Craig Bickhardt

All Music Guide:

Country singer/songwriter/guitarist Craig Bickhardt was born in Pennsylvania and got his big break when he wrote and sang two songs on the soundtrack to the 1983 film Tender Mercies. That prompted a move to Nashville, where he began playing sessions (starting with background vocals on Reba McEntire's 1984 album My Kind of Country) and pitching his songs. As is usual in Nashville, most of those songs were collaborations with other writers. "That's How You Know When Love's Right," written with Wendy Waldman, was a Top Ten country hit for Nicolette Larson with Steve Wariner in 1986. In 1987, Bickhardt wrote two country Top Fives, "You're the Power" (with F.C. Collins) for Kathy Mattea and the chart-topper "I Know Where I'm Going" (with Brent Maher and Don Schlitz) for the Judds. The same year, he was asked to replace Paul Overstreet in the singer/songwriter trio Schuyler, Knobloch & Overstreet, and the resulting team of Schuyler, Knobloch & Bickhardt released the country chart album No Easy Horses on MTM Records, resulting in four country singles chart entries including the Top 40 "This Old House" (written by Bickhardt and Thom Schuyler) and the Top Ten "Givers and Takers" (written by Bickhardt alone). Also in 1988, Bickhardt gave the Judds another country number one with "Turn It Loose" (written with Brent Maher and Don Schlitz). Bickhardt's country hits of 1989 included the Top 40 "If I Never See Midnight Again" (written with Don Schlitz) for Sweethearts of the Rodeo and "I Can't Turn the Tide" for Baillie and the Boys, a song on which he collaborated with group members Kathy Baillie and Michael Bonagura. Stacy Dean Campbell took Bickhardt's "Rosalee" (written with Brent Maher and Don Schlitz) into the country charts in 1992, and the following year he and Thom Schuyler recorded a Christmas album, Precious Child (Warner Bros.), on which they co-wrote all the songs. In 1995, Martina McBride had a country chart entry with "Where I Used to Have a Heart," which Bickhardt wrote alone, and Pam Tillis took "In Between Days," which he wrote with Barry Alfonso, into the country Top Five. "Dancin' with the Wind" was a country chart entry for Great Plains in 1996; Bickhardt co-wrote the song with Jack Sundrud of the group. The Kinleys reached the country chart with "Dance in the Boat" (which Bickhardt wrote with Tony Haselden) in 1998, and also that year Bickhardt had his third country number one with "It Must Be Love," co-written with Jack Sundrud and recorded by Ty Herndon. Bickhardt's songs have also been recorded by Stephen Ackles, Bridget Ball & Christopher Shaw, Danielle Blanchard, Brush Arbor, Burnin' Daylight, Gary Chapman with Alison Krauss, Ray Charles, Mary Cogan, Andy Cooney, Joan Crowe, Dale Daniel, Helen Darling, Linda Davis, the Diamonds, Lynette Dove, Marshall Dyllon, Jonathan Edwards, the Forester Sisters, Janie Frickie, Art Garfunkel, the Goldens, Grant & Forsyth, Pam Mark Hall, Lisa Harrison, the Highwaymen (the country supergroup consisting of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson), Sylvia Hutton, It's Only Roy, the Jazz Guardians, Gina Jeffreys, Jenai, Michael Johnson, Mady Kaye, B.B. King, Bill LaBounty, Michael Lille, Charlie Louvin, Jack Mack, Jimmy MacCarthy, Meg Mackay, Julie Malone, the Marlane Sisters, Ian Matthews, Ted McNabb, Randy Meisner, Sergio Mendes, Wendy Moten, Anne Murray, Karen O'Shea, Robert Ellis Orrall, Marie Osmond, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Pearl River, Poco, Jaci Rae, the Rescue, Tony Rice, the Rice Brothers, Ruud Hermans with Ilse DeLange, Sarah Jo, Diane Schuur, Nadine Somers, Southern Pacific, Beverley Staunton, Jack Sundrud, Sylvia, Van Zant, Mark Vance, Venice, Veralyn, Jackie Ward, Grover Washington, Jr., Jeffrey Wells, Westwood, Youpi Whaou, David Wilcox, the Wilkinsons, Don Williams, Michelle Wright, the Wright Brothers, and Trisha Yearwood.

