Mark Hart (born July 2, 1953), is an American musician and

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where a ...

best known for being a member of both

Supertramp Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending ...

(1986–1988, 1996–2002, 2015–present) and

Crowded House Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later ...

(1993–1996, 2007–2019). As well as being a group member, touring and

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

for acts such as

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

, Hart has composed film scores and is a record producer.

Biography

Hart was born on July 2, 1953 in

Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmaton ...

and grew up there. He has an older brother, Kelly, and an older sister, Millicent. From the age of seven years, Hart received piano lessons and followed by learning guitar some years later. Hart studied classical music at college, and then worked as a full-time

with varied artists. In 1982 he formed which issued its debut

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous album in 1984 on

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

– it was produced by

Ted Templeman Edward John "Ted" Templeman (born October 24, 1942) is an American record producer. Among the acts he has a long relationship with are the rock bands Van Halen and the Doobie Brothers and the singer Van Morrison; he produced multiple criticall ...

(

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

). Hart provided vocals, guitar and keyboards - other members were Steve Dudas on guitar, Randy Foote on percussion and backing vocals, Rick Moors on bass guitar and Billy Thomas on drums and backing vocals. Hart began his association with British rock band

in 1986, initially as a studio and touring musician, taking on the vocal and keyboard parts prior done by

Roger Hodgson Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson (born 21 March 1950) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the former co- frontman and founding member of progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson composed and sang the majority of the band� ...

. He provided guitar, keyboards, lead and backing vocals for their album, ''

Free as a Bird "Free as a Bird" is a single released in December 1995 by the Beatles. The song was originally written and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon. In 1995, 25 years after their break-up and 15 years after Lennon's murder, his then ...

'', which was issued in October 1987. He again participated on the ensuing tour, which was recorded on the album '' Live '88''. Hart also shared the same manager as pop-rockers

, who suggested he fill in for their keyboardist

Eddie Rayner Anthony Edward Charles Rayner (born 19 November 1952) is a New Zealand musician who spent twelve years as a keyboardist in the band Split Enz. He has also played in the groups Orb, Space Waltz, Crowded House, The Makers, The Angels in 1986-198 ...

with session work for the band after they experienced difficulties working together. In 1991 Hart contributed to '' Woodface'' as a session musician, later joining the band as a touring member when

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowde ...

left.McFarlane, . Archived fro
the original
on 6 April 2004. Retrieved 14 August 2012. In 1993 Hart was credited as a full member for '' Together Alone''. He stayed with the band after founding drummer

Paul Hester Paul Newell Hester (8 January 1959 – 26 March 2005) was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for a short time in 1984, and co-founding member and drummer of the rock group Crowded House ...

left, and is seen along with the group's founders

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...

and

Nick Seymour Nicholas More Seymour (born 9 December 1958) is an Australian musician and record producer. He is the founding bass guitarist and a mainstay of the rock group Crowded House, and is the younger brother of Mark Seymour, singer-songwriter-guitari ...

in the photographs from the sleeve for ''

Recurring Dream A recurring dream is a dream which is experienced repeatedly over a long period. They can be pleasant or nightmarish and unique to the person and their experiences. Common themes in recurring dreams Through psychological analyses and studies, so ...

'', the 1996 greatest hits album. Hart played with the band during their farewell concert on the steps of the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century archit ...

in November 1996, known as ''

Farewell to the World ''Farewell to the World'' is a 1996 concert by rock group Crowded House, which was released on video in 1996 and on CD and DVD in 2006. The concert was recorded on the outside footsteps of the Sydney Opera House, as a charity event to raise fun ...

''. In 1993 Hart contributed to the debut album, ''Hang Out Your Poetry'', by Ceremony (see

Chaz Bono Chaz Salvatore Bono (born Chastity Sun Bono; March 4, 1969) is an American writer, musician and actor. His parents are entertainers Sonny Bono and Cher, and he became widely known in appearances as a child on their television show, ''The Sonny ...

), providing electric guitar,

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. ...

, organ,

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs ...

, piano, backing vocals,

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

and co-composing tracks. Also that year Tim Finn issued his solo album, '' Before & After'', with Hart and former bandmate Dudas providing instrumentation, Hart also co-produced two tracks with Finn. Following the first demise of Crowded House, Hart stated that he thought the band had more in them. He later joined Neil Finn on stage for some of Finn's solo concerts supporting his debut solo album ''

Try Whistling This ''Try Whistling This'' is the debut solo album released in 1998 by New Zealand singer/songwriter Neil Finn. The Japanese version of the album has a bonus track called "Tokyo", which also appears on the UK release of the single "Sinner". Specia ...

'' in 1998. Following this, Hart rejoined Supertramp (recording the studio albums '' Some Things Never Change'', to which he also contributed as a writer, and ''

Slow Motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slo-mo or slow-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...

'', plus the live album '' It Was the Best of Times'') and produced more works for Tim Finn. In 2001 Hart released his debut solo album ''Nada Sonata'' - a second album ''The Backroom'' followed in 2014. Hart has scored the motion pictures ''Life Among the Cannibals'' (1996) and '' Mockingbird Don't Sing'' (2001) both directed by Harry Bromley Davenport. Hart also contributed keyboards and piano to the 2006 debut album by Australian band

Howling Bells Howling Bells are an Australian indie rock band that formed in London in 2004. The band obtained moderate popularity in the United Kingdom following the release of its 2006 self-titled debut album. The lineup consists of Juanita Stein (vocals, ...

In January 2007, Neil Finn announced the reformation of Crowded House with Hart, Nick Seymour, and a new drummer,

Matt Sherrod Matthew Sherrod (born 11 July 1968) is an American drummer, musician, and a former member of the band Crowded House. Sherrod first became known as a musician playing drums for rock artist Beck. In 2007, following the 2005 death of Crowded House's ...

(ex-

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...

). They released a new album, '' Time on Earth'', and embarked 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 fully contributed to the next album, ''

Intriguer ''Intriguer'' is the sixth studio album by rock group Crowded House, released on 11 June 2010. It is the band's follow-up to the group's 2007 reunion album '' Time on Earth''. The first single for the album, " Saturday Sun", was released to rad ...

'', which was released in June 2010 and both are on the DVD supplements to that album. After this the band went on indefinite hiatus although they played Sydney again in 2016. Shortly after it was announced that Crowded House would perform at

Byron Bay Bluesfest The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual Australian music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay, New South Wales, area since 1990. The festiva ...

in 2020, Hart announced via his Twitter account that Neil Finn had chosen not to include him in the band anymore. Hart and drummer Matt Sherrod were replaced by Neil Finn's sons - Liam and Elroy - and Mitchell Froom. Hart was also a member of

’s backing band in the 2000s.

Solo albums

References

;General * Bourke, Chris, ''Something So Strong'', Macmillan Australia, 1997, * Dix, John, ''Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand Rock and Roll, 1955 to the Modern Era'', Penguin Books, 2005, * Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. * Twomey, Chris & Doole, Kerry, ''Crowded House: Private Universe'', Omnibus Pr, 1998, ;Specific

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Mark American rock guitarists American male guitarists Australian people of American descent Crowded House members Living people 1953 births People from Fort Scott, Kansas Supertramp members 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American politicians