(later the producer forThe Lovin' Spoonful), who arranged a meeting withColumbia Records.[9]In 1964 he moved back to Greenwich Village to record for his contract with Columbia. The resulting recordings were not released and Columbia terminated Hardin'srecording contract.[10]

After moving to Los Angeles in 1965, he met actress Susan Yardley Morss (known professionally as Susan Yardley),[6][11]and moved back to New York with her. He signed to theVerve Forecastlabel, and produced his first authorized album,Tim Hardin 1in 1966 which contained "How Can We Hang On to a Dream","Reason to Believe"and the ballad"Misty Roses",which received Top 40 radio play.

Tim Hardin 2was released in 1967; it contained "If I Were a Carpenter".A British tour was cut short after Hardin contractedpleurisy.[12]

An album entitledThis is Tim Hardin,featuring covers of "House of the Rising Sun",Fred Neil's "Blues on the Ceiling" andWillie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man",among others, appeared in 1967, on theAtcolabel. The liner notes indicate that the songs were recorded in 1963–1964, well prior to the release ofTim Hardin 1.In 1968, Verve releasedTim Hardin 3 Live in Concert,a collection of live recordings along with re-makes of previous songs. It was followed byTim Hardin 4,another collection of blues-influenced tracks believed to date from the same period asThis is Tim Hardin.In September 1968, he andVan Morrisonshared a bill at theCafe Au Go Go,at which each performed an acoustic set.[13]

In 1969, Hardin again signed with Columbia and had one of his few commercial successes, as a non-LP single ofBobby Darin's "Simple Song of Freedom" reached the US and Canadian (No. 48) Top 50.[14]Hardin did not tour in support of this single—his heroin use andstage frightmade his live performances erratic.[6]

Also in 1969, he appeared at theWoodstock Festival,where he sang "If I Were a Carpenter"solo and played a set of his music while backed by a full band.[15]None of his performances were included in thedocumentary filmor theoriginal soundtrack album.[6]His performance of "If I Were a Carpenter" was included on the 1994box-setWoodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music.

He recorded three albums for Columbia—Suite for Susan Moore and Damion: We Are One, One, All in One;Bird on a Wire;andPainted Head.

Later work and death

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During the following years Hardin moved between Britain and the U.S. In 1969 he arrived in England to take a programme for heroin addiction but this was unsuccessful and he became addicted tobarbiturateswhich were used during the withdrawal stage from heroin.[7]Hisheroin addictionhad taken control of his life by the time his last album,Nine,was released on GM Records in the UK in 1973 (the album did not see a U.S. release until it appeared onAntilles Recordsin 1976). He sold the writers' rights to his songs, but accounts of how this transpired differ.[6]

In late November 1975, Hardin performed as guest lead vocalist with the German experimental rock bandCan,for two UK concerts atHatfield Polytechnicin Hertfordshire and London'sDrury Lane Theatre.According to author Rob Young, in the bookAll Gates Open: The Story of Can,a huge argument between Hardin and Can occurred after the London concert, during which Hardin threw a television set through a car's windshield.[16]

In early 1980, Hardin returned to the US after several years in Britain, and wrote ten new songs and started recording new material as a comeback. On December 29, he was found dead on the floor of his Hollywood apartment by longtime friend Ron Daniels. The police said there was no evidence of foul play and it appeared initially that the cause of death was a heart attack.[17]It was later confirmed by the Los Angeles coroner's office that Hardin had died of an accidentalheroin overdose.[18]His remains were buried in Twin Oaks Cemetery inTurner, Oregon.[19]The new songs were included on the posthumousUnforgivenand the compilationThe Shock of Grace.[20]

Covers

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Hardin wrote the top 40 hit "If I Were a Carpenter",covered by, among others,Bobby Darin,Bob Dylan,Bob Seger,Joan Baez,Johnny Cash,the Four Tops,Robert Plant,Small Faces,Johnny Rivers,Bert Jansch,Willie Nelson,Sheryl Crow,Dolly PartonandJoe Nichols.His song "Reason to Believe"has also been covered by many artists, notablyRod Stewart(who had a chart hit with the song),Neil Young,andthe Carpenters."How Can We Hang On to a Dream"has also been covered many times; artists includeCliff Richard,Françoise Hardy,Marianne Faithfull,Fleetwood Mac,Peter Frampton,The Nice(featuring Keith Emerson) andEcho and the Bunnymen. Morrisseycovered "Lenny's Tune" on his 2019 albumCalifornia Son.

