Freddie Hart portrait Alabama-born singer Freddie Hart (1926-2018) is one of those guys who plugged away for years... and years... and years... before he really broke through. Riding high on his 1971 hit, "Easy Lovin'," Hart was a universal figure in the early 'Seventies countrypolitan scene, though he had actually been recording harder-edged honkytonk staff as far back as 1953 and was seen as a perpetual also-ran and was perhaps best known as a songwriter rather than as a solo performer. Hart wrote several 1950s/'60s hits and lesser-known album-tracks, but it was the chart-topping "Easy Lovin'," one of his own compositions, that made him a household name during the first half of the 'Seventies. Although for the most part he dropped out of the Top Ten after 1975, Hart had remarkable success placing tunes into the Back Forty right up through the early '80s. Eventually he slid out of the spotlight, though he kept up a vigorous performance schedule and moved onto indie labels, including a late-life stint recording Christian country music, including several self-produced off-the-radar albums of gospel material. Here's a quick look at his work...



Discography: Best Ofs

Freddie Hart "Juke Joint Boogie" (Bear Family Records, 2004)
Most folks know Freddie Hart through his lush, louche countrypolitan hits of the early 1970s, steamy softcore classics like "Easy Loving" and "Got The All Overs For You..." But Hart spent decades slogging through the back 'forty before he got a shot at the gold, and there was a time when Hart was a full-on hillbilly singer, with rough edges and an even rougher life. This is a swell collection of his early work, rollicking honkytonk that'll knock the socks off country fans who only know him from his tepid '60s albums on the Kapp label and the slick, chart-topping country-pop he did for Capitol when he was a 'Seventies superstar. Seriously, folks -- this is a great record, packed with one fine rompy, stompy hard country tune after another. Check it out! I was amazed.


Freddie Hart "The Best Of" (EMI/Capitol Records, 1992/2006)
This standard-issue, ten-song retrospective hasn't changed over the years... The label seems t think this is about all anyone needs to hear of Hart's old stuff... and they're probably right. It's a generous slice of his early '70s hitmaking years... Hopelessly syrupy, chorus-and-strings heavy soft-pop countrypolitan that picks up where Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold left off. Hart tried to spice his woman-on-a-pedestal romantic ballads up with "hip" modern slang -- "hang-ups," "turn-offs," etc. It's similar to the swinger vibe some of the older country crooners tried to affect late in the game, but Hart's repertoire is resolutely monogamous. It's also hopelessly schmaltzy and cheezoid... some of this may work as kitsch, but it's basically just muzak, elevator music. This collection only goes up to the middle of the decade -- Hart still had hits right through the disco era, but his style didn't change that much. For hard country fans, he doesn't have a lot to offer.


Freddie Hart "Easy Loving/My Hang Up Is You" (2000)
A straight reissue of two of Hart's most successful albums, 1971's Easy Loving and My Hang Up Is You, from 1972.



Albums

Freddie Hart "The Spirited Freddie Hart" (Columbia Records, 1962) (LP)


Freddie Hart "The Hart Of Country Music" (Kapp Records, 1965) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Cohen & Cliff Parman)
This was Hart's debut for the Kapp label, and in many ways, an unremarkable album... About half the songs just seem like Nashville guys going through the motions. Partly that's because Hart was a pretty limited and laidback singer, and partly because that's just how they did things back then. But if you give him a chance, he may get you in on his wavelength; a few songs really pull you in, others just kinda lope along and do little. There's another version of "Loose Talk" (his first big hit as a songwriter, about a decade earlier...) and weepy winners like "Excuse Me For Living," as well as the cornball "Hank Williams' Guitar." Nothing great, but you can hear hints of his future success as a country crooner...


