| Jimmy Harrnen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Plymouth Borough, Pennsylvania |
| Origin | Pennsylvania |
| Genres | Pop, adult contemporary |
| Years active | 1985–1991 |
| Labels | Columbia |
Jimmy Harnen is an adult contemporary singer, songwriter and drummer. He sang lead vocals for pop band Synch's 1989 Top Ten hit "Where Are You Now?"
Harnen was born and raised in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, a small town in Northeast Pennsylvania. In high school he played drums in the marching band. In 1985, he became the drummer for local band Synch, made up of lead vocalist Lou Butwin, guitarist Dave Abraham, bassist James A. Donnelly, and keyboardist Chuck Yarmey.
That year, the band recorded some of their songs, with Harnen singing on one song, "Where Are You Now?". He had written the song with a friend named Rich Congdon, and the band decided to release it as a single on the independent label, Micki Records. .
After receiving local airplay in the Wilkes-Barre market, Synch got signed to Columbia Records, and "Where Are You Now" was re-recorded at The Warehouse in Philadelphia with former Dakota members Bill Kelly and Jerry Hludzik producing. The band would release the album Get the Feelin' in 1986, and "Where Are You Now" reached #77 on Billboard Hot 100, but fell off the chart the following week. Synch was soon dropped from Columbia. They spent the next few years trying to recapture the spotlight, before disbanding.
In 1989, the song resurfaced and began receiving a tremendous amount of airplay, with the song now credited as "Jimmy Harnen with Synch." WTG, a new label at the time, signed Jimmy and while the song was climbing the charts he began recording a full length release for the label. The song peaked at #10 on Billboard's Hot 100, and #3 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.
Harnen's debut album, Can't Fight The Midnight featured well-known studio musicians including future-American Idol judge Randy Jackson (bass), Toto's Steve Lukather (guitar) and a guest appearance by one of Harnen's idols, REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin. The album and tour flopped and Harnen spent the next couple of years releasing occasional songs and tapes until his move to Nashville, Tennessee.
There, he worked as the National Promotional Director for DreamWorks Records, and with management at Refugee Records. In early October, 2006, Harnen rose from Vice President of National Promotion to Senior Vice President of Promotion for Capitol Records.
In April 2009, Harnen left Capitol and joined Big Machine Records' founder Scott Borchetta (home to artists like Taylor Swift), becoming president of new label Republic Nashville. Artists on the label include The Band Perry (whose debut single, "Hip To My Heart" was a Top 20 hit), the Eli Young Band, Sunny Sweeney, Fast Ryde and SHEL.