Steve Hardin
Encyclopedia
Steve Hardin is an American songwriter, keyboardist, and harmonica and clavinet player. He is probably best known as the writer of top-ten country hits "I Love My Truck" (#10, Glen Campbell
) and "Breakin' Down" (#10, Waylon Jennings
), although his diverse career has included performing tours with Point Blank
, Glen Campbell
and Steppenwolf
; a seven-year gig in a south Florida Reggae band; and a solo CD with backup vocals by Gretchen Wilson
.
as a keyboard man in 1977. The band's next album release, Airplay, including Steve's composition "Mean to Your Queenie", which would become the band's trademark concert theme song. To this day, Point Blank performs the hard-driving rock piece in every performance.
Hardin met John Kay
when Steppenwolf was opening for Point Blank in a venue in west Texas, and Kay offered Steve a keyboard job with Steppenwolf
. Steve accepted, and spent the rest of the year touring with the band.
While back in L.A. with Steppenwolf, Hardin learned that Glen Campbell
was wanting to hire a full-time writer for his records, tours, and T.V. performances. He interviewed, got the job, and spent the next five years working with Glen writing songs (using the name Joe Rainey), touring, and performing on The Glen Campbell Music Show
.
After working with Glen, Steve started hanging out at Nashville's Hall of Fame Club, and he met and married Tulsa country music singer Gus Hardin
. He stayed with Gus and her band for about a year before striking out for south Florida, where he spent the next seven years playing Reggae.
From there he moved on to Nashville's The Bourbon Street Club, and helped to form the house band for the venue, Blues-U-Can-Use. It was there that he met Gretchen Wilson
, then in her early 20s, who sat in with the band for two songs every night. Because she sang so well, he asked her to sing back-up for him on his solo album, Rythmgypsy.
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
) and "Breakin' Down" (#10, Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
), although his diverse career has included performing tours with Point Blank
Point Blank (band)
Point Blank is an American rock and roll band hailing from Texas. The band formed in 1974 and recorded six albums between 1976 and 1982. Garnering occasional airplay on AOR radio stations, the band is best known for their 1981 hit single, "Nicole"....
, Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
and Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
; a seven-year gig in a south Florida Reggae band; and a solo CD with backup vocals by Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
.
History
Steve played in bands in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa in the late 60's and early 70's before joining Point BlankPoint Blank (band)
Point Blank is an American rock and roll band hailing from Texas. The band formed in 1974 and recorded six albums between 1976 and 1982. Garnering occasional airplay on AOR radio stations, the band is best known for their 1981 hit single, "Nicole"....
as a keyboard man in 1977. The band's next album release, Airplay, including Steve's composition "Mean to Your Queenie", which would become the band's trademark concert theme song. To this day, Point Blank performs the hard-driving rock piece in every performance.
Hardin met John Kay
John Kay (musician)
John Kay is a German-Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the frontman of Steppenwolf...
when Steppenwolf was opening for Point Blank in a venue in west Texas, and Kay offered Steve a keyboard job with Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
. Steve accepted, and spent the rest of the year touring with the band.
While back in L.A. with Steppenwolf, Hardin learned that Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
was wanting to hire a full-time writer for his records, tours, and T.V. performances. He interviewed, got the job, and spent the next five years working with Glen writing songs (using the name Joe Rainey), touring, and performing on The Glen Campbell Music Show
The Glen Campbell Music Show
The Glen Campbell Music Show was a syndicated US music television series presented by singer/guitarist Glen Campbell. In 1981 a pilot episode was broadcast...
.
After working with Glen, Steve started hanging out at Nashville's Hall of Fame Club, and he met and married Tulsa country music singer Gus Hardin
Gus Hardin
Gus Hardin was a country music singer.-Career:Hardin was born in 1945 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her rise to country music popularity began in 1983 with her first RCA Records single, the top 10 hit "After The Last Goodbye"...
