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 Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American disc jockey, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, R ...

(aka Leslie Phillips),

Pierce Pettis Pierce Pettis (born April 14, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter from Fort Payne, Alabama. Biography A former staff writer for PolyGram Publishing in Nashville, Pettis' musical career was started in 1979 when Joan Baez covered one of hi ...

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 Vigilantes of Love was an American rock band fronted by Bill Mallonee, with many secondary players drawn from the musician pool in and around Athens, Georgia, United States. In its later manifestations in the later 1990s and early 2000s, Mallo ...

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

(who co-produced VOL's album ''Killing Floor'' with Heard), The Choir,

Randy Stonehill Randall Evan Stonehill (born March 12, 1952) is an American singer and songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but ...

and

Michael Been Michael Kenneth Been (March 17, 1950 – August 19, 2010) was an American rock musician who achieved critical attention and rotation play on MTV in the 1980s with his band The Call. He later released an album of his solo work and toured with hi ...

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 The Rumour were an English prog rock new wave rock band active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are best known as the backup band for Graham Parker, whose early records (from 1976 to 1980) were credited to Graham Parker & 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 Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music that originated on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This musical genre developed in parallel to the Jesus movement ...

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 L'Abri (French for "the shelter") is an Evangelicalism, evangelical Christian organisation which was founded on June 5, 1955 by Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith Schaeffer, Edith in Ollon, Huémoz-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. They opened their Alps, ...

under the influential evangelical Christian philosopher

Francis Schaeffer Francis August Schaeffer (January 30, 1912 – May 15, 1984) was an American evangelical theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He co-founded the L'Abri community in Switzerland with his wife Edith Schaeffer, , a prolific auth ...

. Singers

Larry Norman Larry David Norman (April 8, 1947 – February 24, 2008) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Christian rock music and released more than 100 album ...

and

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 Solid Rock Records is a record label started by Larry Norman. It was established in 1975 to distribute his work after he had been released by Capitol Records. Solid Rock had a distribution deal until 1980 with Word Records. The label's roste ...

. 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 ''Appalachian Melody'' is an album by Mark Heard, released in 1979 on Solid Rock Records. Track listing All songs written by Mark Heard. Side one # "On the Radio" - 3:41 # "Castaway" - 3:30 # "Bless My Soul" - 4:08 # "Here I Am (Once Again)" - ...

'' 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 Chris Christian (born Lon Christian Smith on February 7, 1951) is an American songwriter, record producer, and a record label executive. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Hall and Oates, Natalie Cole, Sheena Ea ...

Home Sweet Home Records Home Sweet Home Records (also known as CC Entertainment) is a record label, based in Dallas, Texas. History Home Sweet Home began in 1981, in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded by singer, songwriter and producer Chris Christian. Since its in ...

. 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 ''Stop the Dominoes'' is an album by Mark Heard, released in 1981 on Home Sweet Home Records. Track listing All songs written by Mark Heard. Side one # "One Of the Dominoes" - 3:11 # "Stranded At the Station" - 3:54 # "You Could Lie To Me" ...

'', 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 What? Records was a short-lived record label started by Word Records and A&M Records, intended to focus on creative and unusual rock and roll records with spiritual messages. In the short time that the label existed, it released albums by Mark H ...

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

Jacob's Trouble Jacob's Trouble is an American Christian rock band formed in Atlanta in the 1980s. The group's original members were Jerry Davison (drums, lead vocals), Mark Blackburn (guitar, lead vocals), and Steve Atwell (bass). In 1991, they added Ron Coc ...

and 1992's

album, ''Killing Floor'', which he co-produced with

. 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 ''Dry Bones Dance'' is an album by Mark Heard, released in 1990, the first to be released on his own Fingerprint Records. The album was listed at No. 29 in ''CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music''. Track listing All songs ...

''. Fans and reviewers alike hailed the new release as one of the best of his career. He followed ''Dry Bones Dance'' with ''

Second Hand Used goods, also known as secondhand goods, are any item of personal property that have been previously owned by someone else and are offered for sale not as new, including metals in any form except coins that are legal tender. Used goods may ...

'' 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

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 Windham Hill Records was an independent record label that specialized in instrumental acoustic music. It was founded by guitarist William Ackerman and Anne Robinson (née McGilvray) in 1976 and was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The label was ...

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

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 True North Records is a Canadian independent record label. History True North Records was founded in Mississauga, Ontario in 1969 by Bernie Finkelstein. By 1971, True North was producing albums for various Canadian musicians, including Bruce Co ...

