Beth Hart (born January 24, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter and musician from Los Angeles, California, United States. She rose to fame with the release of her 1999 single "LA Song (Out of This Town)" from her second album Screamin' for My Supper. The single was a number one hit in New Zealand, as well as reaching top 5 on the US Adult Contemporary and number 7 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 Chart. Subsequent albums namely Seesaw and Live in Amsterdam by Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa, achieved number 1 status on the Billboard Blues Album Chart. Hart's release Bang Bang Boom Boom rose to number 3 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart, as well as the album Don't Explain by Hart and Bonamassa. The album Seesaw rose to number 8 on the Billboard Top Independent Album Chart. Hart has had two number 1 singles in Denmark "As Good as It Gets" and "Learning to Live", as well a platinum selling album, Leave the Light On.
Hart's first album with Bonamassa, Don't Explain, went gold in the Netherlands. In 2014 Hart was nominated for a Grammy Award for Seesaw and she was also nominated for a Blues Music Award in the category 'Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist'.
Early career
Beth Hart - Learning To Live - Learning To Live.
While playing the Los Angeles clubs, Hart enlisted bassist Tal Herzberg and guitarist Jimmy Khoury. In 1993, Hart appeared on Ed McMahon's Star Search several times, ultimately winning the Female Vocalist competition for that season. Beth Hart and the Ocean of Souls was recorded in 1993. It includes "Am I the One" (which later appeared on her first official record "Immortal") and a pop-rock cover of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
Immortal
The first released album with the Beth Hart Band was called Immortal (Atlantic, 1996) and featured the single "God Bless You". It also included "Am I the One", a fan favorite that ended up on her first DVD that was released in 2005, which fans still speak about to this day, in particular that performance of "Am I the One".
Screamin' for My Supper: Career breakthrough
Hart's next album, Screamin' for My Supper (Atlantic, 1999), featured "LA Song (Out of This Town)", a #1 hit in New Zealand and a top 5 Adult Contemporary chart hit. At the same time, Hart was singing the lead role in Love, Janis, an off-Broadway musical based on Joplin's letters home to her mother. The song also aired during Episode 17 of the 10th and final season of Beverly Hills, 90210.
Leave the Light On
Hart's Leave the Light On was released in 2003. The single "Learning to Live" was a number 1 hit in Denmark, as well a platinum selling album. "Learning to Live" was also used as the theme song to Losing It with Jillian on NBC.
Live at Paradiso
Hart followed this up with her live album Live at Paradiso in 2005, which was recorded at a former church in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and released both as a CD and a DVD. It featured a variety of Hart's self written songs and the cover "Whole Lotta Love" by "Led Zeppelin".
37 Days
Hart's fourth solo studio album 37 Days was released in Europe in July 2007. It produced the number 1 single in Denmark "As Good as It Gets". "37 Days" was also released as a DVD.
My California
A fifth solo studio album My California was released in 2010. Hart delivered music to the end-scene of the last episode of Californication season 6, with the title song of this record "My California". On August 23, 2012, her song "Take It Easy on Me" from My California was used in the first episode of the eighth series of the BBC TV drama Waterloo Road. On July 31, 2012, she released her album My California in the United States. On the same date, she released an EP titled Introducing Beth Hart.
Don't Explain
In 2011, Hart collaborated with blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa on their first co-release "Don't Explain", an album of blues classics. The album reached number 3 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart. It also went gold in the Netherlands.
Bang Bang Boom Boom
Hart's release Bang Bang Boom Boom (2012) rose to number 3 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart. She worked with producer Kevin Shirley on this, whom she collaborated with for the first time on the album "Don't Explain". The album was released the following year in the United States.
Seesaw: Grammy-nominated album
In 2013, the duo Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa released Seesaw, again produced by Kevin Shirley. The album rose to number 8 on the Billboard Top Independent Album Chart. In 2014 Hart was nominated for a Grammy Award for Seesaw and she was also nominated for a Blues Music Award in the category 'Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist'.
