Mark Hart

Mark Hart
Hart with Crowded House, 2007 Photo: Mick Muise
Background information
Born	2 July 1953 (1953-07-02) (age 58)
Origin	Fort Scott, Kansas United States
Genres	Rock Pop Film score
Occupations	Musician, Producer
Instruments	Vocals Bass Guitar Pedal steel guitar Keyboards
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Capitol Records, A&M
Associated acts	Supertramp Crowded House
Website	Official Website

Mark Hart (born July 2, 1953, Fort Scott, Kansas), is a multi-instrumentalist best known for his participation as a member of Supertramp and Crowded House.

A student of classical music, Mark worked as a full time session musician with popular artists, notably the group Supertramp. He began his association with them in 1987 as a studio and touring musician, able to play several instruments and sing lead vocals. Hart shared the same manager as the band Crowded House, who suggested he fill in for Eddie Rayner, with session work for the band after they experienced difficulties replacing their keyboardist.

He contributed to Woodface in 1991 as a session musician, later joining the band fully a while after Tim Finn left, and is credited as a full member on Together Alone from 1993. He stayed with the band after founding drummer Paul Hester left, he is seen along with Neil Finn and Nick Seymour in the photographs from the sleeve for Recurring Dream, the 1996 greatest hits album. Hart played with the band during their farewell concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in November 1996, known as Farewell to the World.

Following the demise of the group, Hart stated that he thought the band had more in them. He would later join Neil Finn on stage for some of his solo concerts supporting Finn's debut solo album Try Whistling This in 1998, before rejoining Supertramp, producing for Tim Finn and releasing his own album Nada Sonata, in 2002.

Hart has also scored the motion pictures Life Among the Cannibals (1996) and Mockingbird Don't Sing (2001) both directed by Harry Bromley Davenport.

In January 2007, Neil Finn announced that he would be reforming Crowded House with Nick Seymour, Mark Hart and a new drummer, confirmed as former Beck drummer Matt Sherrod, releasing a new album, Time on Earth and embarking on a year-long world tour. The album was initially intended to be Finn's third solo album, but was converted to a Crowded House album late in the sessions. As a result, Hart contributed on only four songs to the new album. Both he and Sherrod have fully contributed to the next album, Intriguer, which was released in June 2010 and both can be seen on the DVD supplements to that album.

References

• Bourke, Chris, Something So Strong, Macmillan Australia, 1997, ISBN 0-7329-0886-8
• Twomey, Chris & Doole, Kerry, Crowded House: Private Universe, Omnibus Pr, 1998, ISBN 0-7119-4816-X
• Dix, John, Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand Rock and Roll, 1955 to the Modern Era, Penguin Books, 2005, ISBN 0-14-301953-8

External links

• Official Site

Persondata
Name	Hart, Mark
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Date of birth	July 2, 1953
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