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Corey Mitchell Hart (born May 31, 1962) is a Canadian musician, best known for such hit singles "Sunglasses at Night" and "Never Surrender". He has sold over 15 million records worldwide and scored nine consecutive US Billboard Top 40 hits. In Canada Hart has amassed 29 Top 40 hits, including 11 in the Top 10, over the course of his nearly 30 years in the music industry. Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1984, Hart is also a multiple Juno award nominee and winner in Canada.^[1] He has also been honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). ^[2]

Early life[link]

Hart was born in Montreal, Quebec on May 31, 1962, the youngest of five children. He grew up in Montreal, Spain, Mexico City and Key Biscayne, Florida as a young boy. He became fluent in three languages (English, Spanish and French) due to his upbringing in these locations. Hart's parents separated (and later divorced) when he was 10 years old and he returned to Montreal with his mother, Mina and older brother Robbie. He shared an especially close relationship with his mother, to whom Hart's first album was dedicated.^[3] Hart's lack of contact and intimacy with his father pained the artist throughout his life and colored many of his compositions, such as the 1998 song "Reconcile." ^[4]

Hart's first experience as a performing artist came at age 11, when he sang "Ben" for Tom Jones in Miami. He also recorded songs with Paul Anka in Las Vegas. In 1980 Hart represented Canada in the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo (along with singer Dan Hill), marking his first public performance of original material. Hart also met Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Christopher Cross at the competition. Back in Canada, Hart reached out to Billy Joel who was on tour in Montreal. Joel's backup band contacted him and Hart ended up recording several demos with them in Long Island, New York. Hart worked with other notable Canadian studio musicians before finally signing to a major label, Aquarius Records (Canada), at the age of 20. Several songs on his first album, such as "The World is Fire," reflect the many rejections and tribulations Hart encountered along the path to getting a recording contract.^[5]

Recording career[link]

[edit] "Sunglasses At Night" and First Offense

Hart's debut album, First Offense, was recorded at Revolution Recording Studios in Manchester, England in the spring of 1982. It was produced by Jon Astley (The Who) and Phil Chapman. Released in 1983, First Offense featured the US Billboard Top 10 hit song "Sunglasses at Night" (#7) and Top 20 follow-up single "It Ain't Enough" (#17). The album went platinum in the United States and quadruple platinum in Canada. First Offense initially received a modest response upon its Canadian release. It was only after garnering US success in the summer of 1984 that he became a superstar in his native Canada, a source of some consternation for Hart.

“It was slow going in Canada when my album was first released. It had sold around 12,000 copies. I remember sitting dolefully in the Capitol offices in Toronto with Deane Cameron (then the head of A&R at Capitol Canada) and him making an urgent phone call to EMI in Los Angeles. He was pushing and pleading for a rep of the US label to come see me perform live. At that time, the Canadian industry needed US validation before really giving the homegrown domestic talent their full enthusiastic support. It was frustrating for many Canadian artists who couldn’t land a deal south of the border." ^[6]

First Offense also featured legendary guitarist Eric Clapton on the record's closing track, "Jenny Fey."

"Jon (Astley, producer) felt there was one song Eric Clapton would really like. So just out of the blue he sent him the song, and lo and behold Eric Clapton was on the phone saying he wanted to play on it and asking how I would mind if he did. I didn't. Eric was the classic gentleman. Here I was, this Canadian kid in England with big-time producers doing my first album and Clapton tells me, 'It's such a pretty song, so easy to play. The type of thing I'd write myself'." ^[7]

The video for "Sunglasses At Night" (directed by Rob Quartly) which featured a futuristic, Orwellian society suggestive of other notable 1980s pop culture references and images such as "Miami Vice" and The Terminator helped propel the popularity of the track and led to Hart being instantly recognized worldwide.

"In retrospect, I was totally unprepared for the fan adulation. I really couldn’t go out anywhere without being mobbed or chased by my fans. The transformation from unknown artist to rock star was surreal and overwhelming. The power of video certainly played a key role. It was the same for many artists of that decade like Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and George Michael to name but a few." ^[6]

Hart toured the United States and Canada extensively in 1984 and 1985, first as a supporting act for Culture Club, April Wine, Thomas Dolby, Hall & Oates and Rick Springfield, then later as a headline performer.