. He stayed with Gus and her band for about a year before striking out for south Florida, where he spent the next seven years playing Reggae.
From there he moved on to Nashville's The Bourbon Street Club, and helped to form the house band for the venue, Blues-U-Can-Use. It was there that he met Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
, then in her early 20s, who sat in with the band for two songs every night. Because she sang so well, he asked her to sing back-up for him on his solo album, Rythmgypsy.
Albums/CDs
- Point Blank - "Airplay"
- 2 albums w/Tanya TuckerTanya TuckerTanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
- 3 albums w/Glen CampbellGlen CampbellGlen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
- "Cheryl Dilcher" album w/ Lowell GeorgeLowell GeorgeLowell Thomas George was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, who was the main guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat.- Early years :...
- "Rhythmgypsy" solo album
Original Songs
Not by any means a comprehensive list, here are some highlights:| Year | Song | Artist/Group | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US 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... |
CAN Country | ||||
| 1979 | "Mean To Your Queenie" | Point Blank | — | — | — | Airplay |
| "Shine On" | — | — | — | |||
| "Danger Zone" | — | — | — | |||
| 1980 | "Somebody Trying to Tell You Something" | Tanya Tucker | — | — | — | Dreamlovers |
| "My Song" | — | — | — | |||
| 1981 | "Rollin'" (Joe Rainey, Jack Tempchin Jack Tempchin Jack Tempchin is an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known for writing the Eagles classic "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and co-writing their hits "Already Gone", "The Girl From Yesterday," "Somebody," and "It's Your World Now."... ) |
Glen Campbell | — | — | — | It's the World Gone Crazy It's the World Gone Crazy It's the World Gone Crazy is the 37th album by American singer/guitarist Glen Campbell, released in 1981 .-Track listing:Side 1:# "Why Don't We Just Sleep On It Tonight" It's the World Gone Crazy is the 37th album by American singer/guitarist Glen Campbell, released in 1981 (see 1981 in... |
| "It's Your World" | — | — | — | |||
| "I Love My Truck" | 10 | 94 | 39 | The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (film) The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia is a 1981 film, starring Kristy McNichol, Dennis Quaid, Mark Hamill, and Don Stroud, directed by Ronald F. Maxwell. It was very loosely inspired by the Vicki Lawrence song of the same name... soundtrack |
||
| "Heartache #3" | Tanya Tucker | — | — | — | Should I Do It Should I Do It Should I Do It is the 12th album by Tanya Tucker. The highest ranking single, the title song, "Should I Do It," only rose to the #50 position on the Billboard Country Singles chart... |
|
| "Rodeo Girls" (Joe Rainey, Tanya Tucker) | 83 | — | — | |||
| 1982 | "Hang On Baby (Ease My Mind)" (Joe Rainey, Dan Rogers) | Glen Campbell | — | — | — | Old Home Town Old Home Town Old Home Town is the 39th album by American singer/guitarist Glen Campbell, released in 1982 .-Track listing:Side 1:# "Old Home Town" - 3:38# "I Love How You Love Me" - 2:29... |
| "A Few Good Men" | — | — | — | |||
| 1983 | "Breakin' Down" | Waylon Jennings | 10 | — | 4 | It's Only Rock & Roll It's Only Rock & Roll It's Only Rock & Roll is an album by Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1983. Jennings, most famous for his role in the outlaw country movement, began to slowly fade into obscurity after having released several acclaimed and chart-topping albums; It's Only Rock & Roll was one of only three... |
| 1991 | "A Few Good Men" | Glen Campbell | — | — | — | Show Me Your Way Show Me Your Way Show Me Your Way is the 48th album by American singer/guitarist Glen Campbell, released in 1991 .-Track listing:# "The Greatest Gift Of All" Show Me Your Way is the 48th album by American singer/guitarist Glen Campbell, released in 1991 (see 1991 in music).-Track listing:# "The Greatest Gift Of... |