Corey Hart

Early life and career beginnings

Corey Mitchell Hart was born on May 31, 1962, in Montreal, Quebec, the youngest of five children. His father, Robert Hart, was of Ukrainian Jewish descent, while his mother, Mina, came from a Romanian Jewish family. Hart's parents separated when he was 10 years old, after which he lived with his mother and older brother in Montreal. He had a particularly close relationship with his mother, to whom he later dedicated his debut album. His first experience as a performer came at age 11 when he sang for Tom Jones in Miami, and he later recorded songs with Paul Anka in Las Vegas. In 1980, Hart represented Canada at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, performing original material alongside singer Dan Hill. Upon returning to Canada, he connected with Billy Joel's touring band, which led to recording demo tapes in Long Island, New York. After working with various Canadian studio musicians, Hart signed with Aquarius Records in 1982 at the age of 20, overcoming numerous rejections that would later be reflected in songs on his first album.

Breakthrough with First Offense

Hart's debut album, First Offense, was recorded in Manchester, England, in the spring of 1982 and produced by Jon Astley and Phil Chapman. Released in 1983, the album initially received a modest response in Canada but gained massive traction following US success in the summer of 1984. It was propelled by the single "Sunglasses at Night," which peaked at No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was accompanied by a Juno Award-winning music video directed by Rob Quartly. The follow-up single, "It Ain't Enough," reached No. 17 in the US. First Offense went gold in the United States and achieved quadruple platinum status in Canada. A notable feature of the album was the closing track "Jenny Fey," which included a guitar performance by Eric Clapton, who contacted Hart after hearing the demo. In 1984 and early 1985, Hart toured extensively across North America, first as a supporting act for major artists like Culture Club and Rick Springfield, and later as a headline performer. The album earned him a Félix Award at the ADISQ Awards in Quebec for Best Album of the Year.

Commercial peak in the mid-1980s

Hart's second album, Boy in the Box, was released in June 1985 and became a monumental commercial success. It achieved Diamond status in Canada by February 1986, representing sales of one million copies, making it only the second album by a Canadian artist to do so at the time. The album's lead single, "Never Surrender," spent nine consecutive weeks at No. 1 in Canada and peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100, earning Hart an ASCAP Award as one of the most played songs of 1985. Other successful singles from the album included "Boy in the Box," "Everything in My Heart," and "Eurasian Eyes," all charting in the Canadian and US Top 40. Boy in the Box peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and went platinum in the United States. The album and its singles garnered numerous award nominations, with "Never Surrender" winning the Juno Award for Best Selling Single of 1985. Hart also won Félix Awards for Best Album and Composer of the Year at the ADISQ Awards. His subsequent album, Fields of Fire, released in fall 1986, went double platinum in Canada and gold in the US. It featured the US Top 20 hit "I Am By Your Side" and a cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love," which became a No. 1 single in Canada. Hart launched a world tour in support of the record but was forced to halt it in July 1987 after collapsing from exhaustion backstage following a concert in Canada.

During his peak years, Hart performed in major venues across the globe. He toured extensively in North America and Japan in support of Boy in the Box, including performances at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, the Budokan in Tokyo, the Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome, and the Forum in Montreal. For his Fields of Fire album, he again launched a world tour with sold-out concerts in Japan. He also performed promotional appearances in Europe from fall 1986 through mid-1987. These tours were part of nearly four years of constant touring and recording that ended when Hart collapsed from exhaustion in July 1987.

• Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Canada.
• The Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.
• The Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome in Alberta, Canada.
• The Forum in Montreal, Quebec.
• The Ultra, a 13,000-seat venue outside Manila, Philippines.

These performances were complemented by frequent television appearances which helped maintain his high profile internationally. He appeared often on Good Rockin' Tonite in Canada. In the United States, he was featured on Friday Night Videos and MTV. He also made appearances on Music Life in Japan. These media engagements occurred during his tours in support of albums like Boy in the Box and Fields of Fire.