[edit] "Never Surrender" and Boy in the Box

Hart's second album was Boy in the Box, released in June 1985, which reached Diamond status in Canada (one million copies sold) by February 1986. It was only the second album by a Canadian artist ever to do so.^[8] The album featured the hit single "Never Surrender" which spent nine consecutive weeks at number #1 in Canada and peaked at #3 on the US Billboard Top 40. "Never Surrender" was the #2 song in the year-end Canadian charts in 1985, finishing second only to the Northern Lights charity single "Tears Are Not Enough" in which Hart had also participated alongside veteran Canadian artists like Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and 1980s chart rival Bryan Adams. "Never Surrender" was also honored at the Juno Awards of 1985 with the award for Best Single. Subsequent singles all charted in the Canadian and US Top 40 ("Boy in the Box," "Everything in My Heart" and "Eurasian Eyes"). In the US, Boy in the Box peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum.

As in 1984, 1985 saw Hart touring extensively in North America and Japan in support of Boy in the Box. By the end of the year he was filling stadium-sized arenas like the Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, the Budokan in Tokyo, the Boston Orpheum and the Forum in Montreal.^[9] His frequent media appearances on such popular TV programs as "Good Rockin' Tonite" (Canada), "Friday Night Videos" and MTV (US), and "Music Life" (Japan), along with promotional tours in Europe and Australasia, garnered Hart an audience of enthusiastic supporters and at one point he was receiving over 1,000 pieces of fan mail per week.^[10]

Fields of Fire, Hart's third album release, came out in fall 1986 and promptly went double platinum in Canada and achieved gold status in the US. It featured the US Top 20 hit single "I Am By Your Side," as well as the Canadian #1 single "Can't Help Falling in Love", originally performed by Elvis Presley. This was the first recorded cover version of a song Hart had released to date. The song was also a top 10 hit in the Philippines and Japan. Critics generally agreed that Fields of Fire displayed a new, more mature direction in Hart's songwriting.

"With his third album, this young Canadian exhibits a growing maturity...He's come a long way from singing about wearing 'Sunglasses At Night'." (Boston Globe, September 1986)

As in previous years Hart launched a world tour in support of the record. He performed sold-out concerts in Japan and made numerous promotional appearances in Europe from fall 1986 through mid-1987. However, Hart's tour had to be halted prematurely in July 1987 after the then 25-year-old singer collapsed backstage from exhaustion after a concert in Canada. The nearly four-year cycle of constant touring and recording had caught up with Hart, forcing him into a period of rest and recuperation.^[11]

[edit] Young Man Running, Bang! and Attitude & Virtue

What ensued was a return to songwriting that resulted in the singer's fourth album release, Young Man Running. Featuring the US Top 40 hit "In Your Soul" (which reached #2 in Canada), Young Man Running marked a new direction for Hart's songwriting and musicianship. With notable backing musicians like Ruby Turner and largely produced by Hart himself, the album reflected a new level of maturity and ability.

"His lyrics have always been serious-minded, but this time Hart's clever, obtuse artiness has given way to passages where he's actually speaking from the heart and intelligently too." (James Muretich, Calgary Herald, 1988)

Famed photographer Herb Ritts shot the cover and other photographs for the album. The video for "In Your Soul" featured location footage in New Mexico and Moab, Utah and was directed by Meiert Avis (U2, Bruce Springsteen). 1988 saw Hart touring extensively in Japan and the Philippines, as well as Canada's East Coast and in Quebec where he pleased the audience by speaking mostly in French.^[12] Hart again sold out the Tokyo Nippon Budokan as well as arenas in other Japanese cities and the Ultra, a 13,000 seat venue outside Manila.^[13]

Early 1989 saw Hart return to songwriting in preparation for what would be his final album with EMI America, Bang!. Recorded in Los Angeles, the release debuted in early 1990 to positive reviews and renewed attention from media outlets like MTV.

"Hart continues to come into his own and develop his talent and this sturdy helping of pop/rock with a soulful edge is proof. Great multi-format potential." (Billboard, 1990)

Bang! shipped platinum in Canada and hit the Japanese Top 20 just two weeks into its release. The first single, "A Little Love," hit the US Top 40 in early 1990 and featured another trademark video by Meiert Avis. Bang! also reunited Hart with Ruby Turner and featured legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Cougar Mellencamp) on drums and percussion. Despite the success of the first single (a Top 10 hit in Canada) and widespread critical acclaim, Bang! suffered from internal struggles at EMI and management turmoil. Hart was released from his contract with the company in August 1990. EMI later released a collection of Hart's singles on a compilation album, Singles in 1991.

Sire Records co-founder Seymour Stein approached Hart at this juncture and eventually signed him to Sire shortly thereafter. What followed was Hart's sole album for the label, Attitude & Virtue, released in 1992. A Top 40 success in Canada, the album featured several notable guest musicians including Jane Siberry, Duff McKagan of Guns 'N Roses, Terence Trent D'Arby and the return of Ruby Turner. Hart fell silent after the album's success faltered, and he entered a period of self-imposed isolation from writing and touring ("Jane Hawtin Live," 1997). He released just one single, a cover of Edith Piaf's "Hymn to Love," in 1994.

