Tim Hart
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Tim Hart (born 9 January 1948, in Lincoln, England) is a retired English folk singer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member of Steeleye Span.
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[edit] Early years
Tim Hart's father, Rev Canon Dennis Hart, was the vicar of St Saviours in St. Albans. Hart began his life as a musician performing with the Rattfinks, St Albans School's second band, the first being the Zombies. In 1966 he began performing with the Blackpool born Maddy Prior, touring English folk clubs. In 1968 and 1969 the duo recorded two albums: Folk Songs of Olde England, (Volumes One and Two). They were effectively live albums, with very few overdubs or corrections. In 1969 they met Ashley (Tyger) Hutchings while performing at Keele folk festival, with whom they formed the first Steeleye Span.
[edit] Steeleye Span
From 1970 to 1982 Hart and Prior were the backbone of Steeleye Span. In 1971, as well as recording two albums as part of Steeleye Span, they recorded Summer Solstice - a much more professional recording than their first two albums, including a string arrangement by Robert Kirby, better known for his work with Nick Drake. Almost every song that Hart sang was traditional. Steeleye Span's commercial success peaked in 1975. They toured in the USA and Australia and used electric instruments more frequently. However further hits eluded them. They announced that their 1978 tour of the UK would be their farewell.
[edit] The fragmentation
Hart took this opportunity to record a solo album, called simply Tim Hart in 1979. The fact that all the songs, apart from one, were his own composition shows he was trying to diversify. Bob Johnson and Peter Knight had recorded a narrative project in 1977. Maddy outdid them all by producing two solo albums in 1978, including her own compositions. Hart appeared on one more Steeleye Span record, Sails of Silver, before resigning in 1982. The last gig for him was at the Theatre Royal in Norwich.
At this time Hart recorded two albums of nursery rhymes for EMI, and for his own children, using most of Steeleye Span, and other musicians who had small children and could take the project seriously. Also, in a bold move, he became a record producer for a rock band, The Monochrome Set. Their album Eligible Batchelors was a whimsical cynical view of relations between the sexes. Unfortunately Hart's health seriously declined, and in 1988 he emigrated to La Gomera, a small island in the Canary Islands. Abandoning music altogether, he became full time writer and photographer, married again, built himself a house on the side of a mountain, and restored his health.
[edit] The Journey
In 1995 Hart was persuaded to return to the UK for a five-hour marathon performance. It was a concert in aid of the charity "War Child", and featured almost every member of Steeleye Span. A recording of the live concert, The Journey did not appear until 1999, but was well received. However, since then, he has not performed outside of La Gomera.
