Freddie Hart

Freddie Hart (1926-2018) was a country musician and songwriter who wrote and performed popular songs from the 1950s until his death in 2018. Hart became known as a country and gospel singer and he achieved peak fame from the 1950s to the 1980s. He won multiple awards during his career, receiving a Grammy nomination in 1972 for the song “Easy Loving.” One of the more heralded country musicians from Alabama, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

Hart was born Frederick Segrest in Loachapoka, Lee County, on December 21, 1926, to John Henry and Rosie Lee Hart. His family worked as sharecroppers. Hart had 11 siblings, one of whom died as an infant. The Hart family relocated to Phenix City, Russell/Lee County, near the Chattahoochee River. At an early age, he learned to play the guitar. He left school when he was 12 years old; some sources say his parents sent him to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps. A year after the United States entered World War II, Hart lied about his age to join the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 15. He saw combat in the Pacific theater and fought on the islands of Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa when he was 18 years old.

After the war, Hart relocated to California, where he taught self-defense classes with the Los Angeles Police Academy. Martial arts would be a lifelong interest for him, and in later years he would own his own martial arts studio. He held a variety of odd jobs during this period as well. His interest in music and songwriting increased after working with Alabama-native Hank Williams to write songs in Nashville, Tennessee. Hart found his first break in the music industry when he joined William Orville “Lefty” Frizzell’s country western band in 1951. A leading figure in the country music genre at the time, Frizzell influenced renowned artists such as Roy Orbison and Merle Haggard. Frizzell became a close friend of Hart’s and was the best man at his wedding. With Frizzell’s help, Hart received his first recording contract with Capitol Records in 1953.

In 1954, Hart wrote the song “Loose Talk” with fellow Marine Hardy Turner. The song was covered by country singer Carl Smith, and the track would hold the number one spot on the Billboard country and western charts for seven weeks that same year. Smith was the first of many influential country singers who would cover the song, including Patsy Cline, John Prine, Loretta Lynn, and Buck Owens. Hart performed “Loose Talk,” but it never achieved as much recognition as other renditions.

As his fame grew, Hart signed a contract with Columbia Records in 1958. He then recorded “The Wall,” his first major commercial hit, a song about a man who spent his days staring at an exterior wall at a prison and contemplating his bad decisions. “The Wall” was later covered by country artist Johnny Cash and folk singer Jim Croce. Hart’s most successful song with Columbia was “The Key’s in The Mailbox,” released in 1960; it reached number 20 on the Billboard Top 100.

After seven years with Columbia Records, Hart signed with the independent label Kapp Records. He released multiple Top 40 hits during this time, including one of his most popular songs, “Hank Williams’ Guitar,” in honor of his friend. Beginning in 1967, Hart recorded songs under the title “Freddie Hart and the Heartbeats.” He would release ten studio albums under that name. In 1969, Hart transitioned back to Capitol Records.

During his second stint with Capitol, Hart had two of his songs make the Top 30 list in country music between 1969 and 1970. One was 1970’s “The Whole World’s Holding Hands.” The other was a cover of his 1968 song “Togetherness” which was covered by Buck Owens. Hart’s prominence in the music industry grew with the now-classic love ballad “Easy Loving.” It was released in 1971, and by that fall, it was number one on the country music charts and reached number 17 on the pop music charts. This song won Hart an American Country Music (ACM) Award, a Country Music Association (CMA) Award, and a Grammy nomination. The album, California Grapevine, became a gold record with one million sold. By the mid-1970s, Hart’s popularity increased even further. He had 12 top five hits, including five other songs that reached number one.

During the late 1970s, Hart continued to produce songs that landed on the music charts. Although he did not release any more top ten songs, he had modest commercial success with albums such as The Pleasure’s Been Mine. By 1980, Hart switched from Capitol to Sunbird Records, a smaller, independent label. He recorded one album, A Sure Thing, which also featured a top 20 hit single by the same name.

Hart also toured throughout the United States and abroad and was a headliner at many shows, sharing top billing with other country stars. During Hart’s later years, he continued songwriting and recording, largely in the gospel genre. Hart’s popularity in the gospel world increased through the years, and he gained a large following in both North America and Europe. His final gospel album, entitled God Bless You, was released in 2018.

Hart died from complications of pneumonia on October 27, 2018, at the age of 91. He was survived by his wife of 61 years, Virginia Lee (Ginger) Trendall, with whom he had four sons. He was buried in Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, California. Hart had become rather wealthy by the mid-1970s, founding Hartline Trucking Co. and other business ventures that included raising cattle and owning orchards in several western states. In 2001, Hart was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, along with Hugh Martin, Jim Nabors, and J. R. “Pap” Baxter. Phenix City honored Hart by naming a prominent city street Freddie Hart Parkway. In 2004, Hart was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2017, he inducted into the North American Country Music Association International’s Hall of Fame.