Beth Hart

Biography

Beth Hart (born January 24, 1972) is an American musician from Los Angeles, California. She rose to fame with the release of her 1999 single "L.A. Song (Out of This Town)" from her second album Screamin' for My Supper. The single was a number one hit in New Zealand, as well as reaching the top five of the US Adult Contemporary and Top 10 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 charts.
Hart has had several well received collaborations with guitarist Joe Bonamassa, beginning with Don't Explain (2011), followed with the Grammy-nominated Seesaw (2013) and Live in Amsterdam (2014). Live in Amsterdam topped the Billboard Blues Album Chart, a chart that she has reached six times. Her latest work with Bonamassa was the 2018 album Black Coffee×Black Coffee26 January 2018 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Give It Everything You Got4:372Damn Your Eyes4:323Black Coffee4:134Lullaby of the Leaves5:425Why Don’t You Do Right4:346Saved3:487Sitting on Top of the World3:558Joy4:219Soul on Fire5:0010Addicted3:39. Hart has had two number one singles in Denmark, "As Good as It Gets" and "Learning to Live×Learning to Live2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Learning to Live2I Don't Want to Be", and a double platinum-selling album, Leave the Light On×Leave the Light On21 October 2003 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Lifts You Up3:382Leave the Light On4:033Bottle of Jesus3:134World Without You4:095Lay Your Hands on Me4:136Broken Ugly3:247Lifetime4:098If God Only Knew3:459Monkey Back3:1910Sky Full of Clover4:0311I’ll Stay With You3:4012Is That Too Much to Ask3:1613And So We Are4:01.

Early life and education

Hart was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. As a four-year-old, she began to play piano. At first, she concentrated on classical works by Bach and Beethoven, but as she grew older, she also began to play pieces by artists such as Etta James, Otis Redding and Led Zeppelin.
Regarding her childhood in an interview with Don Wilcock, Hart stated, "When I was a kid, my dad left me in a bad way, and what fucked me up the most was that he would be in the lives of my other sisters and brothers, but he wouldn't be in mine." At the age of 22, Hart lost her sister from complications of AIDS.
Hart entered Los Angeles' High School for the Performing Arts in 10th grade as a vocal and cello major. At the prompting of a classmate, she soon began singing during open mic nights in the Belly Room of the Comedy Store.

Beginning years (1987–1998)

Hart started playing clubs in Hollywood at the age of 15, and eventually enlisted bassist Tal Herzberg and guitarist Jimmy Khoury for Beth Hart and the Ocean of Souls, which was recorded in 1993. It includes "Am I the One" (which later appeared on her first official record Immortal) and a pop-rock cover of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". The first released album with the Beth Hart Band, Immortal, was released in 1996 through Atlantic, scanning 13,000 copies and featured the single "God Bless You". It also included "Am I the One", that ended up on her first DVD that was released in 2005. After touring the record, including at Lollapalooza in 1996, the Beth Hart Band disbanded due to infighting.
In 1993, Hart appeared on Ed McMahon's Star Search, ultimately winning the Female Vocalist competition. Hart has stated that winning the show did not land her a record deal due to the stigma associated with performing on the show, and that she had burned through the prize money she received by the time she struck a deal with Atlantic Records.

Commercial breakthrough (1999–2009)

Hart's second solo album, Screamin' for My Supper was released in 1999, and featured "L.A. Song (Out of This Town)", a number one hit in New Zealand, as well as a Top 10 Adult Contemporary chart hit in the US. The song also aired during Episode 17 of the 10th and final season of Beverly Hills, 90210. 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.
Hart's follow-up album, Leave the Light On×Leave the Light On21 October 2003 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Lifts You Up3:382Leave the Light On4:033Bottle of Jesus3:134World Without You4:095Lay Your Hands on Me4:136Broken Ugly3:247Lifetime4:098If God Only Knew3:459Monkey Back3:1910Sky Full of Clover4:0311I’ll Stay With You3:4012Is That Too Much to Ask3:1613And So We Are4:01, was released in 2003 via Koch Records, after being dropped by Atlantic presumably due to Hart's drug addiction. While still successful in New Zealand, the album saw her breakthrough in the European market, with the single "Learning to Live×Learning to Live2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Learning to Live2I Don't Want to Be" reaching number one in Denmark, while the album achieved a two× Platinum certification. "Learning to Live" was also used as the theme song to Losing It with Jillian on NBC. In 2003, she became the first and only musician to feature as backing vocalist for a Deep Purple song ("Haunted", released on the Bananas album).
Two years later in 2005, Hart released her first live album, Live at Paradiso×Live at Paradiso12 May 2005 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Delicious Surprise4:152Guilty4:523Leave the Light On4:424Lifts You Up3:595Broken & Ugly4:486Get Your Shit Together5:567Immortal7:078Monkey Back5:379Am I the One10:4410Mama4:2511L.A. Song4:3112World Without You5:1713Whole Lotta Love7:54, which was recorded at a former church in Amsterdam, and released both as a CD and a DVD. It featured a variety of Hart's self written songs and a cover of "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin. Hart appears on Toots Thielemans' album One More For the Road on the track "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues", which was released in 2006.
Hart's fourth solo studio album 37 Days×37 Days30 July 2007 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Good as It Gets3:572Jealousy4:293One-Eyed Chicken4:524Over You4:205Sick4:386Face Forward2:457Soulshine4:328Forever Young4:119Easy6:0410Heaven Look Down3:2111Missing You4:3212Waterfalls3:5313Crashing Down6:1914At the Bottom4:53 was released in Europe in July 2007, and eventually as a DVD as well. The album debuted at number one in Denmark and spent two weeks at the top, her first album to top a national chart, and additionally reached a Gold certification in the country. The record was her last on a major label (Universal), though it solidified her European commercial success.

