Robert Hart

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Robert Hart (born 1 November 1958, Bournemouth, Dorset) is an English rock vocalist and songwriter. He has performed as a solo artist, and with The Distance and also with former Whitesnake members in the band called Company of Snakes and with Bad Company. He is currently fronting The Jones Gang, a rock group formed by Robert, Rick Wills and Kenney Jones,as well as touring with his version of Bad Company.

Biography

Chris Blackwell signed Hart to his Island Records label in the 1980s and teamed him with Bernard Edwards. The two men produced collaborated on several projects, including the soundtrack for the Whoopi Goldberg film, The Burglar. The Distance gained success in a worldwide market with particularly high sales in Japan. After leaving the band Hart moved to Atlantic Records as a solo artist, with Stewart Levine producing his first album, Cries and Whispers.

He then became the first English artist to be signed by Disney-owned Hollywood Records, and worked with Russ Ballard on Hart's self-titled album, Robert Hart, which charted in more than 18 countries.

It was while touring following the release of the album in 1992 that Hart was approached by Mick Ralphs of Bad Company and asked whether he would be interested in fronting the band. For the next seven years Hart toured with them. He also co-wrote two of the band's albums, Company of Strangers and Stories Told & Untold, three live albums. Over the years Hart has also been involved in projects with Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, Peter Maffay, members of Chic and Go West. His association with Kenney Jones came via Boz Burrell, who played with Hart in Bad Company.

Jones insists Hart is one of the best singers in the business. “He’s got one of the most amazing voices I’ve ever heard,” he says. “I’ve been in bands with the likes of Steve Marriott, Rod Stewart, Roger Daltrey and Paul Rodgers and Robert has a voice right up there with them.”^{[citation needed]}

Bad Company

During 1992 Robert Hart was approached by Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke and asked if he would like to join them as the third lead vocalist for Bad Company, following Paul Rodgers and Brian Howe. Hart performed with Bad Company and became very popular with both the band and public alike especially in the USA and Canada. In July 1994 a contract was drawn up by Alliance Artists and Legend Management and signed by the then Bad Company line up, Mick Ralphs, Simon Kirke, Robert Hart, Dave Colwell and Rick Wills, giving Robert the right to perform write and record songs and albums and receive royalty payments as a full Bad Company member. In 1995 Robert co wrote the album Company of Strangers and in 1996 another album Stories Told & Untold plus three live albums between 1994 and 2001 Robert did seven world tours and played at all of the great venues like Madison Square Garden. Bad Company is not owned by any one person on the contrary the collective Bad Company have played over four decades with Three Vocalists Paul Rogers, Brian Howe, and Robert Hart, three Bass guitarists and a variety of other lead guitarists and drummers at any of the given points in time. Mick Ralphs (the originator of the band) has always maintained said Bad Company is far more important than any one individual in it, since the bands original conception in the 1970s. Robert Hart will be touring the UK Europe and South Africa throughout 2010 with his version of Bad Company.

The Jones Gang

Since this success Hart has become the frontman with the Jones Gang. Hart formed the trio with Jones in 2001. Hart wrote a charity song titled "It's All About The Children" for which Hart and Jones got a few old friends together to play on the record.^{[citation needed]} They included: Paul Young, Gary Granger, Ronnie Wood, and Rick Wills. It was from this Wills was to join Hart and Jones to complete the Trio. The Band recorded an album titled Any Day Now which Hart co-wrote all of the tracks and sole wrote most of the tracks. The album was released in the U.S on the 9 August 2005. The debut single "Angel" written by Hart, and Russ Ballard^[1] went to number 1 on the Billboard chart and stayed there for a further 11 weeks. The album overall was well received earning Hart another two songs that have reached no.1 slots in USA charts. [Note: It is often cited on Wikipedia that, in 2005, The Jones Gang had a US Billboard Hot Singles number one hit with their debut single "Angel". However, a recent inquiry at Billboard.com was met with the response "This Song has never charted."^[2]]

My Sister's Keeper

Another soundtrack featuring Robert's songs is the film My Sister's Keeper the motion picture version of the novel featuring Cameron Diaz. Jonah Johnson recorded a version of Hart's song 'With You' which can also be found on the Jones Gang album also. The song was well received managing to get over 22,000 views on youtube within weeks of the film's release.

Help for Heroes

Robert Hart gave permission for his song We Will Remember Them to be recorded by various artists for the charity Help 4 Heroes. On the 1st of November 2009 Bee Gee legend Robin Gibb, Michael Bolton, Mica Paris, former Free and Queen frontman Paul Rodgers and Lee Mead, who won TV's Any Dream Will Do and dozens of others recorded it at Abbey Road Studios in London, it is a very moving remembrance song dedicated to the memory of all the soldiers that have died in wars. The song will be released in the very near future it has been sponsored by the Sun Newspaper and the BBC it is widely expected to be a Number 1 hit and will compete with X Factor for the Christmas number 1 spot. All of the proceeds are going to charity.

Albums

• Under The One Sky (1989) (The Distance)
• Company Of Strangers (1995) (Bad Company)
• Stories Told & Untold (1996) (Bad Company)
• Live at Hampshire Beach Ballroom (1999) (Bad Company)
• All About the Children (All Star Charity Band 2002)
• Any Day Now (2005) (The Jones Gang)

Solo albums

• Cries And Whispers (1989)
• Robert Hart (1992)

• SINGLES
• Boys On The Corner(1992)
• Fooled Around And Fell In Love(1993)
• Heart and Soul(1994)
• Angel(2005)
• A Little Love Is Overdue(1999)
• We Will Remember Them (2009)
• We Aint Going Home Empty Handed (World Cup Song) (2009)

Film Soundtracks

• The Burglar (1987)
• Ritchie Rich (1998)
• My Sister's Keeper (2009)

Trivia

• Hart is obsessed by football, he started out his Career as a semi-pro for Leeds United
• Hart was also a county champion Boxer in his youth
• He has two children
• He's divorced from his first wife
• He has a passion for cooking
• Drives a Green Mercedes SL (has a new Bentley Continental on order)
• Owns 1 of only 3 ever made Ultra Rare Gibson Angel Guitars (Presented to him by AAO Records after Angel topped the charts in America for 12 weeks)

References

• 10th Anniversary American Veteran Awards "Angel" written by Robert Hart and Russ Ballard

External links

• Robert Hart Official Web Page
• [http://www.myspace.com/bcliveshows Bad Co Concerts
• [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoNGQs8uBcg Robert Hart TV Appearance 1989
• You Tube: The Jones Gang "Angel"