On November 30, 2001, Bickhardt released his debut solo album, Easy Fires, on the Stone Barn Records label. He left Nashville in 2006 and returned to eastern Pennsylvania, focusing on his performing career. Stone Barn released a duo album with Jack Sundrud, Idlewheel, in 2006, and Bickhardt's second solo album, No Road Back: Retrospect & Rarities, in 2007. Brother to the Wind followed on May 5, 2009.

Wikipedia:

Craig Bickhardt (born in Pennsylvania) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His musical career includes co-writing credits for The Judds, Steve Wariner, Kathy Mattea and others. He was also a member of S-K-B, formerly S-K-O, after Paul Overstreet exited that band, and he has released three studio albums of his own.

Biography

Craig Bickhardt was born in Pennsylvania. He performed as a local musician during his teenage years, including in a local band called Wire and Wood, which opened for Bruce Springsteen and others. He moved to Los Angeles, California in 1974, where he and Michael Sembello began writing songs, including some which were recorded by Art Garfunkel. A re-established Wire and Wood later recorded for October Records, but never completed an album due to financial problems.

Bickhardt signed to a publishing contract with EMI in 1982. Among his first musical recordings were two songs for the soundtrack to the 1983 film Tender Mercies, one of which ("You Are What Love Means to Me") charted at #86 on the Billboard country singles chart. He also sang background vocals on Reba McEntire's 1984 album My Kind of Country. From there, he found work as a songwriter, with one of his first cuts being "That's How You Know When Love's Right", which became a Top Ten country hit when Nicolette Larson and Steve Wariner recorded it as a duet. He also co-wrote "You're the Power" for Kathy Mattea, as well as The Judds' Number One hit "I Know Where I'm Going", the latter a collaboration with Don Schlitz and Brent Maher. Bickhardt eventually moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

After Paul Overstreet departed the country music trio S-K-O (formerly Schuyler, Knobloch and Overstreet), Bickhardt was recruited to take Overstreet's place in the trio. As a result, the group was renamed S-K-B (Schuyler, Knobloch and Bickhardt). Bickhardt made his debut on the group's second and final album, 1987's No Easy Horses on MTM Records. This album contained several songs that he co-wrote, including two of its singles: "This Old House" and "Givers and Takers". S-K-B split up in 1989 after MTM closed.

Bickhardt continued to write songs for other artists throughout the 1980s, including "Turn It Loose", another Number One for The Judds. Other hits that he wrote in the 1980s included "If I Never See Midnight Again" by Sweethearts of the Rodeo and "I Can't Turn the Tide" by Baillie & the Boys, the latter of which he co-wrote with lead singer Kathie Baillie and her husband Michael Bonagura.

In 1993, Bickhardt and Thom Schuyler (also formerly of S-K-O) recorded the Christmas music album Precious Child. Bickhardt also continued his songwriting, including hits for Stacy Dean Campbell, Martina McBride, Pam Tillis, and The Kinleys. He also co-wrote for Great Plains, a band which included former Poco member Jack Sundrud. Bickhardt and Sundrud co-wrote Ty Herndon's 1998 Number One hit "It Must Be Love" as well.

Bickhardt returned to recording in 2001 with his first solo album, Easy Fires, via Stone Barn Records. By 2006, he returned to his native Pennsylvania but continued to record. A duet album with Sundrud entitled Idlewheel was released that year, followed by Brother to the Wind in 2009. He won First Prize in the prestigious 4th Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) in 2008 with his song "Sugarcane Street" in the Open category. He also hosted a songwriting workshop in association with the Nashville Songwriters Association International. On March 12, 2011, Craig Bickhardt appeared with J.D. Malone, Thom Schuyler, for a performance that included original music from all three artist. This tour was called "On The Road and In The Round."

Bickhardt lives in Franklin, Tennessee. He has a wife, Eileen, and twin children, Aislinn and Jake.