AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Freddie Hart

Artist:Freddie Hart

Song:Easy Loving

Album:Superstars of Country: Easy Loving

The 1971 single Easy Loving was the first of six number one country music hits for Freddie Hart. It crossed over to be a top twenty pop hit. Though he seemed like an overnight success at the time, Hart had been recording since 1953. Some of his songs were hits for others. He was born Frederick Segrest Dec. 21, 1926 in Loachapoka, AL which is near Auburn. He and his eleven siblings grew up in Phenix City. Hart learned to play guitar as a child. At age 15, he lied about his age to get into the US Marine Corps during WWII. He saw combat action in Guam and Iwo Jima. After the war, he moved to Los Angeles. Hart was in Lefty Frizzell's band and that got him a record deal with Capitol. Though he did not have a hit, Hart's song Loose Talk was a number one country hit for Carl Smith in 1955. Hart moved to Columbia in 1958 and then Kapp in 1965. He didn't have much success at either label. So he returned to Capitol in 1969 under the management of Buck Owens. His first album for Capitol was California Grapevine in 1970. The album was going nowhere when a DJ at Atlanta radio station WPLO started playing Easy Loving. The song caught on nationally and topped the Country Singles chart. It also reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Capitol reworked California Grapevine and released the album Easy Loving in 1971. Easy Loving won CMA and ACM awards. It was produced by George Richey who had been a house producer at Dot and Columbia and became musical director of Hee Haw in 1970. He went on to marry Tammy Wynette in 1978. Neither California Grapevine or Easy Loving have been released on CD. And there aren't any Freddie Hart comps available. But you can get Easy Loving on this 2CD Time Life various artists budget comp. Hart had a total of six number one country hits and he continued to chart until he left Capitol in 1979. He didn't record much after that though he continued to tour. He owned several businesses including a chain of martial arts gyms. Hart was a karate practitioner. Freddie Hart was inducted into the Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2004. After releasing a gospel album in 2018, Freddie Hart died on Oct. 27, 2018 at age 91. Here's Freddie Hart and his band The Heartbeats performing Easy Loving on Music Country U.S.A. 1974. The pedal steel guitar solo is by J.D. Walters.