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Randy VanWarmer

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Randy VanWarmer
Birth nameRandall Edwin Van Warmer
Born(1955-03-30)March 30, 1955
Indian Hills, Colorado, U.S.
OriginWoodstock, New York, U.S.[1]
DiedJanuary 12, 2004(2004-01-12) (aged 48)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
GenresSoft rock[2]
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter
Instrumentguitar
Years active1978–2004
LabelsBearsville Records

Randy VanWarmer (also spelled Vanwarmer, Van Warmer; March 30, 1955 – January 12, 2004) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His biggest hit song was "Just When I Needed You Most". It reached No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1979[3] after peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100[4] and No. 1 on Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[5] earlier that year.

He wrote several songs for The Oak Ridge Boys, including "I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes," which reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. The song appeared on his 1981 album Beat of Love, which also included the "Suzi Found a Weapon", which hit No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Career

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Randall VanWarmer was born in Indian Hills, Colorado, the son of Roger VanWarmer (1919–1967)[6][7] and Betsy (née Harry; 1919–2006).[8] At 15, three years after the death of his father in an automobile accident, he moved with his mother to Cornwall, England.

In a 1989 interview with Release,[9] a now-defunct independent paper from Stanford, California, Van Warmer said that Albert Grossman, the head of Bearsville Records, would not let him do television or tour the United States, a strategy that did not prove successful.

His second album, Terraform, was dark and more alternative than his previous work. According to Release,[9] Terraform sold moderately in Japan and Australia. VanWarmer would later publicly rue his decision to turn away from ballads. He made two more records at Bearsville: Beat of Love and The Things That You Dream. Beat of Love included the single "Suzi Found a Weapon", a tribute to a Bearsville public relations rep whom VanWarmer would later marry, and which went to No. 1 in Alaska and gained a certain amount of posthumous acclaim (for example, a review by James A. Gardner in AllMusic).[10] Grossman died soon after this.

According to Release,[9] in the mid-1980s, Suzi VanWarmer mailed a song called "I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes" from Beat of Love to a friend at MCA Inc., who sent it to Ron Chancey, producer for the Oak Ridge Boys who put it on their next album. Charley Pride recorded a song of VanWarmer's, as did Michael Johnson. VanWarmer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and the recording of his song, "I'm in a Hurry (And Don't Know Why)" by the band Alabama hit No. 1 on the country chart.

His final album was a tribute to Stephen Foster, released posthumously only in Japan. According to the CD's liner notes, VanWarmer played all the instruments on the album. The notes also indicate that he completed work on the record a few days after learning he had leukemia; he died at 48, one day before the anniversary of Foster's death.

Some of his cremated remains were sent into space in 2007 and then again in 2012 aboard the first successful private space flight to the International Space Station.[11]

Death

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VanWarmer died on January 12, 2004, at the age of 48 in Seattle. He had been suffering from leukemia for the previous year.[12] He is survived by his widow Suzi and his brothers Dave, Mark, and Ron.[13]

Discography

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Albums

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  • Warmer – 1979
  • Terraform – 1980
  • Beat of Love – 1981
  • The Things That You Dream – 1983
  • I Am – 1988
  • Every Now and Then – 1990
  • The Third Child – 1994
  • The Vital Spark – 1994 (Alternate title: I Will Whisper Your Name)
  • Sun, Moon and Stars – 1996
  • Sings Stephen Foster – 2005
  • Songwriter – 2006

Singles

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Year Single Chart positions Certifications
US
[14] 		US Country
[14] 		US AC
[14] 		CAN
 CAN AC
 UK
[3] 		AUS
[15]
1979 "Gotta Get Out of Here" — — — — — — —
"Just When I Needed You Most" 4 71 1 32 5 8 17
1980 "Call Me" — — — — — — —
"Whatever You Decide" 77 — — — — — —
"Hanging on to Heaven" — — — — — — —
1981 "Doesn't Matter Anymore" — — — — — — —
"All We Have Is Tonight" — — — — — — 92
"Suzi Found a Weapon" 55 — — — — — 88
1988 "I Will Hold You" — 53 — — — — —
"Where the Rocky Mountains Touch the Morning Sun" — 72 — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

References

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  1. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Biography". Billboard. Rovi Corp. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  2. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (2000). "The Linen · Soft Rock". Night Moves: Pop Music in the Late '70s. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
  3. ^ a b "RANDY VANWARMER - full Official Chart History". Official Charts.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Billboard Publications. p. 657.
  5. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits. Billboard Publications. pp. 228–9.
  6. ^ "Roger Van Wormer in household of Frank Van Wormer, "United States Census, 1930". FamilySearch.
  7. ^ "Roger VanWarmer". Geni.com. January 14, 1919.
  8. ^ "Elizabeth (Betsy) Haynie VanWarmer". Geni.com. January 30, 1919.
  9. ^ a b c Drachman, Steven. "Randy VanWarmer's Life After the Song". Release. Retrieved February 5, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ Gardner, James A. "Randy VanWarmer - Beat of Love Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  11. ^ Zarella, John; Cohen, Tom (May 24, 2012). "Ashes of 'Star Trek' actor on private rocket". CNN.
  12. ^ "Randy VanWarmer, 48; Singer, Country Songwriter". Los Angeles Times. January 15, 2004. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  13. ^ "Randy VanWarmer | Memorial Spaceflights". Celestis.
  14. ^ a b c "Randy VanWarmer - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 320. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  16. ^ "Randy Vanwarmer - Just When I Needed You Most". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
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