Van Stephenson
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| Van Stephenson | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 4, 1953[1] |
| Origin | Hamilton, Ohio, USA |
| Died | April 8, 2001 (aged 47) |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1984-2001 |
| Label(s) | Hivau |
| Associated acts | BlackHawk |
Van Stephenson (November 4, 1953 - April 8, 2001) was an American singer-songwriter. He scored two US Billboard Hot 100 hits in the 1980s as a solo artist, and later became tenor vocalist in the country music band BlackHawk in the 1990s. In addition, Van co-wrote several singles for other artists, such as Restless Heart. Van died of Melanoma in 2001.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Stephenson was born in Hamilton, Ohio but moved to Nashville, Tennessee when he was ten years old, and played in garage bands as a teenager. He graduated from seminary school and wrote songs on the side in the 1970s; his first chart hit as a songwriter was for Crystal Gayle, who cracked the US country Top Ten with his "Your Kisses Will" in 1979. Stephenson went on to write hits for Kenny Rogers, Dan Seals, Janie Fricke, and John Anderson. Partnering with Dave Robbins, Stephenson wrote a string of hits for Restless Heart, and would continue to work with Robbins later in his career.
Stephenson landed a recording contract of his own, and his debut album, Righteous Anger, was released in 1984. He scored big on the Billboard charts with "Modern Day Delilah", peaking at #22, and a second hit, "What the Big Girls Do", peaked at #45.[2] Righteous Anger charted at #54 on the Billboard 200,[3] but his follow-up 1986 disc, Suspicious Heart, did not chart, nor did its lead single, "We're Doing Alright". Stephenson returned to songwriting duties until the early 1990s, when he became one-third of BlackHawk, a successful country group, through the end of the decade. In 2000, Stephenson left the group after being diagnosed with Melanoma, and he died on April 8, 2001 as a result of the disease.[4]
[edit] Discography
For discography relating to BlackHawk (band), please see BlackHawk (band)#Discography.
[edit] Albums
| Year | Title | US 200 |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Righteous Anger | 54 |
| 1986 | Suspicious Hearts |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | US Hot 100 | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Modern Day Delilah" | 22 | Righteous Anger |
| "What the Big Girls Do" | 45 | ||
| 1986 | "We're Doing Alright"A | Suspicious Hearts |
- AFailed to chart.
[edit] References
- ^ Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. 7th edn, 2000
- ^ Billboard Singles, Allmusic.com
- ^ Billboard, Allmusic.com
- ^ Biography, Allmusic.com