Tributes and legacy

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In 2005, theindie rockbandOkkervil Riverreleased a concept studio album entitledBlack Sheep Boy,said to be based on Hardin's life. According to one reviewer, the tribute album is a "collection that should go some way towards rekindling an interest in Hardin's life and work".[21]Will Shefffrom Okkervil River said "there is something very disarming about how simple those songs are... a Tim Hardin song never outstays its welcome. It's very short and pretty: one verse, one chorus, second verse, the song is over and he's out of there. It's like a tiny, perfectly cut gem".[22]

Late in 2012, it was announced that a tribute album,Reason to Believe:The Songs of Tim Hardinfeaturingindieandalternative rockbands from Britain and America, was to be released in January 2013.[23]Mark Lanegan,who sang the Hardin numberRed Balloonon the album, toldRolling Stone:"I've always been haunted by his devastating voice and beautiful songs... I can't imagine anyone hearing him and not feeling the same".[24]Another performer on the album, Canadian singer-songwriterRon Sexsmith,noted of Hardin that "you get what he’s telling you without him spelling it out... when it came time to make my first record I can remember keeping that in mind".[25]Initially the album was described on one music website as appearing "surprisingly mainstream", but later acknowledged in the article as a "comprehensive package... [that]... transcends its limitations... [with the folkier songs]... capturing the fragility of Hardin's original work without disrupting the moody, maudlin flow".[26]The tribute album has also been described as providing an opportunity to focus more on Hardin's music than the issues with drugs and his early death.[27]

Roger Daltreychose Hardin's song "How Can We Hang On to a Dream"for his commemorative CD of favorite music when he won the 2016 Music Industry Trusts Award for his services to music and charity, noting in the CD track notes" I was a huge fan of Tim ".[28]

On his third solo album recorded in 2015, Pete Sando, previously of the 1960s bandGandalf,included a song called "Misty Roses on a Stone" that he had co-written as a dedication to Hardin and said to be composed after a visit to the singer's grave. He acknowledged that he been very influenced by Hardin, noting in particular "his lyrical economy and musical balance... just the sheer simplicity and beauty of his songs was so appealing".[29]

It has been reported that Bob Dylan said Hardin was "the greatest living songwriter" after hearing his first album.[30]In a 1980 interview when asked about the Dylan quote Hardin recalled: "Yeah, I played him part of the album one night and he started flipping out, you know. Man, he got down on his knees in front of me and said: Don't change your singing style and don't bleep 'a' blop...".[31]In the same interview, Hardin did express some mixed feelings about Dylan, but in another article Brian Millar concluded [that] "Dylan was right: for some years Tim Hardin was the greatest songwriter alive. And just as no one sang Dylan like Dylan, no one sings Hardin like Hardin".[32]Hardin claimed to be either a distant relative of or direct descendant ofJohn Wesley Hardin,a 19th-century outlaw, but this has been ascertained to be part of his self-mythologising;[33][34][35]it has been said that this provided the inspiration for Dylan's albumJohn Wesley Harding.[17][36]

By 1967, after critical acclaim for his first album and the release of an earlier work entitledThis is Tim Hardin,Hardin was in demand to tour Europe and the United States and his songs were being widely covered. However there was evidence of a decline in the quality of his work noted as being due in part to "his own combativeness in the studio, addiction to heroin, drinking problems, and frustration over his lack of commercial success", and he began to miss shows and perform poorly, reputedly falling asleep on stage at London'sRoyal Albert Hallin 1968.[5][37]At the time he was viewed as enigmatic, with one journalist stating that while "his position as one of the best songwriters of his generation is unquestioned... [he]... courted the scene in the most fumbling manner imaginable". The same writer noted Hardin's ambivalent relationship with his audience, often ignoring them, just singing "at times badly, at times beautifully... somehow always fascinating".[38]It has been written that Hardin did have an "uninspired stage presence" in spite of having what the reporter said was "not a bad voice".[39]