Freddie Hart "The Hart Of Country Music" (Kapp Records, 1966) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Straight From The Heart" (Vocalion Records, 1966) (LP)


Freddie Hart "A Hurtin' Man" (Kapp Records, 1967) (LP)


Freddie Hart "The Neon And The Rain" (Kapp Records, 1967) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Togetherness" (Kapp Records, 1968) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Born A Fool" (Kapp Records, 1968) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Greatest Hits" (Kapp Records, 1969) (LP)


Freddie Hart "New Sounds" (Capitol Records, 1970) (LP)


Freddie Hart "California Grapevine" (Capitol Records, 1971) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Easy Loving" (Capitol Records, 1971)


Freddie Hart "My Hang-Up Is You" (Capitol Records, 1972)


Freddie Hart "Bless Your Heart" (Capitol Records, 1972) (LP)


Freddie Hart "The World Of Freddie Hart" (Columbia Records, 1972) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Got The All Overs For You" (Capitol Records, 1972) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Super Kind Of Woman" (Capitol Records, 1973) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Trip To Heaven" (Capitol Records, 1973) (LP)


Freddie Hart "If You Can't Feel It (It Ain't There)" (Capitol Records, 1973) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Hang In There Girl" (Capitol Records, 1974) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Country Heart 'N Soul" (Capitol Records, 1974) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Greatest Hits" (Capitol Records, 1975) (LP)


The Heartbeats "Freddie Hart Presents..." (Capitol Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by George Richey, Bob Morris & Steve Stone)
A "solo" album from his backing band... The set is mostly instrumentals, packed with mellow versions of Hart's already-mellow hits; the band is predictably soft-edged, though for fans of the style, this could be nice, and easy on the ears. Bassist Glen Brodeur sings lead on "Missing You's A Hurtin' Thing," a song he co-wrote with lead guitarist Buddy Church. Similarly, rhythm guitarist Marc Chase gets a moment in the spotlight on a song he composed, the mopey "A Self-Portrait." The album also features three tunes composed by Bob Morris, one of the album's three producers... Nothing electrifying, really, but a good example of how these band albums really could reflect the overall sound of the stars they backed.


Freddie Hart "The First Time" (Capitol Records, 1975) (LP)


Freddie Hart "People Put To Music" (Capitol Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by George Richey & Steve Stone)
Absolutely comfortable in his role as a gal-friendly "sensitive male" ballad singer, Hart croons through one mellow tune after another, with appropriately subdued backing by the Bicentennial edition of the Heartbeats band. The attempts at more rugged, manly, or comedic material are fairly disappointing, particularly Joyce Shepard's "New York Joe And Red Neck Tennessee," a remarkably awkward, overly-complex novelty number about two buddies whose friendship just simply shouldn't work, one of 'em being a city slicker and the other one a good ole boy. The song goes on and on, but has no real bite... like much of this album. Hart tied his fortunes to the countrypolitan sound, and was still recording over-written, musically flat material at a time when the trend had flatlined. Still, this is an "okay" album overall... it's just not that dynamic or engaging.


Freddie Hart "That Look In Her Eyes" (Capitol Records, 1976) (LP)


Freddie Hart "The Pleasure's Been All Mine" (Capitol Records, 1977) (LP)


Freddie Hart "Only You" (Capitol Records, 1978) (LP)


Freddie Hart "My Lady" (Capitol Records, 1979) (LP)


Freddie Hart "A Sure Thing" (Sunbird Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Nelson Larkin & Earl Conley)
Hart was definitely over the hill when he recorded this one, but for some reason I find it quite an endearing album... His voice is kind of ragged, and the studio band overcompensates all the way through with lush, overripe performances, and Hart tries to compensate by singing a lot of novelty material. Nonetheless, he scored a Top 20 hit with "Sure Thing," which was written by newcomer Earl Thomas Conley, who is also credited as one of the album's producers. Several of the other songs were written by Hart, and a couple may be more revealing than you might imagine. On the mildly risque "Battle Of The Sexes," he kind of snickers a little as he says the word "sex"(!) and there's a similar oh-what-a-naughty-boy vibe on "The Weaker Sex," a far more interesting song where Hart loudly proclaims his pride at being the more passive participant in a relationship. It's more sensual than kinky, but will still be of interest as a sexual novelty song. Turns out this was Hart's last album -- a couple more songs were released as singles, and after that he faded off the charts. Overall, this wasn't a bad way to go out...!


Freddie Hart "I Will Never Die" (Music Mill, 1995)
A gospel album...


Freddie Hart "Sermon On The Mountain" (Music Mill, 2001)
More religious recordings...



Links




Hick Music Index


Copyright owned by Slipcue.Com. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use, reproduction or translation is prohibited.