Independent albums and collaborations with Joe Bonamassa (2010–2014)

Her fifth solo studio album My California×My California4 October 2010 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1My California4:352Life Is Calling3:513Happiness... Any Day Now4:224Love Is the Hardest3:445Bad Love Is Good Enough4:276Drive3:347Sister Heroine4:298Take It Easy on Me4:149Like You (And Everyone Else)3:3610Everybody Is Sober4:1711Weight of the World4:5012Oh Me Oh My4:21 was released in 2010, and was her first on Provogue Records. Hart delivered music for the final scene of the last episode of season 6 of Californication, with the title song of the record. On August 23, 2012, her song "Take It Easy on Me×Take It Easy on Me20 May 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Take It Easy on Me (radio edit)3:45" from My California was used in the first episode of the eighth series of the BBC TV drama Waterloo Road. On July 31, 2012, the album was released in the United States. On the same date, she released an EP titled Introducing Beth Hart×Introducing Beth Hart31 July 2012 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Good as It Gets3:572My California4:353Sister Heroine4:304Soul Shine4:325Easy6:04.
During this time, Hart collaborated with Slash on "Mother Maria", released on the iTunes version of Slash's 2010 solo album, Slash. Additionally, Hart collaborated with rapper Born on his single "It Hurts×It Hurts2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1It Hurts3:29240 Days 40 Nights5:19", released in February 2012. Following her tour with Jeff Beck in 2006 through the United States, she appeared with him again in December 2012, at the Kennedy Center Opera House, along with a group of blues/rock musicians, performing "I'd Rather Go Blind" in tribute to Buddy Guy, who received a 2012 Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime of contributions to American culture. The performance received a standing ovation from President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and led to the collaboration with Buddy Guy, where he recorded the song "What You Gonna Do About Me" with Hart for his album Rhythm & Blues.
In 2011, Hart collaborated with blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa on their first co-release Don't Explain, an album of blues and soul classics. The album reached number three on the Billboard Blues Album Chart and also went gold in the Netherlands. She additionally provided vocals for the track "No Love on the Street" on Bonamassa's Dust Bowl, which was released the same year.
The following year, Hart's release Bang Bang Boom Boom became one of her biggest commercial successes, appearing on the charts of at least 10 countries, as well as becoming her first to chart on the Billboard Blues Album Chart, climbing to number three. She worked with producer Kevin Shirley, whom she collaborated with for the first time on the album Don't Explain. The album was released the following year in the United States.
In 2013, Hart and Bonamassa released Seesaw, again produced by Kevin Shirley. A song from the album, "Miss Lady", originally recorded by the Buddy Miles Express was released in Europe on Provogue PRD 7414 4. The album rose to number eight on the Billboard Top Independent Album Chart. In 2014, Hart was nominated for a Grammy Award for Seesaw and was also nominated for a Blues Music Award in the category Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist. The album additionally holds her highest peak position on the Billboard 200, reaching the Top 50.
Hart's second live album/DVD, Live in Amsterdam×Live in Amsterdam21 March 2014 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 21 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Amsterdam, Amsterdam!1:462Them There Eyes3:003Sinner’s Prayer4:224Can’t Let Go5:125For My Friends4:346Close to My Fire5:307Rhymes5:068Something’s Got a Hold on Me6:199Your Heart Is as Black as Night5:2010Chocolate Jesus2:5111Baddest Blues5:1012Someday After Awhile (You’ll Be Sorry)6:21Disc 21Well, Well4:512If I Tell You I Love You3:513See Saw3:194Strange Fruit5:585Miss Lady7:196I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know7:547Nutbush City Limits3:508I’d Rather Go Blind10:029Antwerp Jam5:27, was also recorded in Amsterdam, this time at the Royal Carré Theatre. Hart and Bonamassa went on a mini European tour of five shows (Bergen, Norway – London, UK – Antwerp, Belgium – Amsterdam, Netherlands), of which two were at the Carré Theatre.
In 2014, she performed once again with Jeff Beck, this time during his Australian tour as a supporting act, in addition to joining him on stage during his set.

