John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

singer and

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

from

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam Phillips (aka Leslie Phillips), Pierce Pettis,

Phil Keaggy Philip Tyler Keaggy (born March 23, 1951) is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 55 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. H ...

, Vigilantes of Love, Peter Buck of R.E.M. (who co-produced VOL's album ''Killing Floor'' with Heard), The Choir, Randy Stonehill and Michael Been of The Call. Heard produced part of

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

's '' The Rumour'' (1988), which also included a cover of Heard's own "Big and Strong" (originally called "How to Grow Up Big and Strong").

Early life and music career

Heard's first appearance on record was with his early Jesus music band Infinity+3, who released the album ''Setting Yesterday Free'' in 1970. He went solo in 1972. After graduating from the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

in 1974 with an ABJ (bachelor of arts in journalism) degree in television, Heard traveled to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

to study at L'Abri under the influential evangelical Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer. Singers Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill stumbled onto Mark one day playing his guitar. Because Norman and Stonehill expressed interest, Heard spent most of his spare time the next two months putting together a demo tape in a local studio with the help of the Pat Terry group (Pat Terry, Sonny Lallerstedt and Randy Bugg). Norman was so impressed by Heard's abilities that he soon signed him to his record label, Solid Rock Records. In 1977, Heard and his wife Janet moved to

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

. He begin working on his '' Appalachian Melody'' album for the label, but would also maintain a close relationship with the people at the L'Abri for years. In 1980, Heard recorded and released ''

Fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...

'' on a Swiss label. In 1981, Heard began a recording contract with Chris Christian's Home Sweet Home Records. Although Heard's sales did not attract attention from the major Christian labels, Christian felt Mark's music was unique, fresh and deserved to be heard. Christian funded his projects with no production oversight, which is what Heard wanted. His signing to the label was a departure from the commercial artists that Christian traditionally signed and produced on the Home Sweet Home label. Heard released five albums for the label: 1981's '' Stop the Dominoes'', 1982's '' Victims of the Age'', 1983's '' Eye of the Storm'', 1984's '' Ashes and Light'' and 1985's ''

Mosaics A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

''. The overall experience was not one that Heard enjoyed, partly due to his personal experiences with record company executives, and partly due to compromises he felt under pressure to make himself so that his songs were more marketable to Christian audiences. In 1984, Heard began recording in his home studio, which he dubbed "Fingerprint Recorders", after the title of one of his earlier records. From that point on, his albums were largely made at home, with just a handful of friends and relatives lending a hand. In 1986, Heard decided to try something a little different and recorded the experimental Pop/Rock album for What? Records entitled '' Tribal Opera'', under the name iDEoLA. When asked about the unusual name, Heard replied "It's not supposed to be mysterious or anything; I just put a band together and right now I happen to be the only one in it." Heard also directed a music video for the single of that album, "Is It Any Wonder". With assistance from Dan Russell and Chuck Long, Fingerprint Records and studio were born. Heard began to produce albums for a number of artists including two albums for Randy Stonehill, Jacob's Trouble, Pierce Pettis and 1992's Vigilantes of Love album, ''Killing Floor'', which he co-produced with R.E.M.'s Peter Buck. Stonehill's '' Until We Have Wings'' includes a song co-written by Heard, "Faithful", although the CD liner notes credit the song to Heard's pseudonym, ''Giovanni Audiori''. In 1988, Heard collaborated with Randy Stonehill and other well known artists on '' Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child''. In addition to writing and performing credits, he helped with the engineering. Heard returned to recording albums of his own in the early 1990s, with '' Dry Bones Dance''. Fans and reviewers alike hailed the new release as one of the best of his career. He followed ''Dry Bones Dance'' with '' Second Hand'' in 1991, and '' Satellite Sky'' in 1992, which would turn out to be his final release.

Death

On July 4, 1992, Heard had a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on stage while performing with Pierce Pettis and Kate Miner, at the

Cornerstone Festival Cornerstone Festival was a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around July 4 near Bushnell, Illinois, drawing some 20,000 attendees each year. In a given year, many artists that played at Cornerstone also playe ...

in Bushnell, IL, near Peoria. Heard finished his set and went to the hospital immediately afterwards. Two weeks after being released from the hospital, Heard went into cardiac arrest and died on August 16, 1992. Before Heard's death, he had been included on the '' Legacy II'' sampler from Windham Hill's High Street label, and was nearly finalizing a mainstream contract with

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to folk- and jazz-influenced rock to soundscapes accompanying spoken stories. His lyrics reflect interests in spirit ...

's label, True North Records in Canada. There was also interest from

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

label for distribution in the US.

