Craig Bickhardt

Born in Pennsylvania, country singer, songwriter, and guitarist Craig Bickhardt secured his initial breakthrough by writing and performing two tracks for the soundtrack of the 1983 film Tender Mercies. This opportunity led him to relocate to Nashville, where he launched into session work—beginning with background vocals on Reba McEntire’s 1984 album My Kind of Country—and began submitting his compositions for consideration. As is common in Nashville, most of these efforts involved co-writers. The 1986 Top Ten country hit “That’s How You Know When Love’s Right,” co-authored with Wendy Waldman, was recorded by Nicolette Larson alongside Steve Wariner. In 1987 Bickhardt supplied two additional country Top Fives: “You’re the Power,” written with F.C. Collins and cut by Kathy Mattea, and the chart-topping “I Know Where I’m Going,” penned with Brent Maher and Don Schlitz and recorded by the Judds. That same year he was invited to take Paul Overstreet’s place in the singer-songwriter trio Schuyler, Knobloch & Overstreet; the reconfigured Schuyler, Knobloch & Bickhardt issued the country-charting album No Easy Horses on MTM Records, which yielded four country singles entries, among them the Top 40 “This Old House” (written by Bickhardt and Thom Schuyler) and the Top Ten “Givers and Takers” (written solely by Bickhardt). Also in 1988 the Judds scored another country number one with Bickhardt’s “Turn It Loose,” again co-written with Brent Maher and Don Schlitz.

His 1989 country successes included the Top 40 “If I Never See Midnight Again,” co-authored with Don Schlitz and recorded by Sweethearts of the Rodeo, and “I Can’t Turn the Tide,” which he wrote with Baillie and the Boys members Kathy Baillie and Michael Bonagura. In 1992 Stacy Dean Campbell charted with “Rosalee,” a collaboration among Bickhardt, Brent Maher, and Don Schlitz, while the following year Bickhardt and Thom Schuyler released the Warner Bros. Christmas album Precious Child, on which they co-wrote every song. Martina McBride reached the country chart in 1995 with Bickhardt’s solo composition “Where I Used to Have a Heart,” and Pam Tillis took the Top Five “In Between Days,” co-written with Barry Alfonso, into the country rankings. Great Plains entered the country chart in 1996 with “Dancin’ with the Wind,” co-authored by Bickhardt and group member Jack Sundrud. The Kinleys charted in 1998 with “Dance in the Boat,” written by Bickhardt and Tony Haselden, and that same year Ty Herndon delivered Bickhardt’s third country number one, “It Must Be Love,” co-written with Jack Sundrud.

Bickhardt’s catalog has 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 issued his debut solo album, Easy Fires, via Stone Barn Records. He departed Nashville in 2006 and returned to eastern Pennsylvania to concentrate on live performance. Stone Barn released the duo album Idlewheel with Jack Sundrud in 2006 and Bickhardt’s second solo album, No Road Back: Retrospect & Rarities, in 2007; Brother to the Wind appeared on May 5, 2009.