Restless Heart

Restless Heart built a following in the late 1980s and early 1990s with a country-rock approach that incorporated pop elements and echoed the Eagles. The group first assembled in 1984 when producer and songwriter Tim DuBois recruited musicians to record demonstration versions of songs that blended country and pop. Drummer and vocalist John Dittrich, pianist Dave Innis, bassist and vocalist Paul Gregg, and guitarist Greg Jennings began the sessions alongside singer Verlon Thompson. The results proved strong enough that the musicians chose to remain together and seek a recording contract. They secured a deal with RCA in 1983, replacing Thompson with lead singer Larry Stewart, a fellow Belmont College alumnus from Nashville whom Innis had previously worked with on demos.

Their self-titled debut appeared in 1985 and featured three Top Ten country singles: “I Want Everyone to Cry,” “(Back to The) Heartbreak Kid,” and “Til I Loved You.” The 1986 album Wheels marked their commercial arrival, reaching the top of the country chart and generating four number-one hits: “That Rock Won’t Roll,” the ballad “I’ll Still Be Loving You” (which also reached number three on the adult contemporary chart), “Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right),” and “Wheels.” Big Dreams in a Small Town followed in 1988 and maintained momentum, extending a streak of six straight chart-toppers through the opening singles “A Tender Lie” and “The Bluest Eyes in Texas,” while the title track and “Say What’s in Your Heart” each climbed into the Top Five. The 1989 release Fast Movin’ Train lived up to its name, producing two additional Top Five entries in the title song and “Dancy’s Dream.”

Larry Stewart departed in 1990 to launch a solo career that later included the major hit “Alright Already.” Paul Gregg and John Dittrich then shared lead vocals on the 1992 album Big Iron Horses, which yielded the crossover single “When She Cries,” a Top Ten country track that peaked at number two on the adult contemporary chart and nearly entered the pop Top Ten. Dave Innis exited the same year, after which the remaining trio saw “Tell Me What You Dream” become their first adult contemporary number one in 1993. Following the 1994 album Matters of the Heart, the band chose to disband. Greg Jennings later joined Vince Gill’s touring ensemble, and John Dittrich performed with the Buffalo Club. A 1998 reunion without Innis produced four new recordings for the Greatest Hits collection and led to a tour alongside Gill.