Tim Hardin
December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980
Tim Hardin was an American folk singer and songwriter who is best remembered for his “If I Were a Carpenter” and “Reason to Believe.” After serving a tour of duty as a marine in Vietnam, Hardin moved to New York City where he became immersed in the local folk scene. In 1963, he moved to Boston where he was signed to a recording contract with Columbia Records. Unfortunately, Columbia didn’t quite understand what they had in Hardin, so he was dropped from the label before any records were released. He was soon snapped up by Verve who began releasing a series of albums that are considered milestones of the folk movement. His songs have been made into hits by the likes of Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Bobby Darin and Robert Plant. Hardin had been struggling with both stage fright and heroin (which he had been introduced to in Vietnam), so he never was able to fully capitalize on the popularity of his songs due to his lack of consistent touring. For financial reasons, he had to sell off his songwriting rights during the late ’70s. On December 29, 1980, Tim Hardin, age 39, died of a heroin and morphine overdose.
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