I knew his music much earlier than I knew him as a person. When I was still in school, I liked to listen to a radio program hosted by Fang Zhou and A Yan. I heard a musical piece called "Going Home" many times. The fresh and beautiful melody seemed to put you on a country road full of birdsong and flowers, with bright sunshine and gentle breeze, full of pastoral scenery and poetic feelings. Walking on such a road, the mood of going home must be relaxed, happy and comfortable.
After leaving my hometown for many years, this piece of music slowly faded from my mind, until one day, I saw it again in a video of Music Without Borders. It's been a long time since I last saw this familiar melody. It was also at that time that I first met you, the author of "The Homecoming", Hagood Hardy.
Born in Indiana, Canada, Hagood Hardy is a world-renowned producer, composer and pianist. The most distinctive feature of his music style is its throbbing purity, lyrical tenderness, freshness and pleasantness. Hagood Hardy's music career began in the 1950s when he was a student majoring in political science and economics at the University of Toronto. Originally, Hardy played a percussion instrument called Vibraphone, but later he specialized in piano performances. After that, he went to New York and joined well-known bands such as Gigi Gryce , Herbie Mann, Martin Denny and Gerorge Shearing, and was widely loved by American jazz fans. In 1972, he composed an advertising soundtrack for a Canadian tea merchant, The Homecoming, which became very popular and swept the world, becoming the focus of international music.
Hardy's self-titled debut album, released in 1975, sold millions of copies, topping the US Billboard magazine charts, and won the "Canadian Music Award" and several gold, platinum and double platinum records. At the same time, Haygood Hardy was selected as Billboard magazine's Artist of the Year in 1976 .
Haygood Hardy's musical achievements are not limited to this. He then devoted himself to touring, production, creation and soundtrack work for movies, TV films and commercials. So far, he has produced 24 albums and has soundtracked more than 60 films for many well- known TV networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC, PBC, CBC, etc. In addition to winning three "Juno Awards", the most popular one is the soundtrack of the TV series "Anne Of Green Gables" which won the "Emmy Award " in 1986, and won the "Gemini Award" awarded by the Canadian Academy of Film and Television. The launch of this series has been madly loved by the world. Every once in a while, there are audiences who ask for replays, which shows how popular it is. The music in the film is matched with the warm and touching plot, which complements each other, showing a poetic and picturesque tranquil and natural style, which has attracted the love of countless music fans and is eager to collect it.
Among his musical works, I like "Anne's Theme" very much. If you have seen "Anne of Green Gables", then this music from the drama "The Beauty" adapted from the novel will definitely attract you deeply, it is so affectionate, beautiful, elegant and moving.
In his 20-30 years of music career, Hardy created many great works, and was awarded the Order of Canada in 1992. In 1996, he received the highest honor from the Toronto Arts Foundation - the Lifetime Achievement Award. This great and gentle composer and music gentleman passed away on January 1, 1997 due to cancer at the age of 59. Although he has left the music stage, the countless wonderful music he left to the world during his lifetime will be immortal and will always be the best masterpieces in the hearts of music fans!
(The above biography of Hagood Hardy comes from the Internet)