Blessed with Talent
Hartman Delivers Solid Talent on All Stages
February 2007
Written by Barbara Burns, The Outlook

The very talented Jeff Hartman insists that his musical abilities are gifts that God has blessed him with.

In addition to his musical talents, he has appeared on the stages of area community theatres.

“God, family, friends, and fans – in that order,” Hartman said. “I am a Christian first, then a father of three, a husband, and forever a student and hopefully a teacher.”

The Hickory/Charlotte-based singer/songwriter and performer is a schooled musician and actor, songwriter, and music director. Hartman graduated from ASU with degrees in advertising and theater and has worked and studied piano, the music industry, theory, voice, and performance for almost 20 years.

He was reciting classical compositions at age nine. This was followed by six years of classical training. Hartman was soon collaborating and recording original material at age 14. He added five years of comprehensive music theory.

“My last piano instructor in New Jersey felt like it was up to me to start to learn the regiment of piano – on my own,” Hartman said. “He felt like he brought me to that point, and the rest was up to me.

“So I started the process of making mistakes and falling flat on my face, but the ball was in my court,” he added. “At the age of 14 or 15, I started writing a lot of songs and experimenting with different styles.”

Hartman’s theatrical experiences began when he was 12 years old. It was in his native New Jersey, in a production of the “Wizard of Oz.”

Hartman moved to Caldwell County when he was 15 years old and appeared in several productions on the high school stage.

Hartman was honored by The National Library of Poetry and became a published author in 1992 with a piece of poetry, which was collected and released as “The Sound of Poetry” on audiobook in 1992.

By 1996, Hartman was making a living in music by directing theater productions, and touring the region and recording with a variety of groups. He shared stages with such notables as Molly Hatchet and Georgia Satellites.

In 1998, Hartman made an on-screen appearance as a patient in United Artists’ production of “Carrie II.”

Hartman’s first appearance on the Hickory Community Theatre stage was in the 1997 production, “The Foreigner,” directed by Charles Jeffers.

Although not a musical, the Larry Shue comedy was a learning experience for Hartman.

“I learned a lot about pace,” he said. “Comedy is all about pace and timing.”

After appearing in several productions on the HCT stage, Hartman explains why he keeps returning to HCT.

“I love this theater, the age, the style, the nostalgia,” he said. “This is what theater is supposed to be.”

Hartman met Carol Anne Coble on the stage in the spring of 1996 and soon fell in love during the fall production of “The Fantasticks” at The Green Room Community Theatre in Newton.

Hartman asked for Carol’s hand in marriage with the cloak and dagger help of friends on the second Saturday night, September 1999, and wed one year later on Sept. 9, 2000, on the stage of the Charles E. Jeffers Theatre of Hickory Community Theatre.

“Camping with Tom and Henry” was in production at the time. Set in the outdoors, there was a trickling stream across the front of the stage. Sunrise to sunset was projected on a screen at the back of the stage.

“We had an outdoor wedding on the stage,” Hartman said with a smile.

In 1998, Hartman was honored as the N.C. Theater Conference’s Outstanding Performer for his stage work in “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged], on the HCT stage.

In 2006, he was NCTC’s Best Actor for his stage work in “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” which was performed on the HCT stage, also. The two productions are also Hartman’s favorites.

Hartman is known in the area for his band, “Scott Jeffrey's Band,” which is now just billed as Jeff Hartman and The Other Brothers, or simply, “Jeff Hartman.”

“I’ve been fortunate to perform and record with many notable artists and maintain an active career as a freelance musician in the area since 1989,” he said. “In 2000, I put together a quartet with Carol Anne, Darrin Harwell, and Steve Terry.

The band made its “folk-funk” debut at Drips’ Coffeehouse in Hickory on Dec. 29, 2000.

With no name, friends and family referred to the band as “Jeffrey’s Band.” “The name ‘Scott Jeffrey’s Band’ materialized when nothing else would.

Hartman wanted to be less individualistic, so Carol Anne suggested putting his middle name in front.

The name represented the entire ensemble, but the possessive left in Jeffrey’s served as a reminder that the foundation was his work. However, Hartman realized it also left a sense of anonymity.

“That came back to haunt me,” he said. "The theatre community knew me as 'Jeff.' The music community knew me as 'Scott,'" he laughed. “Now, it’s all ‘Jeff Hartman.’”

Hartman’s most notable appearances include venues with Universal recording artist Natalie, Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, the Allman Bros, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Arrested Development, Jupiter Coyote, Acoustic Syndicate, The Recipe, Wil Seabrook, Will Hoge, and Cowboy Mouth.

For years, his music took him away on tour – up and down the East Coast. Now, he is content, as a family man, to stay closer to home.

“My bands are the results of back-to-basics, Thoreau-style of music and storytelling,” he said. “I would rather call a song a story. Behind every song is a story.”

He performs with "several groups of varying sizes and sounds including, but not limited to jazz, funk, folk, rock, blues and orchestral,” he said.

It’s the best of both worlds for Hartman: community theatre and his band.

“With music, I feel more like a solo artist,” he said. “But a theatrical production feels more like an ensemble.”

As far as his band, his venue of choice for the moment is the Olde HIckory Tap Room in downtown Hickory.

“There are a lot of good musicians and artists in Hickory,” he said. “If there is one thing Hickory can benefit from, it’s consistency. Rick Cline has brought that to us with his Sunday jazz.”

Now that Hartman’s schedule is settling down a bit as his family and children grow older, he has established a teaching base at The Music Center, where he teaches accompaniment on acoustic guitar and piano. He and Carol Anne also do graphic design out of their home.

“I teach the students how to accompany themselves vocally, which is something not a lot of people can do,” he said.

Hartman’s five-year-old, Timmy is singing now, and the two-year-old twins, Coble and Kellen, try to mimic him.

“They all sing,” the proud dad said. “They’re so cute.”

Hartman describes himself as an ongoing student and hopefully a teacher.

As a Christian, father, and husband, he loves his time with his family and sums it up succinctly.

“I’m a family guy,” he said.