Beth Hart
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Beth Hart (January 24, 1972)is a singer who became famous with the hit "L. A. Song".
Beth Hart dropped out of high school to focus on her songwriting. While playing the Los Angeles clubs, she enlisted veteran bassist Tal Herzberg and guitarist Jimmy Khoury.
In the early 90s, Beth received her first tastes of victory when she appeared on Ed McMahon's Star Search, several times, displaying an astonishingly strong and raw performance that wowed the judges night after night. More often than not Beth enjoyed almost unheard of perfect scores, drowning out her competition, and eventually going on to win the grand prize of 100,000 in the Female Vocalist category for the season.
Her raw, passionate vocal style sounds alternatively like Joan Armatrading and Janis Joplin, but certainly not like her contemporary folksingers. Recorded while she was heavily addicted to drugs, Immortal (Atlantic, 1996) displays her anger, her confusion, her imbalance. The band broke up after a tour and Hart's career seemed to be finished.
Hart fell under the spell of blues singer Etta James for her second album, Screamin' for My Supper (Atlantic, 1999), that also reflects her soul-searching after a number of tragedies and her recovery from drugs. The tender "L.A. Song" gave her a little notoriety, becoming a top 5 Adult Contemporary Chart hit, but "Get Your Shit Together" showcased more character. 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.
Her most recent album, Leave the Light On, is all about battling demons (drugs and alcohol in Beth's case) and coming to terms with oneself and being honest about it. Musical influences on the album are blues, rock and gospel. Beth currently resides in Los Angeles, but spends most of her time touring in Denmark and the Netherlands with her band, lead guitarist John Nichols, bassist Tom Lilly, two rotating drummers, her husband Guetzkow, and manager David Wolff.
[edit] Discography
- Immortal (1996)
- Screamin' for My Supper (1999)
- Leave the Light On (2003)
- Live at Paradiso (2005)
[edit] Singles
- Run (from Immortal) 1996
- Immortal (from Immortal) 1996
- Summer Is Gone (from Immortal) 1996
- God Bless You (from Immortal) 1996
- Am I The One (from Immortal) 1996
- LA Song (from Screaming for My Supper) 1999
- Delicious Surprise (from Screaming for My Supper) 2000
- Leave The Light On (from Leave the Light On) 2003
- World Without You (from Leave the Light On)2004
- Learning To Live (from European editions of Leave the Light On) 2004 (Denmark single)
- Hiding Under Water (from Live at Paradiso) 2005 *European Single