Later albums and career transition

Following his recuperation, Hart returned with his fourth album, Young Man Running, in 1988. The album was largely self-produced and featured the hit single "In Your Soul," which reached No. 2 in Canada and entered the US Top 40. The album cover and promotional photography were shot by photographer Herb Ritts, and the video for "In Your Soul" featured location footage in New Mexico and Moab, Utah directed by Meiert Avis. Hart toured extensively in Japan and the Philippines in 1988, as well as in Canada's East Coast and Quebec where he often spoke in French. His fifth album, Bang!, debuted in early 1990 and shipped platinum in Canada, with the lead single "A Little Love" reaching the US Top 40 and featuring another video by Meiert Avis. Despite this, the album was less successful in the United States than his previous work, and Hart was released from his contract with EMI America in August 1990. He then signed with Sire Records and released Attitude & Virtue in 1992, which charted in the Canadian Top 40. The album featured collaborations with artists like Jane Siberry, Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses, and Terence Trent D'Arby, and three singles from it charted in the Canadian Top 40. Hart received a Juno nomination for Best Male Vocalist of the Year in 1992 for this work before taking a significant break from writing and touring.

Career rebirth in the 1990s

Hart's career experienced a significant revival in the mid-1990s, beginning with his collaboration with Quebec singer Julie Masse. After presenting an award together at the 1993 Juno Awards, Hart co-produced and wrote five songs for Masse's 1994 gold-selling album Circle of One, marking the first time he had written and produced for another artist. This professional partnership blossomed into a personal relationship, and the couple later married and had four children. In 1996, Hart signed with Sony Music Canada and released a self-titled album, Corey Hart, which was co-produced by Humberto Gatica and contained some of his most introspective work. The album was sparked by the success of the single "Black Cloud Rain," which reached No. 2 on the Canadian charts and whose video was directed by Mexican filmmaker Javier Aguilera. The album went platinum in Canada, and subsequent singles "Tell Me," "Third of June," and "Someone" all reached the Top 40. Hart toured across the country for the first time since 1987 in support of the release. His songwriting prowess led to a high-profile collaboration with Celine Dion in 1997, for whom he wrote and co-produced the tracks "Miles to Go (Before I Sleep)" and "Where Is the Love" on her blockbuster album Let's Talk About Love. Hart performed as Dion's guest in US concerts in 1999 and collaborated with her again on the song "Prayer" in 2002. In 1998, Hart released the album Jade on Sony, which featured a duet with Masse on a Jean-Jacques Goldman song and produced the Top 40 singles "So Visible (Easy to Miss)" and "Break the Chain." At the end of the decade, Hart chose to step back from his music career to focus on raising his young family with Masse in the Bahamas. The late 1990s saw Hart receive several award nominations for his comeback work. These recognitions included:

• A Juno nomination for Best Male Vocalist of the Year in 1998 for the album Jade.
• Juno nominations in 1997 for Best Male Vocalist of the Year and Best Producer for "Black Cloud Rain" and "Simplicity."
• A Juno nomination in 1997 for Best Producer for his work on Celine Dion's tracks.
• An ADISQ nomination for Best Anglophone Quebec Artist in 1997.
• An ADISQ nomination for Best Male Artist in 1990 for the album Bang!.

These nominations highlighted his continued relevance in the Canadian music industry during this period of renewed activity. His self-titled 1996 album went platinum in Canada, sparked by the success of the single "Black Cloud Rain". He toured across Canada for the first time since 1987 in support of this album. Subsequent singles from Corey Hart and from his 1998 album Jade all reached the Canadian Top 40, demonstrating his sustained popularity.

Entrepreneurship and Siena Records

In the 2000s, Hart shifted his focus towards music entrepreneurship and artist development. In 2003, with the support of Sire Records co-founder Seymour Stein, he founded the boutique label Siena Records under the Warner Music Canada umbrella. The label spent several years in development as Hart sought a suitable debut artist, during which time he collaborated on songs with French-Canadian artists Garou and Wilfred Le Bouthillier. He eventually discovered Montreal-born singer Marie-Christine Depestre after receiving a demo MP3 and signed her as Siena's first official artist. Hart executive produced and wrote the bulk of her debut album, Walk in Beauty, released in May 2011. The album featured a cameo performance by Stevie Wonder on the cover track "Keep on Runnin'" and a modern reworking of Hart's "Sunglasses at Night" titled "Girl in Shades," marking the first time he had granted interpolation rights for the song in over 25 years. The debut single "Totally Random" became a hit in Quebec during the summer of 2011. Hart and Depestre conducted a short promotional tour of major Canadian markets in May 2011 to launch the album, with subsequent singles "Silence" and "Port Au Prince" released in early 2012.

