Eddie Schwartz
Encyclopedia
Eddie Schwartz is a Canadian
musician
and Juno Award
winner who had moderate success as a recording artist in the early 1980s, before becoming a successful songwriter
, and record producer
in the late 1980s and the 1990s.
Schwartz was born in Toronto
, Ontario
, and graduated from Toronto
's York University
in 1977 as a Music
and English
major. He began his musical career soon after playing guitar
for Charity Brown
's backing band and signed with Infinity Records for a solo
contract in 1979. His self-titled debut album, Schwartz, followed in 1980, with A&M Records
, as Infinity had gone bankrupt by then, and spawned his first Canadian hit, "Does a Fool Ever Learn". His next album
, No Refuge, came out in 1981, and did well in Canada, as well as the U.S.
, placing in the Billboard 200
and spawning a U.S. and Canadian hit single
, "All Our Tomorrows," (#28 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
). A follow-up track from this album, "Over the Line" also crept into the Hot 100
, peaking at #91. This single would be his last one to crack the U.S. charts to date. At least half of the songs on the No Refuge album have since been covered by other mainstream artists.
Schwartz's third and last album for a major record label
, Public Life, came out two years later and featured another Canadian hit with "Strike." Also included on this album was the original recording of his composition, "Special Girl
," which was a minor hit for him and became a bigger hit for the band, America
.
Although his earliest hit as a songwriter for other artists was Pat Benatar
's 1980 single "Hit Me with Your Best Shot
", Schwartz didn't focus significantly on producing and songwriting until the late 1980s. Since then he has produced artists
of various genres including The Doobie Brothers
, Paul Carrack
, Rita Coolidge
, Donna Summer
, and Lawrence Gowan
, and penned hits for Paul Carrack
("Don't Shed a Tear
", "I Live By the Groove"), The Doobie Brothers
("The Doctor"), and Donna Summer
("Fascination") to name a few. Additionally, many of his songs have been covered by other artists to great success. Examples include: "All Our Tomorrows" (recorded by Joe Cocker
), "Does a Fool Ever Learn" (recorded by Helix
), and "Special Girl" (covered by both America
& Meat Loaf
).
He has won multiple BMI
, Juno
, and SOCAN awards. In 1995 he released an album, Tour de Schwartz, only in Canada
, to generally good reviews.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
winner who had moderate success as a recording artist in the early 1980s, before becoming a successful songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
in the late 1980s and the 1990s.
Schwartz was born in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and graduated from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in 1977 as a Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
major. He began his musical career soon after playing guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
for Charity Brown
Charity Brown
Charity Brown is a Canadian film actress, singer, and voice artist for television animation shorts. She is one of Eastwood Collegiate Institute's notable alumni.-Biography:...
's backing band and signed with Infinity Records for a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
contract in 1979. His self-titled debut album, Schwartz, followed in 1980, with A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, as Infinity had gone bankrupt by then, and spawned his first Canadian hit, "Does a Fool Ever Learn". His next album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, No Refuge, came out in 1981, and did well in Canada, as well as the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, placing in the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and spawning a U.S. and Canadian hit single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "All Our Tomorrows," (#28 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
). A follow-up track from this album, "Over the Line" also crept into the Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, peaking at #91. This single would be his last one to crack the U.S. charts to date. At least half of the songs on the No Refuge album have since been covered by other mainstream artists.
Schwartz's third and last album for a major record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Public Life, came out two years later and featured another Canadian hit with "Strike." Also included on this album was the original recording of his composition, "Special Girl
Special Girl (song)
"Special Girl" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter/guitarist Eddie Schwartz in collaboration with songwriter/producer and fellow Canadian David Tyson...
," which was a minor hit for him and became a bigger hit for the band, America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
.
Although his earliest hit as a songwriter for other artists was Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...
's 1980 single "Hit Me with Your Best Shot
Hit Me with Your Best Shot
"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" is a song written by Canadian singer/songwriter Eddie Schwartz and recorded by American singer Pat Benatar in 1979. It was released as the second single from her second album Crimes of Passion, and reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first top 10 hit...
", Schwartz didn't focus significantly on producing and songwriting until the late 1980s. Since then he has produced artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
of various genres including The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
, Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well...
, Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
, Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
, and Lawrence Gowan
Lawrence Gowan
Lawrence Gowan is a Scottish-born Canadian musician. Gowan has been both a solo artist and the current keyboardist and vocalist of the band Styx. His musical style is usually classified in the category of progressive rock.-Career:...
, and penned hits for Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well...
("Don't Shed a Tear
Don't Shed a Tear
"Don't Shed a Tear" is a song by English singer-musician, Paul Carrack, from his third solo album, One Good Reason. It was released as a single in 1987 and became his biggest U.S. hit, peaking at number nine on the pop chart.-Background:...
", "I Live By the Groove"), The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
("The Doctor"), and Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
("Fascination") to name a few. Additionally, many of his songs have been covered by other artists to great success. Examples include: "All Our Tomorrows" (recorded by Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
), "Does a Fool Ever Learn" (recorded by Helix
Helix (band)
Helix are a Canadian hard rock/heavy metal band. They formed in 1974, and are best known for their 1984 single "Rock You". The original lineup was formed by drummer Bruce Arnold, and consisted of lead vocalist Brian Vollmer, guitarists Ron Watson and Rick "Minstrel" Trembley, keyboardist Don...
), and "Special Girl" (covered by both America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
& Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
).
He has won multiple BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
, Juno
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
, and SOCAN awards. In 1995 he released an album, Tour de Schwartz, only in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, to generally good reviews.
Albums
- Schwartz (1980)
- No Refuge (1981)
- Public Life (1983)
- Tour de Schwartz (1995)
Singles
- "Two Hearts Full of Love" (1980)
- "Does a Fool Ever Learn" (1980)
- "Heart on Fire" (1981)
- "All Our Tomorrows" (1982)
- "Over the Line" (1982)
- "Strike" / "I've Had Enough" (1984)
- "Special GirlSpecial Girl (song)"Special Girl" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter/guitarist Eddie Schwartz in collaboration with songwriter/producer and fellow Canadian David Tyson...
" (1984)
External links
- Official Website
- CanConRocks Page- Biography and Discography
- Recent article/interview link
- http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0003149