Dan Hartman
Gifted and versatile songwriter, arranger, producer, engineer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Dan Hartman mastered a wide range of styles, including classic rock (Edgar Winter Group’s “Free Ride,” written and sung by Hartman), groundbreaking dance classics (“Relight My Fire” and “Instant Replay” as a solo artist, Loleatta Holloway’s “Love Sensation” as writer/producer), anthemic ’80s pop (“I Can Dream About You” under his own name; Tina Turner’s “Simply The Best” as producer), funky R&B (James Brown’s comeback hit “Living In America,” produced and co-written by Hartman), commercial jingles, and even ambient new age music (1989’s New Green Clear Blue solo album), to cite just a few highlights from Hartman’s staggering output of more than 250 compositions and appearances on over 100 albums during his tragically short lifetime.
Did you know?
- “Free Ride” was part of Dan Hartman’s 1971 demo tape submitted to Steve Paul at Blue Sky Records. It became a hit for The Edgar Winter Group in a near-identical arrangement
- Hartman co-wrote the 1980 disco song “Love Sensation” recorded by Loleatta Holloway, which has been sampled on many records, including the 1989 Black Box track “Ride on Time” and the 1991 Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch hit “Good Vibrations”
- Neil Sedaka and Dan Hartman were neighbors in Westport, Connecticut and close friends; Hartman engineered several Neil Sedaka albums