Song:Reason To Believe
Album:Person To Person: The Essential, Classic Hardin 1963-1980
Most folks won't be familiar with Tim Hardin's music but you've heard plenty of his songs by others. For example, Reason To Believe was a smash hit for Rod Stewart. Unfortunately Hardin had drug problems and died prematurely. His 60s recordings are recommended to folk fans. He was born Dec. 23, 1941 in Eugene, OR. After serving in the Marine Corps in Vietnam where he supposedly discovered heroin, he moved to New York City in 1961. He started performing in Greenwich Village clubs and was signed to Columbia by producer Erik Jacobsen in 1963. Jacobsen would go on to produce The Lovin' Spoonful. But Columbia never released Hardin's recordings and they terminated his contract. Sony/Legacy has released some of those recordings on the 1996 CD Simple Songs Of Freedom: The Tim Hardin Collection. Hardin moved to Los Angeles in 1965, met actress Susan Yardley and they moved back to New York. He signed with Verve Forecast and his debut CD Tim Hardin 1 was released in 1966. Though Hardin was critically acclaimed, his Verve albums didn't sell. But plenty of his songs were hits for others. Rod Stewart had a top 20 hit with Reason To Believe in 1971. Probably Hardin's best known song is If I Were A Carpenter which was a top ten hit for Bobby Darin in 1967. Hardin went back to Columbia in 1969 and Simple Song Of Freedom was his only chart single. It reached #50 on the Billboard Hot 100. But Hardin was addicted to heroin and also suffered from stage fright so he didn't tour. Hardin's drug addiction got worse in the 70s. He last recorded in 1973 and died of a drug overdose on Dec. 29, 1980 at age 39. This comp from the Australian label Raven covers Hardin's entire career. His songs continue to be recorded by others today. Unfortunately Hardin sold his writers rights in the late 70s. A very sad end to a very talented guy. Here's a video for Reason To Believe by Tim Hardin.
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