Live in Amsterdam
Hart's second live album/DVD, Live in Amsterdam, was also recorded in Amsterdam, Netherlands, this time at the Royal Carre Theatre. Hart and Joe Bonamassa went on a mini European tour of five shows (Bergen, Norway - London, UK - Antwerp, Belgium - Amsterdam, Netherlands), of which two were at the Carre Theatre. Both nights were recorded and released on the DVD/LP/CD "Live in Amsterdam" in 2014.
Better Than Home
Hart's seventh solo studio album Better Than Home, was released on April 13 in Europe and April 14 in the US. The single "Mechanical Heart" charted at number 1 in the "iTunes Blues" song list. The album entered the album charts in the Netherlands at number 1. In the USA the album entered both the Billboard Blues Charts and iTunes Blues Charts at number 1. The album also charted in other countries: number 11 in Germany and 33 in the UK. On January 29, 2016, Hart and Jeff Beck released the single "Tell Her You Belong To Me" worldwide on iTunes, after performing the song live on Jools' Annual Hootenanny on 2015/2016 on BBC Two. They also performed "Nutbush City Limits" on that show
Fire on the Floor
Hart released her latest studio album, Fire on the Floor, on October 14, 2016 in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. For the rest of the world it was released on February 3, 2017, to coincide with her tour. Hart wrote all songs herself, except for "Let's Get Together" (with Rune Westberg) and "Fat Man" (with Glen Burtnik). The title track was released first followed by "Love Is a Lie", which is the official first single of the new album.
Black Coffee
On January 26, 2018, Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa released Black Coffee, again produced by Kevin Shirley. The album debuted at number 1 in the US Billboard album charts and also in the Dutch album top 100
Other collaborations
In 2003, she became the first and only musician to feature as backing vocalist for a Deep Purple song ("Haunted", released on the Bananas album).
Hart collaborated on a song with Slash called "Mother Maria", released on the iTunes version of Slash's solo album, Slash.
In 2011, she worked with Joe Bonamassa, first providing vocals for the track "No Love on the Street" on his album Dust Bowl (March 2011), and on a 2011 album of blues classics, Don't Explain. The duo released Seesaw in 2013.
Hart collaborated with Born on the single "It Hurts", released in February 2012.
After touring with Jeff Beck in 2006 through the United States she appeared with him again in December 2012, at the Kennedy Center Opera House, along with a group of blues/rock musicians, performing "I'd Rather Go Blind" in tribute to Buddy Guy, who received a 2012 Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime of contributions to American culture. This performance led to the collaboration with Buddy Guy, where he recorded the song "What You Gonna Do About Me" with Beth Hart for his album Rhythm & Blues.
In 2014, she performed with Jeff Beck during his Australian tour as a supporting act, joining him on stage during his set.
Grammy Award nominations
In 2014 Hart was nominated for a Grammy Award for Seesaw.
Blues Award nominations
In 2014, she was also nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year' category. In 2016, she got nominated again for the Blues Music Award in the 'Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year' category. Beth has again been nominated, this time for three Blues Music awards in 2018.
Films
Hart is one of the narrators for the 2015 documentary film Unity.
Instruments
Hart is not only a versatile vocalist, she also plays various instruments: piano, guitar, cello, bass guitar and percussion.
Personal life and band
Hart is married to her road manager Scott Guetzkow, and currently resides in Los Angeles. Her band includes guitarist Jon Nichols, bassist Bob Marinelli, and drummer Bill Ransom. Her manager is David Wolff and her tour and production manager is her husband, Scott Guetzkow. Hart has overcome drug addiction. but took control of her life and medical issues by finding religion and practicing transcendental meditation.
Discography
- Beth Hart and the Ocean of Souls (1993)
- Immortal (1996)
- Screamin' for My Supper (1999)
- Leave the Light On (2003)
- 37 Days (2007)
- My California (2010)
- Don't Explain with Joe Bonamassa (2011)
- Bang Bang Boom Boom (2012)
- Seesaw with Joe Bonamassa(2013)
- Better Than Home(2015)
- Fire on the Floor (2016)
- Black Coffee with Joe Bonamassa (2018)
References
External links
- Official website