- Canadian singer, musician and songwriter born in 1962 in Montreal Quebec.
- Hart showed promise as a singer at an early age. He traveled to connect with musical artists – at eleven years old, he sang for Tom Jones in Miami, and later he recorded songs with Paul Anka in Las Vegas. He began to write as a teenager, and at 18 years old, he represented Canada at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo. Soon after, he sent a demo cassette tape to Billy Joel, and Joel’s touring band invited Hart to record some demos in New York. After several rejections from record labels, he finally was signed to an independent label in 1982.
- He flew to England to record his debut album, backed by British studio musicians. He completed the album and returned home. Soon after his return, he wrote another song. Realizing how good it was, he insisted with the record label that the new song be added to the album. The album First Offense was released in 1983, and the last minute addition Sunglasses At Night became its lead single. Stoked by its popularity on MTV, Sunglasses At Night reached #7 on the Hot 100, and Hart was a star. A second single from the album – It Ain’t Enough – charted at #17 on the Hot 100 and at #4 in Canada. His debut success led to a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 1984.
- Hart’s second album was Boy In the Box, released in 1985. It reached #1 in Canada and it was certified platinum in the U.S. The singles Never Surrender and Everything In My Heart both topped the Canadian singles chart, and they peaked at #3 and #30 respectively on the Hot 100 chart. The following year, he released his third studio album, Fields of Fire. His cover of Elvis’ Presley’s Can’t Help Falling In Love topped the Canadian singles chart, and I Am By Your Side reached #18 on the Hot 100 in the U.S.
- In 1987, after four years of constant touring, Hart collapsed at a concert in Canada, and decided that he need to take some time off to recuperate. Anxious to return to recording, he began to record his album Young Man Running later in 1987. It was released the following year, selling well in Canada. The single In Your Soul peaked at #2 in Canada and at #38 in the U.S. His run of success in the U.S. was behind him, but he continued to do well in Canada, releasing four albums in the 90s with twelve singles reaching the top 40 on the Canadian singles chart.
- By the end of the 90s, Hart stepped away from the music industry to marry and focus on family life, living in the Bahamas. In 2002, he reconnected with a record label and was offered his own boutique record label. For several years, he developed other Canadian artists, and he wrote several songs for fellow Canadian Celine Dion.
- In 2014, he performed a 30th anniversary concert, his first performance in twelve years, and he released an EP titled Ten Thousand Horses. He continued to do occasional concerts and recordings, still mostly focusing on raising his family. In 2019, he released another EP and toured Canada. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame that year.
- Sunglasses At Night was on massive rotation on MTV back in the day. It’s definitely an 80s icon. Here’s the video.