Career Rebirth[link]

[edit] Julie Masse, Corey Hart, Celine Dion and Jade (Corey Hart album)

Hart presented an award at the Juno Awards of 1993 in Toronto with Julie Masse, a nominee who was rising quickly in the Canadian music scene thanks to her two platinum selling albums in Quebec, Julie Masse and À Contre Jour. Upon seeing them together, Masse's manager suggested that Hart work with her on a new English language album; what followed was the seminal collaboration of their respective careers and later, their personal lives. Hart co-produced and wrote five songs for Masse's gold-selling Circle of One, which was released in Canada in 1994 and marked the first time Hart had written and produced songs for an artist other than himself. This also led to their relationship as husband and wife and parents to four children, daughters India (DOB 07/08/1995), Dante (DOB 12/23/1997) and River (DOB 11/18/1999), and son Rain (DOB 01/19/2004).^[14] Hart was previously married to photographer/graphic designer Erika Gagnon from 1990 to 1994, and Masse to cinematographer Sylvain Brault from 1993-1994.

Following his work with Masse, Hart found himself inspired by his newfound partner and parenthood. He signed a new contract with Sony Music Canada and in 1996 released a self titled CD Corey Hart, which led to a career revival. The album was co-produced by Humberto Gatica and contained some of Hart's most introspective work, spurred by his personal life changes. Sparked by the success of "Black Cloud Rain" which reached #2 on the Canadian Top 40, Corey Hart went platinum in Canada and reestablished Hart as a fixture in the Canadian music industry. The video for "Black Cloud Rain" was directed by Javier, an up-and-coming young Mexican filmmaker. He toured across the country for the first time since the cancelled 1987 Fields of Fire tour, and subsequent singles from the album ("Tell Me," "Third of June" and "Someone") all reached the Canadian Top 40.

In 1997, fellow Canadian Celine Dion released her Let's Talk About Love album, which featured the theme from the film Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On." Also on the album were two songs written and co-produced by Hart: the Canadian Top 40 hit "Miles to Go (Before I Sleep)" and "Where Is the Love." As documented in Dion's concert DVD Au cœur du stade, Dion's team reached out to Hart based on his recent success in Canada and asked if he would write and produce for the songstress. Hart also collaborated with Dion again on "Prayer," from her 2002 CD A New Day Has Come. Later in 1999 Hart performed live in the US for the first time since the late 1980s as Dion's special guest in places such as St. Louis, Missouri and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.^[15]

In 1998, Hart released a second album on Sony, Jade, featuring a duet with partner Masse on the Jean-Jacques Goldman song "Là-bas". The lead-off single "So Visible (Easy to Miss)" and follow-up release "Break the Chain" both charted in the Canadian Top 40, and Hart once again toured Canada in support of the album. After enjoying a comeback in Canada in the late 1990s, Hart again came to a personal crossroads.

"All I had ever wanted or known since I was a boy was to be creating music. But I couldn’t continue to record or tour if I aspired to be a 24/7 father to our children. The two worlds simply collide." ^[16]

At the end of the millennium, Hart once again fell largely silent as he and Masse married and relocated to Nassau, Bahamas to focus on raising their young family.^[17] He returned to Montreal in late 2002 for a two-night stand of concerts with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, performing songs from Corey Hart and Jade as well as older hits to the accompaniment of the MSO.^[18]

New Directions[link]

[edit] Siena Records and Walk in Beauty

In 2002 Seymour Stein of Sire Records reconnected with Hart. He offered the artist a boutique label with Sire/Warner Music Canada, Siena Records. The label, formed in 2003, went through several years of development while Hart pursued a suitable debut artist. He collaborated sporadically on individual songs with select Quebec artists like Garou and Wilfred LeBouthillier in the mid-2000s, and performed with others including Meggie Lagacé on Quebec television ^[19] However his breakthrough came when an associate sent him a demo MP3 by little-known performer Marie-Christine Depestre. The singer, a Montreal native of Haitian descent, became Siena's first official signing.