Recent activities and legacy

Starting in 2011, Hart increased his public engagement through social media, charity events, and an online store offering previously unreleased recordings. In 2012, marking his 30th year in the music industry, he collaborated with Canadian DJ 1Love on a remix of his song "Truth Will Set You Free," releasing it globally as "Truth Will Set U Free. This marked his first US single in 20 years, and he reunited with director Meiert Avis for the video, which was originally penned for friends in the music business who were born gay. He also co-wrote and performed on the track "Like a Comet (We Rollin')" with Canadian artist K-OS, marking his first work in the hip hop genre, and reworked "Sunglasses at Night" into a new interpretation called "Night Visions" with the DJ team Papercha$er. Throughout his career, Hart's commercial achievements have been substantial, with key album certifications illustrating his impact.

Hart's contributions to music have been recognized with some of Canada's highest honours. He is an inductee of both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Canada's Walk of Fame. He is a multiple Juno award nominee and winner, including the Diamond Award for his best-selling album Boy in the Box. He was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1984. He has also been honoured by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).

• Induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
• Receiving a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
• Winning the Juno Award for Best Selling Single in 1985 for "Never Surrender."
• Receiving the Juno Diamond Award for Boy in the Box selling over one million copies in Canada.
• Winning multiple Félix Awards from ADISQ, including for Best Album and Composer of the Year.
• Receiving an ASCAP Award in 1985 for "Never Surrender" as one of the most played songs of the year.
• Earning a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist in 1984.

These honours reflect his lasting influence and success across several decades in the music business. He has sold over 16 million records worldwide and recorded nine US Billboard Top 40 hits. In Canada, 30 of his recordings have been Top 40 hits over more than 35 years. His later work included producing and writing songs for other artists like Julie Masse and Celine Dion. He also formed his own boutique label, Siena Records, in 2003, where he executive produced Marie-Christine Depestre's debut album Walk in Beauty.

Questions about Corey Hart

What are Corey Hart's most famous songs?

Corey Hart's most famous songs are "Sunglasses at Night," "Never Surrender," and "It Ain't Enough. "Sunglasses at Night" was his breakthrough US Top 10 hit in 1984. "Never Surrender" spent nine weeks at No. 1 in Canada in 1985 and reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Other significant hits include "I Am By Your Side," "Can't Help Falling in Love," "In Your Soul," and "Black Cloud Rain," with the latter helping to revive his career in the mid-1990s.

Is Corey Hart in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame?

Yes, Corey Hart is an inductee of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. This honour recognizes his significant contributions to the Canadian music industry over a career spanning more than 35 years. He is also an inductee of Canada's Walk of Fame, which further cements his legacy as a prominent Canadian cultural figure. These inductions sit alongside his multiple Juno Award wins and nominations.

Did Corey Hart write songs for Celine Dion?

Yes, Corey Hart wrote and co-produced songs for Celine Dion. In 1997, he contributed two tracks to her massively successful album Let's Talk About Love: "Miles to Go (Before I Sleep)" and "Where Is the Love. "Miles to Go (Before I Sleep)" became a Canadian Top 40 hit. Hart later collaborated with Dion again on the song "Prayer" for her 2002 album A New Day Has Come and performed as her guest on stage in the United States in 1999.

Who is Corey Hart married to?

Corey Hart is married to fellow Canadian singer Julie Masse. The couple met professionally when Hart co-produced and wrote songs for her 1994 album Circle of One. They married in 2000 and have four children together. Prior to his marriage to Masse, Hart was married to photographer and graphic designer Erika Gagnon from 1990 to 1994. Hart and Masse relocated to Nassau, Bahamas, to focus on raising their family.

What label did Corey Hart found?

Corey Hart founded the boutique record label Siena Records in 2003. The label was formed in partnership with Seymour Stein of Sire Records and operated under the Warner Music Canada umbrella. Siena Records' first official signing was Montreal singer Marie-Christine Depestre, whose debut album Walk in Beauty was released in 2011. Hart served as the executive producer and primary songwriter for the album, which featured a cameo by Stevie Wonder.

How many records has Corey Hart sold?

Corey Hart has sold over 16 million records worldwide. This significant commercial achievement is highlighted by the Diamond status of his second album, Boy in the Box, which sold one million copies in Canada. His debut album, First Offense, achieved quadruple platinum certification in Canada, and his third album, Fields of Fire, went double platinum there. These sales figures are part of a career spanning over 35 years, during which he recorded nine US Billboard Top 40 hits and 30 Canadian Top 40 hits.

Sources and further reading

• Corey Hart (Wikipedia)
• Corey Hart (canadianmusichalloffame.ca)
• Corey Hart | Biography (coreyhart.com)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-11-07.