From the sunny palm trees in Los Angeles, to life on the road, Beth Hart has fought for survival, song by song, every step of the way.
This 40-something, passionate blues rocker charted in 1999 with her second album’s single, “L.A. Song (Out Of This Town).” It climbed into the top five on the US adult contemporary chart and number seven on the Billboard Adult Top 40. Her career was on an upswing.
Then drugs, alcohol and a (then-) unmedicated bipolar disorder ran her career into the ground. Hart explains what happened next.
“At some point, instead of me dying or living on the street, there was something in me that said you’ve got to fight back, you’ve got to get some help,” she said. “That wouldn’t have happened without my husband [her former road manager, Scott Guetzkow]. But music was over for me. I had no record deal, no touring, no nothing, I couldn’t leave the house, I had agoraphobia. But after a year and a half of therapy… I called my manager and said I really want to start working again. This was in 2001 or so.”
At first she was hesitant to go out on the road and back in the United States. That would put her back near the old drug habits. But that voice inside counseled her to give it a try.
“Could it happen again? Sure, it could happen again. But why would that keep me from at least trying. Why? The next thing I know, I had a record deal for the States, and we’re putting “Bang Bang Boom Boom” out here. If nothing else comes from it, just that story right there has brought me so much joy and healing. I can’t complain about one thing.”
Her sixth solo album, “Bang Bang, Boom Boom,” shot up to number three on the Billboard Blues Album Chart, a feat repeated by her “Don’t Explain” album with Joe Bonamassa.
Beth’s singles have been smashes in Europe and in 2014 she was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Seesaw” and “Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist.”
A versatile vocalist, Hart also plays various instruments: piano, guitar, cello, bass guitar and percussion. She is married to her road manager Scott Guetzkow and currently resides in Los Angeles.
Her new release(2/25/2022) is a tribute to Led Zeppelin, Good Times, Bad Times (2022)
References:
AllMusic Bio
wikipedia/bethhart/
radio.com interview
bethhart.com
Discography:
Beth Hart and the Ocean of Souls (1993)
Immortal (1996)
Screamin’ for My Supper (1999)
Leave the Light On (2003)
37 Days (2007)
My California (2010)
Don’t Explain with Joe Bonamassa (2011)
Bang Bang Boom Boom (2012)
Seesaw with Joe Bonamassa (2013)
Better Than Home (2015)
Fire on the Floor (2016)
Black Coffee with Joe Bonamassa (2018)
War in My Mind (2019)
Good Times, Bad Times: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin (2022)
Sacramento’s K-ZAP 93.3 FM plays Beth Hart . All part of 50 years of Rock, Blues and More, 24-7 on our station’s stream at K-ZAP.ORG/LISTEN/ .Check out Beth Hart :