After his death in 1980, there was considerable reflective journalism about his impact. It was reported that, along withLeonard Cohen,Hardin was the only musician who could rival Bob Dylan in composing "deeply moving love songs", however the critic also noted that Hardin never gained the attention he deserved and when found dead, not one of his albums was still in print.[40]Jon Marlow writing in theMiami Newssaid he was not about to "glorify yet another dead junkie's lifestyle" but held that theTim Hardin Memorialalbum is an "unheralded but still beautiful record of 12 songs that deserve your attention and money... has nothing to do with dead-hero worship... it's simply here to remind us that via his first two albums Tim Hardin made a lot of promises he couldn't keep".[41]Another reviewer wrote of the memorial album that it "firmly establishes Hardin as an enduring and influential artist".[42]The excesses of his lifestyle came under scrutiny and while it was never concluded whether he was a jazz rather than a folk artist, one reviewer noted that "few people who have never heard the poignant, often lonely, tone of [his] body of work would dispute the suggestion that he was one of the most affecting singer-songwriters of the modern pop era".[43]It was said in theLos Angeles Weeklythat Hardin's life showed drugs, alcohol and creativity were not a long-lasting or positive partnership, with the writer concluding: "I don't think Tim Hardin was ever really sure how good he was, and he rocketed from arrogance to despair conscious of the promises he couldn't keep... [he is]... gone, but the songs aren't and they will last".[44]

