- Craig Bickhardt
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Craig Bickhardt Origin Pennsylvania, USA Genres Country Occupations Singer-songwriter Instruments Vocals, guitar Years active 1984-present Labels MTM (in S-K-B), Stone Barn (solo) Associated acts S-K-B, Don Schlitz Craig Bickhardt (born in Pennsylvania) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His musical career includes co-writing credits for The Judds, Steve Wariner, Kathy Mattea and others. He was also a member of S-K-B, formerly S-K-O, after Paul Overstreet exited that band, and he has released three studio albums of his own.
Contents
Biography
Craig Bickhardt was born in Pennsylvania. He performed as a local musician during his teenage years, including in a local band called Wire and Wood, which opened for Bruce Springsteen and others.[1] He moved to Los Angeles, California in 1974, where he and Michael Sembello began writing songs, including some which were recorded by Art Garfunkel.[1] A re-established Wire and Wood later recorded for October Records, but never completed an album due to financial problems.[1]
Bickhardt signed to a publishing contract with EMI in 1982. Among his first musical recordings were two songs for the soundtrack to the 1983 film Tender Mercies, one of which ("You Are What Love Means to Me") charted at #86 on the Billboard country singles chart. He also sang background vocals on Reba McEntire's 1984 album My Kind of Country.[2] From there, he found work as a songwriter, with one of his first cuts being "That's How You Know When Love's Right", which became a Top Ten country hit when Nicolette Larson and Steve Wariner recorded it as a duet.[2] He also co-wrote "You're the Power" for Kathy Mattea, as well as The Judds' Number One hit "I Know Where I'm Going", the latter a collaboration with Don Schlitz and Brent Maher.[2] Bickhardt eventually moved to Nashville, Tennessee.[1]
After Paul Overstreet departed the country music trio S-K-O (formerly Schuyler, Knobloch and Overstreet), Bickhardt was recruited to take Overstreet's place in the trio. As a result, the group was renamed S-K-B (Schuyler, Knobloch and Bickhardt).[2] Bickhardt made his debut on the group's second and final album, 1987's No Easy Horses on MTM Records. This album contained several songs that he co-wrote, including two of its singles: "This Old House" and "Givers and Takers".[2] S-K-B split up in 1989 after MTM closed.
Bickhardt continued to write songs for other artists throughout the 1980s, including "Turn It Loose", another Number One for The Judds.[2] Other hits that he wrote in the 1980s included "If I Never See Midnight Again" by Sweethearts of the Rodeo and "I Can't Turn the Tide" by Baillie & the Boys, the latter of which he co-wrote with lead singer Kathie Baillie and her husband Michael Bonagura.[2]
In 1993, Bickhardt and Thom Schuyler (also formerly of S-K-O) recorded the Christmas music album Precious Child.[2] Bickhardt also continued his songwriting, including hits for Stacy Dean Campbell, Martina McBride, Pam Tillis, and The Kinleys.[2] He also co-wrote for Great Plains, a band which included former Poco member Jack Sundrud. Bickhardt and Sundrud co-wrote Ty Herndon's 1998 Number One hit "It Must Be Love" as well.[2]
Bickhardt returned to recording in 2001 with his first solo album, Easy Fires, via Stone Barn Records. By 2006, he returned to his native Pennsylvania but continued to record. A duet album with Sundrud entitled Idlewheel was released that year, followed by Brother to the Wind in 2009. He won First Prize in the prestigious 4th Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) in 2008 with his song "Sugarcane Street" in the Open category. He also hosted a songwriting workshop in association with the Nashville Songwriters Association International.[3] On March 12, 2011, Craig Bickhardt appeared with J.D. Malone, Thom Schuyler, for a performance that included original music from all three artist. This tour was called "On The Road and In The Round." [4]
Bickhardt lives in Franklin, Tennessee. He has a wife, Eileen, and twin children, Aislinn and Jake.[1]Discography
Albums
- Precious Child (with Thom Schuyler) (1993)
- Easy Fires (2001)
- Idlewheel (2006)
- Brother to the Wind (2009)
Singles
Year Single Chart Positions Album US Country 1984 "You Are What Love Means to Me" 86 Tender Mercies soundtrack References
- ^ a b c d e "Craig Bickhardt". It's About Music. http://www.itsaboutmusic.com/craigbickhardt.html. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ruhlmann, William. "Craig Bickhardt biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p56576/biography. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- ^ "Songwriting workshop with Craig Bickhardt". NSAI. 2009-01-15. http://nsaicharlotte.com/2009/01/15/craig-bickardt-workshop/. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- ^ On The Road and In The Round, retrieved 22 October, 2011
External links
- Craig Bickhardt official website
- IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards)
Categories:- American country singers
- American country singer-songwriters
- American male singers
- Living people
- Musicians from Pennsylvania
- S-K-O members
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