In May 2011 Marie-Christine released her debut CD, Walk in Beauty, in Canada on Hart's label. Hart executive produced the album and wrote the bulk of the CD's songs ^[20] Walk In Beauty features a cameo performance by music legend Stevie Wonder on the cover track "Keep on Runnin'" as well as a modern reworking of Hart's own "Sunglasses at Night," reborn as "Girl In Shades" for Marie-Christine. Hart had refrained from granting interpolation rights to the song for over 25 years, despite requests by notable artists like Sean P. Diddy Combs and Nelly Furtado.^[21] The CD also features original compositions by Marie-Christine and its debut single, "Totally Random," became a hit in her native Quebec during the summer of 2011. A second single, "Silence," was released in January 2012 to Canadian radio. Marie-Christine performs regularly on the Montreal club scene and at provincial music festivals in support of the CD. Hart engaged the media on a short promotional tour of major Canadian markets in May 2011.

Relaunch and Renewal Online[link]

In mid-2011 Hart established a new online presence with the relaunch of the www.CoreyHart.com Web site. Hart also created an official Facebook page to reach his audience. Spurred by popular demand, his Web site was again redesigned and relaunched again in October 2011 and currently features rare photos, live performance video of two previously unreleased songs (including Hart's 2011 version of "Ben (song)" and blog posts from Hart himself. He continues to interact with fans on his Facebook page and has conducted interviews via video based on questions submitted online.^[22]

Also in Fall 2011 he and wife Julie Masse Hart offered the following limited edition merchandise exclusively online:

• Custom designed, handcrafted jewelry by Julie Masse Hart
• Four original handpainted drawings by Corey Hart, with net proceeds donated to Project Medishare for Haiti. Additional works by Hart were released in December 2011.
• New t-shirts and sweatshirts
• Six previously unreleased songs: "Sail Away," "Eternally," "She's So Good," "Open Up Your Heart," "Ciao Bella" and "Good Good Lovin." Three previously unreleased demo recordings of "In Your Sweater," "Loving Heart," and "Baby Do I" were offered in December 2011.
• Marie-Christine's Walk in Beauty CD and MP3 download

Hart also participated in the charity event Movember Canada in November 2011.^[23]

Plans[link]

Hart has said he intends to keep his Web site updated with new offerings and video interviews as his schedule allows. He has also indicated the possibility of a tour or new music in the future. However Hart maintains his primary focus of being a hands-on, full time father. He and his wife now split their time between the Bahamas and Barcelona, Spain where his three daughters attend a prestigious tennis academy.^[24]

In spring 2012 Hart collaborated with Canadian DJ 1Love on a remix of the song "Truth Will Set You Free" from Young Man Running. The single is to be released globally June 19, 2012 via Siena Records/Warner Music Canada. Follow-up plans include live performances by 1Love and Hart at select events in the LGBT community across Canada and the U.S. commencing in San Francisco and Toronto in June 2012. The song is Hart's first U.S. single in 20 years and Hart reunited with Meiert Avis for the video.^[25]

Corey Hart celebrates his 50th birthday - and the 30th anniversary of his debut in the music industry - in 2012.

Trivia[link]

• Hart was briefly considered for the role of Marty McFly in the 1985 film Back to the Future. Producer Steven Spielberg sent Hart a copy of the script with an invitation for a screen test - a flattered Hart declined, preferring to focus on music instead of acting ^[26] Fellow Canadian Michael J. Fox eventually starred in the hit film.

• At the height of his mid-1980s success Hart was approached to record several songs for popular films of the era. He declined, preferring to write and record his own material. Among the songs Hart rejected were "Danger Zone" from the soundtrack to the 1986 film Top Gun. A rare exception was the song "Hold On," written for the soundtrack to 1987's Beverly Hills Cop 2. Hart's 1985 single "Eurasian Eyes" (from Boy in the Box) was featured in the film 9 1/2 Weeks and the final track from Fields of Fire, "Blind Faith," was featured in the Jan. 16, 1987 episode of "Miami Vice" entitled "Down for the Count, Pt. 2." ^[27]

• In 2002, Hart re-recorded "Sunglasses At Night," which was remixed by engineers Tiga and Zyntherius. Released to club DJs that year, it became an instant smash on the international dance music charts.^[28]

• Also in 2002 "Sunglasses at Night" was featured in the award-winning video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The game went on to sell over 15 million units, making it the fourth highest selling video game ever made for Sony PlayStation 2.

• In 2010 "Sunglasses at Night" was featured in a Miller Lite Beer commercial (in US markets only) shown during NFL season.^[29]

• In 2011, contestant Georgia Murray performed "Sunglasses at Night" on an episode of CBC's "Cover Me Canada", with a brief appearance by Hart in support of her efforts. (Murray survived the night's elimination round but was subsequently voted off.) ^[30]

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Albums[link]

Videography[link]

Music videos[link]

See also[link]

• Canadian rock
• List of diamond-certified albums in Canada

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official Corey Hart Facebook page
• Corey Hart (singer) at Allmusic
• Corey Hart (singer) at the Internet Movie Database