Discography

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References

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  1. ^Moody, Rod (21 March 2002)."Memorial Page for Tim Hardin"(Data base and images).Find a Grave.Archivedfrom the original on 14 September 2019.Retrieved24 July2022.
  2. ^Roberts, David (2006).British Hit Singles & Albums(19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 243.ISBN1-904994-10-5.Archivedfrom the original on 10 July 2022.
  3. ^Unterberger, Richie (2003).The Rough Guide to Rock.Rough Guides. p. 467.ISBN9781858284576– via Google Books.
  4. ^Tattooed on Their Tongues, Colin Escott, 1996, Schirmer Books, p. 2
  5. ^abDecker, Ed."Tim Hardin Biography".Musicianguide.com - Index of Musician Biographies.Archivedfrom the original on 22 May 2022.Retrieved8 July2022.
  6. ^abcdefBrend, Mark (2001).American Troubadours: Groundbreaking Singer-Songwriters of the '60s.Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 176.ISBN978-0-87930-641-0.
  7. ^abSharrock, Ian."A Reason to Believe in Tim Hardin".triste archive.Archivedfrom the original on 7 May 2021.Retrieved8 July2022.
  8. ^"Tim Hardin Biography".Zipcon.net. Archived fromthe originalon 6 December 1998.Retrieved12 October2015.
  9. ^Richie Unterberger."Tim Hardin | Biography & History".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on 19 September 2020.Retrieved12 October2015.
  10. ^Richie Unterberger."The Roots of the Lovin' Spoonful and the Mamas and the Papas".From Chapter 2 ofTurn! Turn! Turn!:Richieunterberger.com.Archivedfrom the original on 28 August 2002.Retrieved12 October2015.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: location (link)
  11. ^"Will Sheff on Hardin".saidthegramophone.24 August 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 10 April 2008.
  12. ^"Tim Hardin Contracts Pleurisy",Rolling Stone,No. 16, August 24, 1968, p.5
  13. ^"A 60's Tale 7 Years Underground The True Story of Café Au Go Go".Archived fromthe originalon 13 July 2015.Retrieved10 November2015.
  14. ^"RPM Top 100 Singles – August 30, 1969"(PDF).
  15. ^Lawrence, Wade; Parker, Scott."Tim Hardin 50 Years of Peace & Music"(Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock festival, August 1969–2019).Bethel Woods Centre for the Arts.Archivedfrom the original on 15 June 2020.Retrieved24 July2022.
  16. ^Young, Rob; Schmidt, Irmin (2018).All Gates Open: The Story of Can.Faber & Faber. pp. 257–258.ISBN978-0-571-31149-1.Archivedfrom the original on 20 March 2021.
  17. ^abKennedy, Michael J. (30 December 1980)."Tim Hardin, '60s singer-songwriter, is found dead".Des Moines Tribune.Archivedfrom the original on 23 July 2022.Retrieved24 July2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  18. ^"Tim Hardin's Death Caused by Overdose".Intelligencer Journal.27 January 1981.Archivedfrom the original on 23 July 2022.Retrieved24 July2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  19. ^"Buried Here - Tim Hardin, Singer/Composer of" If I Were a Carpenter "&" Reason to Believe "".Rock & Roll Roadmaps.19 December 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 24 July 2022.Retrieved24 July2022.
  20. ^Browne, Ray B.; Brown, Pat, eds. (2001).The Guide to United States Popular Culture.Popular Press. p. 364.ISBN978-0-879-72821-2.Archivedfrom the original on 10 February 2022.
  21. ^Meaghur, John (26 January 2013)."Believe in the talent of tragic singer Hardin".Independent.ie.Archivedfrom the original on 7 July 2022.Retrieved8 July2022.
  22. ^Lifton, Dave (29 December 2014)."The Day Songwriter Tim Hardin Died".UCR Classic Rock & Culture.Archivedfrom the original on 25 January 2022.Retrieved8 July2022.
  23. ^Murray, Robin (16 November 2012)."Tim Hardin Tribute Album Due".Clash Music.Archivedfrom the original on 24 July 2022.Retrieved24 July2022.
  24. ^Johnson, Miles."Mark Lanegan Honors His Folk Hero in 'Red Balloon' – Song Premiere Former Screaming Trees frontman covers Tim Hardin".Rolling Stone.Archivedfrom the original on 22 June 2020.Retrieved24 July2022.
  25. ^Thompson, Graeme (19 January 2013)."Tim Hardin: remembering the lost genius of his music".The Telegraph.Archived fromthe originalon 22 July 2022.Retrieved24 July2022.
  26. ^"Spring 2013: New & Impending Tributes Part 3: Tim Hardin & Nick Drake, Revisited".Cover Lay Down.3 April 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 7 March 2021.Retrieved24 July2022.
  27. ^Peel, Hannah; Pinkunoizu (29 January 2013)."Reason To Believe: Tim Hardin".Clash Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 24 July 2022.
  28. ^Sexton, Paul (23 December 2021)."Reason To Believe: The Introspective Brilliance Of Tim Hardin".udiscovermusic.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2021.Retrieved8 July2022.
  29. ^"Misty Roses On A Stone (Tribute to Tim Hardin)".petesando.bandcamp.com.Archivedfrom the original on 9 July 2022.Retrieved9 July2022.
  30. ^"Some thoughts on Tim Hardin".Songs from so deep.17 August 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 9 July 2022.Retrieved9 July2022.
  31. ^"The Heavy Heart of Tim Hardin".Bardach Reports.September 1980.Archivedfrom the original on 9 July 2022.Retrieved9 July2022.
  32. ^Miller, Brian (31 December 2020)."Tim Hardin 'Tormented Genius' Gone 40 Years".vivascene.com.Archivedfrom the original on 24 July 2021.Retrieved9 July2022.
  33. ^The Tombstone Tourist: Musicians, Scott Stanton, Gallery Books, 2003, p. 323
  34. ^"The Songs of Tim Hardin | Pias".
  35. ^Tattooed on Their Tongues, Colin Escott, 1996, Schirmer Books, p. 2
  36. ^Speelman, Paul (11 March 1982)."One reason to believe in Tim".The Age Melbourne.p. 53.Archivedfrom the original on 25 July 2022.Retrieved25 July2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  37. ^Macamba0 (20 December 2015)."Tim Hardin 12/1980".Rock and Roll Paradise.Archivedfrom the original on 28 September 2020.Retrieved24 July2022.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^Rodriguez, Juan Rodriguez (17 August 1968)."Tim Hardin - jazz singer extraordinary".The Gazette.Archivedfrom the original on 24 July 2022.Retrieved25 July2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  39. ^Lloyd, Jack (29 December 1972)."Hardin Has Knack of Turning Masterpiece into Dullsville".Philadelphia Inquirer.p. 13.Archivedfrom the original on 15 July 2022.Retrieved16 July2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  40. ^Hilburn, Robert (4 January 1981)."In Memoriam: A Reason to Believe in Tim Hardin".Los Angeles Times.p. 369.Archivedfrom the original on 25 July 2022.Retrieved25 July2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  41. ^Marlowe, John (11 November 1981)."Tim Hardin made promises he couldn't keep".The Miami News.Archivedfrom the original on 24 July 2022.Retrieved25 July2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  42. ^Kanzler, George (12 November 1981)."Melancholy memories of Tim Hardin".Edmonton Journal.p. 34.Archivedfrom the original on 24 July 2022.Retrieved25 July2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  43. ^Hilburn, Robert (18 March 1994)."Recapturing Tim Hardin's 'Dream'".The Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on 24 July 2022.Retrieved25 July2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  44. ^Delp, Lauren (16 January 1981)."Hello Tim Hardin, Goodbye Tim Hardin".LA Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on 15 July 2022.Retrieved16 July2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  45. ^Richie Unterberger."Suite for Susan Moore and Damion: We Are One, One, All in One - Tim Hardin | Songs, Reviews, Credits".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on 17 March 2022.Retrieved12 October2015.
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