Better Than Home, Fire on the Floor, Black Coffee & War in My Mind (2015–2019)

Hart's seventh solo studio album Better Than Home×Better Than Home10 April 2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Might as Well Smile4:012Tell ’em to Hold On4:243Tell Her You Belong to Me5:564Trouble4:425Better Than Home4:376St. Teresa5:077We’re Still Living in the City4:208The Mood That I’m In3:559Mechanical Heart4:1610As Long as I Have a Song3:25, was released on April 13, 2015, in Europe and on the following day in the US. The recording process was "painful" for Hart: the album was produced by Michael Stevens, whose cancer diagnosis pressured Hart into completing the recording of the album in just five days. In addition to this, she entered a psych ward twice while making the album. Nevertheless, the lead single "Mechanical Heart×Mechanical Heart2015 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Mechanical Heart (radio edit)3:33" charted at number one in the "iTunes Blues" song list, and the album entered the albums chart in the Netherlands at number one. In the US the album entered both the Billboard Blues Chart and iTunes Blues Chart at number one. The album also charted in other countries: number 11 in Germany and 33 in the UK. On January 29, 2016, Hart and Jeff Beck released the single "Tell Her You Belong To Me×Tell Her You Belong to Me2015 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Tell Her You Belong to Me (radio edit)3:52" worldwide on iTunes, after performing the song live on Jools' Annual Hootenanny in 2015/2016 on BBC Two. They also performed "Nutbush City Limits" on the show. At the end of 2015, Mojo magazine ranked the album as the fourth best blues album of the year, while Hart appeared as one of the narrators for the documentary film Unity.
Hart released her eighth studio album, Fire on the Floor×Fire on the Floor14 October 2016 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Jazz Man3:52A2Love Gangster4:09A3Coca Cola3:38A4Let’s Get Together3:39A5Love Is a Lie3:15A6Fat Man3:51B1Fire on the Floor5:11B2Woman You’ve Been Dreaming Of4:24B3Baby Shot Me Down3:22B4Good Day to Cry4:32B5Picture in a Frame4:39B6No Place Like Home3:53, on October 14, 2016, in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. For the rest of the world it was released on February 3, 2017, to coincide with her tour. Hart wrote all songs herself, except for "Let's Get Together×Let's Get Together2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Let's Get Together3:39" (with Rune Westberg) and "Fat Man" (with Glen Burtnik). The title track was released first followed by "Love Is a Lie×Love Is a Lie28 September 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Love Is a Lie3:15", which is the official first single off the album.
On January 26, 2018, Hart and Bonamassa released Black Coffee, again produced by Kevin Shirley. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Blues Chart, and also in the Dutch album top 100.
On November 30, 2018, Hart released a live concert recording, Live at the Royal Albert Hall, as a video release and a live album on Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group. The recordings were captured in May 2018 when she performed at the Royal Albert Hall.
Hart released her ninth solo studio album, War in My Mind×War in My Mind27 September 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Bad Woman Blues3:362War in My Mind4:223Without Words in the Way4:374Let It Grow4:525Try a Little Harder3:536Sister Dear3:347Spanish Lullabies3:288Rub Me for Luck4:329Sugar Shack3:5910Woman Down5:4811Thankful4:2412I Need a Hero5:02, on September 27, 2019, through Provogue/Mascot Label Group. The album became her highest-charting solo album in a number of European markets, including the UK where it reached the Top 20, as well as Germany, where it hit the Top 10.

A Tribute to Led Zeppelin and recent projects (2020–present)

In 2021, Hart began teasing new music by hiding hints in her Spotify canvas videos. On November 12, she announced her tenth solo studio album, A Tribute to Led Zeppelin×A Tribute to Led Zeppelin25 February 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Whole Lotta Love5:552Kashmir8:153Stairway to Heaven7:544The Crunge3:205Dancing Days / When the Levee Breaks7:176Black Dog4:487No Quarter / Babe I’m Gonna Leave You7:118Good Times Bad Times2:499The Rain Song7:53, alongside the first single, a cover of "Good Times Bad Times." The album was released on February 25, 2022, debuting at number one in the Netherlands and became her highest charting solo album in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Artistry

Hart is known for her "visceral", "gritty", "soaring" and "dynamic" contralto vocals. Hart also plays piano, guitar, cello, bass guitar and percussion.
Describing his collaborator's performance at Blue Balls Festival in Switzerland, Joe Bonamassa told Music Radar: "I was totally knocked out by Beth. Here's this lady who's acting like I'm the cool one, and meanwhile I'm thinking, Man, she's got it all. She's the new Janis Joplin, Tina Turner - the real deal, you know?"
American pop singer Miley Cyrus lists Hart amongst her favorite singers of all time. In 2013, she told Billboard, "she's got one of the best voices, I feel like, of all time."

Personal life

Hart resides in the Silver Lake District of Los Angeles and has been married to her road manager Scott Guetzkow since March 15, 2001. David Wolff had been her manager since 1994. Hart has struggled with drug addiction and bipolar disorder, but has been sober for a number of years, finding religion and practicing transcendental meditation.