Kevin Hearn - Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile

Biography

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Kevin Neil Hearn (b. July 3, 1969, in Grimsby, Ontario) plays keyboards and other instruments for Barenaked Ladies (BNL) and also has his own band, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He joined BNL in 1995 to replace departed keyboardist Andy Creeggan, who decided to leave the band to further study music. He did not own any of the band's albums and had to learn all of the band's songs in a matter of weeks.

His early contribution to the band can be heard on the live release Rock Spectacle, which was recorded on his first tour with the group. He played mostly keyboards on the album, and some accordion. His first BNL music video was the video for "Shoe Box", followed by the video for "The Old Apartment" (neither of which was for a recording he actually played on). Also, thanks to the opportunities afforded him by the job, Kevin released an album called Mothball Mint of his solo material.

After extensive touring in the United States, building upon increasing success of Rock Spectacle, the band recorded their fourth studio album, Stunt. This was Kevin's first album with the band. While Andy was mostly focused on acoustic keyboards (mainly piano), Kevin was experienced with electronic keyboards, synthesizers and samplers. This contribution to the band's sound is evident on Stunt. Kevin also contributed song lead electric guitar to the album, having a noticeably different style than Ed or Steve.

Shortly after the recording of the album, Kevin was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous leukemia. He began treatment at the same time the band was shooting the video for "One Week", and as such, does not appear in many of the shots. He was hospitalized in Toronto while the band continued to tour in support of the new album (which had become a smash hit). Several of the band's friends filled in at different points (including Chris Brown, and Greg Kurstin). Kevin ultimately required Bone Marrow transplants from his brother Sean Hearn, and eventually his cancer went into remission. He rejoined the band in 1999, though still dealing with the effects of the disease. He also released another solo album, called H-Wing (named for the hospital wing he was in when he wrote most of the songs) which centered around his illness. This time his album was performed with a band, Thin Buckle (all the members of whom performed in some level or another on his first album).

BNL's next album, Maroon, featured one of Hearn's songs, "Hidden Sun" as a hidden track at the end of the disc; his song "Born Human", later re-recorded for Thin Buckle, was recorded and left off the album. Starting with the release of the band's sixth studio album, Everything to Everyone, the band entered into a new writing process in which Kevin and Jim Creeggan brought not only songs, but also song ideas that the band would complete together. Everything to Everyone saw Hearn's first writing credits on the regular body of a BNL album. Kevin learned to play the mandolin for the album and it has become a common instrument for him on tour. Kevin also released a third solo album, Night Light in 2003 with Thin Buckle.

A fourth album, The Miracle Mile, was released on July 11, 2006 in Canada and online. The BNL writing process from the previous album continued for their seventh studio album, Barenaked Ladies Are Me, released in September 2006.

Also of note is Kevin Hearn's collaborations with the Rheostatics. For their tribute album to the art of the Group of Seven, Kevin contributed keyboards throughout the album, and sings the song "Yellow Days Under A Lemon Sun," (which bookends the CD with 2 different versions. For the album The Story of Harmelodia, a thematical, brilliant, and somewhat psychadelic children's album, Kevin contributed the songs "Wingophone" and "Monkey Bird." He also contributed very much to the overall sound of the disc, and has performed live with the Rheostatics throughout the years.

Hearn currently lives in downtown Toronto. His cousin is actor and comedian Harland Williams.

Solo discography

Mothball Mint (1997)

With Thin Buckle:

H-Wing (1998) - Songs written while Kevin was in Hospital.
Night Light (2002) - Album art designed by Kevin Himself.
The Miracle Mile (2006)

with the Rheostatics:

Songs Inspired by the Group of 7
The Story of Harmelodia

Official website [1] Myspace page [2]

RottenTomatoes.com

Biography

Solo discography

With Thin Buckle:

with the Rheostatics:

See also