Tributes and influence

In 1993,

Rich Mullins Richard Wayne Mullins (October 21, 1955 – September 19, 1997) was an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter best known for his contemporary worship music, worship songs "Awesome God" and "Sometimes by Step". Some of his ...

covered "How to Grow Up Big and Strong" on his '' A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band''. In 1994, many artists came together to record a tribute album called ''Strong Hand of Love''. Artists lending their talents to the project included

, Randy Stonehill, Victoria Williams, Chagall Guevara, Buddy Miller, Julie Miller, Daniel Amos, The Choir and

. The project was later reissued as a double album set with additional tracks and re-titled '' Orphans of God''. Cockburn frequently called Heard his favorite songwriter. He wrote and recorded a song dedicated to Heard for his '' Dart to the Heart'' album, "Closer to the Light". Daniel Amos dedicated their album ''

MotorCycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

'' to Heard in 1993, and The Swirling Eddies dedicated '' Zoom Daddy'' to Heard the same year. Julie Miller also wrote a song in tribute to Heard called "All My Tears" which has also been recorded by Jars of Clay,

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

(studio and live versions) and Selah with Kim Hill on '' Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album''. In 2000, a group of fans gathered together to help Fingerprint Records release ''Mystery Mind'', the first collection of previously unreleased material from the songwriter. There were plans to release a full length collection that same year, but those plans never came to fruition. In 2002, the Cornerstone Music Festival held a songwriting contest in honor of Heard. The following year, '' Paste'' magazine released ''Hammers and Nails'', a CD of previously unreleased recordings by Heard. An authorized biography of the same name was also released by Cornerstone Press, written by Matthew T. Dickerson. In September 2005, the Americana Music Association held its annual Americana Music Honors & Awards at the

Ryman Auditorium Ryman Auditorium (originally Union Gospel Tabernacle and renamed Grand Ole Opry House for a period) is a historic 2,362-seat live-performance venue and museum located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in the downtown core of Nashville, Tennesse ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. The Song of the Year Award was presented to Mark Heard for "Worry Too Much", originally featured on '' Second Hand''. Buddy Miller, who performed the track on '' Universal United House of Prayer'', accepted the award on behalf of Heard. Miller also received the Album of the Year Award for ''Universal United House of Prayer''. In a June/July 2006 ''Paste'' magazine article (from the special collector's issue featuring the 100 Best Living Songwriters), Heard was remembered under the heading ''Wish You Were Here'': "Mark Heard's lyrics are weighted with such a wry longing that they'll forever reflect a fresh turbulence." Pierce Pettis and Ralston Bowles have covered a song by Mark Heard on each of their albums released since Heard's death."Pierce Pettis Covers"
. Retrieved August 4, 2012. In 2017, an 18-song retrospective, ''Mark Heard: Treasure of the Broken Land'', was released. It focuses on Heard's last three albums and features

Rodney Crowell Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...

, Buddy Miller, Over the Rhine and others. Produced by

Phil Madeira Philip Kamm Madeira (born April 9, 1952) is an American songwriter, producer, musician, and singer. He was raised in Barrington, Rhode Island, and graduated from Taylor University in 1975. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee. His songs have been ...

(a member of

' backing band Red Dirt Boys), the album received notable attention from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine, and

Americana music Americana (also known as American roots music) is an amalgam of Music of the United States, American music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the musical ethos of the United States of America, with particul ...

magazine '' No Depression''.

Discography

Studio albums

;Spirit Records * ''Setting Yesterday Free'' – Infinity+3 (1970) ;Airborn Records * '' Mark Heard'' (1975) – reissued as ''On Turning To Dust'' (1978) ;AB Records * ''On Turning To Dust'' (1978) ;Solid Rock * '' Appalachian Melody'' (1979) – reissued 2009 ;King's/Palmfrond Records * ''

'' (1980) ;Home Sweet Home Records * '' Stop the Dominoes'' (1981) * '' Victims of the Age'' (1982) * '' Eye of the Storm'' (1983) * '' Ashes and Light'' (1984) * ''

'' (1985) ;What? Records * '' Tribal Opera'' – iDEoLA (1987) ;Fingerprint Records * '' Dry Bones Dance'' (1990) * '' Second Hand'' (1991) * '' Satellite Sky'' (1992)

Compilation albums

;Home Sweet Home Records * ''Acoustic: The Best of Mark Heard'' (1985) * ''Reflections of a Former Life'' (1993) * ''Greatest Hits'' (2000) ;Fingerprint Records * ''

High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western (genre), Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in Real time (media), real time, centers ...

'' (1993) * ''Mystery Mind'' (2000) – demos, live, and interviews * ''Hammers and Nails'' (2003) – previously unreleased demos ;Solid Rock Records * ''The Lost Artifacts of an American Poet – The Original Recordings of Mark Heard'' (2007) – previously unreleased demos * ''The Lost Artifacts of an American Poet – The Original Recordings of Mark Heard Part II'' (2008) – previously unreleased demos

Tribute albums

* '' Strong Hand of Love: A Tribute to Mark Heard'', various artists 1994 tribute album * '' Orphans of God: A Tribute to Mark Heard'', various artists 1996 tribute album * ''Treasure of the Broken Land: The Songs of Mark Heard'', various artists 2017 tribute album

Videos

* An animated tribute featuring Mark Heard's "Lonely Moon" * The "Treasure of the Broken Land" * The "Is It Any Wonder" (iDEoLA) * A music by Buddy Miller – a cover of Mark Heard's "Worry Too Much" *

featuring Buddy Miller & Julie Miller – , covering Julie Miller's "All My Tears", a Mark Heard tribute * Bob Bennett with Bruce Carroll and Buddy Greene – covering "Heart of Hearts" at 1992 Tribute (Nashville)

References

External links

Mark Heard website

The Mark Heard Tribute Project
*
Mark Heard Retrospective on Popdose.Com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heard, Mark American rock songwriters American male songwriters American rock musicians Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state) American audio engineers 1951 births 1992 deaths American performers of Christian music American male guitarists Musicians from Macon, Georgia Writers from Macon, Georgia 20th-century American singers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American guitarists Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American engineers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American songwriters