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 ''A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band'' is the seventh album by American singer and songwriter Rich Mullins, released in 1993. The album was very well received and received the third place in the book '' CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Album ...

''. In 1994, many artists came together to record a tribute album called ''Strong Hand of Love''. Artists lending their talents to the project included

Victoria Williams Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with multi ...

, Chagall Guevara,

Buddy Miller Steven Paul "Buddy" Miller (born September 6, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in T ...

Julie Miller Julie Anne Miller (born Julie Griffin, July 12, 1956) is an American songwriter, singer, and recording artist living in Nashville, Tennessee. She married Buddy Miller in 1981. They sing and play on each other's solo projects and have recorded ...

Daniel Amos Daniel Amos (aka D. A., Dä) is an American Christian rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter (musician), Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. ...

, The Choir and

. The project was later reissued as a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...

set with additional tracks and re-titled ''

Orphans of God ''Orphans of God'' is a 1996 two-CD compilation of songs performed by various artists in tribute to songwriter Mark Heard. Recorded and released after Heard's death in 1992, proceeds from the album benefit the Heard Family Fund. This album was li ...

''. 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".

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 The Swirling Eddies are an American rock band that began as an anonymous spinoff from the band Daniel Amos, along with new drummer David Raven. Career For each Swirling Eddies release, band members adopted pseudonyms for the liner notes; "Cama ...

dedicated '' Zoom Daddy'' to Heard the same year.

also wrote a song in tribute to Heard called "All My Tears" which has also been recorded by

Jars of Clay Jars of Clay is a Christian alternative rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The members met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.Jars of Clay. (2005). Making the GradeiTunes Originals - Jars of Clay. AC Audio Essential Records. The ...

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 (; ) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given. It is probably either a liturgical-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, with the m ...

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 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 play ...

held a songwriting contest in honor of Heard. The following year, ''

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...

'' 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 The Americana Music Association is a not-for-profit trade organization advocating for American Roots Music globally, and supporting professionals within the field. Purpose The Americana Music Association was founded in order to advocate and p ...

held its annual

Americana Music Honors & Awards The Americana Music Honors & Awards is the marquee event for the Americana Music Association. Beginning in 2002, the Americana Music Association honors distinguished members of the music community. Six member-voted awards and several Lifetime A ...

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 ''

''.

, 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."

and

Ralston Bowles Ralston Bowles is an American poet, songwriter, producer, musician and singer from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ralston Bowles was born on August 31, 1952, to parents, Buel Bowles of Green Sulphur Springs, West Virginia (1913–2002) and May Jean Mo ...

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''. ...

Over the Rhine Over-the-Rhine, often abbreviated as OTR, is a List of Cincinnati neighborhoods, residential neighborhood located in the urban basin of Cincinnati, Ohio. Over-the-Rhine is among the largest, most intact urban Historic districts in the United S ...

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 John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam Phil ...

'' (1975) – reissued as ''On Turning To Dust'' (1978) ;AB Records * ''On Turning To Dust'' (1978) ;Solid Rock * ''

'' (1979) – reissued 2009 ;King's/Palmfrond Records * ''

'' (1980) ;Home Sweet Home Records * ''

'' (1981) * '' Victims of the Age'' (1982) * '' Eye of the Storm'' (1983) * '' Ashes and Light'' (1984) * ''

'' (1985) ;What? Records * '' Tribal Opera'' – iDEoLA (1987) ;Fingerprint Records * ''

'' (1990) * ''

'' (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 ''Strong Hand of Love: A Tribute to Mark Heard'' is a compilation of songs by various artists in tribute to songwriter, Mark Heard. It was recorded and released in 1994 after Heard's death in 1992. Proceeds benefit the Heard Family Fund. In 199 ...

: A Tribute to Mark Heard'', various artists 1994 tribute album * ''

: 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

– , covering Julie Miller's "All My Tears", a Mark Heard tribute * Bob Bennett with

Bruce Carroll Bruce Carroll (born December 5, 1953), is an American CCM singer and multi Grammy and Dove Award winning recording artist. Biography Carroll first began performing in a trio with his siblings at age 12; he played folk music in various venues in ...

and

Buddy Greene Buddy Greene (born October 30, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, guitar player and harmonica player. Most of his recordings consist of gospel music with a distinctly Southern gospel flavor. Much of his music is influenced by country musi ...

– 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