A producer
and keyboardist from London, Paul Hardcastle debuted as a solo artist and
achieved some acclaim for his early singles, notably in 1984, the
electro-funk/freestyle/instrumental track, "Rain Forest", which along
with the track, "Sound Chaser" hit number two on the dance chart.
"Rain Forest" also hit number five on the soul chart and number
fifty-seven on the Hot 100. The following year he scored the international
hit "19," an electro-oriented
song about America's involvement in the Vietnam War and the effect it had on
the soldiers who served, using sampled dialogue from an American television
documentary about the post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by veterans. It
became a major hit in his native country; in the U.S., it topped Billboard's club
chart.
Hardcastle
enjoyed several further hits in the UK, including "Don't Waste My
Time" (with vocals by Carol Kenyon) (UK No. 8) and "The Wizard",
a UK No. 15 hit that became the theme tune for BBC Television's music chart
show Top of the Pops from April 1986 until September 1991. He also had a hit
with "Just For Money", which reached No. 19 in the UK and featured
Bob Hoskins and Laurence Olivier. Earlier, he had cut a cover version of
D-Train's most influential hit "You're the One For Me", segued with
his own compositions "Daybreak" and "A.M." Hardcastle also
wrote the theme tune for Saturday Live, a popular entertainment show which ran
from 1985-1987.
He also made
the hit single "The Voyager", which was used for the BBC One
programme Holiday. Paul now acknowledges he was behind the "N-N-Nineteen
Not Out" track with Rory Bremner.
After 1986,
Hardcastle started to specialise in television soundtracks and remixed work,
for artists as such as Five Star, Barry White, Third World, Sinitta, Johnny
Logan, Hiroshima and Ian Dury.
In 1988,
Hardcastle released the concept album, No Winners, which focuses on the
potential negative effects of the Cold War arms race. In 2000, he released
Hardcastle III, which included a remake of "Rainforest" and a hit
single, "Desire."
Later, he
produced and did remixes for artists such as Ian Dury and Phil Lynott. He
continues to sell well in the speciality dance market and occasionally releases
records as part of the duo Kiss the Sky (with Jaki Graham) while also operating
under names like the Def Boys, Beeps International, and Jazzmasters. Working
regularly with vocalists such as Helen Rogers, Becki Biggins, and Margo LeDuc, Hardcastle
has recruited several saxophonists including Gary Barnacle (on the first
album), Snake Davis, Phil Todd, Tony Woods, and Rock Hendricks. All these
albums have been played on smooth jazz radio in the United States, where some
of the most played tracks include "Northern Lights", "Lost in
Space", "Desire", "Shine", and "Serene". He
won the Billboard Smooth Jazz Artist Of The Year award in 2008. Zero One
(1985), Jazzmasters II (1994), and Hardcastle 2 (1996) were among his most
popular releases through the '90s, while the two-disc Cover to Cover (1997)
assembled his greatest hits, along with a bonus record of newly recorded cover
versions.
Hardcastle
kept the Jazzmasters series running through 2010, the year the sixth volume was
issued. The track "Touch and Go", featuring his son Paul Jr. on
saxophone, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Jazz songs chart, becoming his
tenth number one on the Smooth Jazz chart in total. He also continued his
Hardcastle series of smooth jazz-oriented affairs through its own sixth volume,
Hardcastle VI, released in 2011 which features yet another remake of
"Rainforest"—this time mixed with R&B legend Marvin Gaye's
signature song, "What's Going On."
Paul
Hardcastle can be heard regularly right here on Island Radio.
