John Robert Hiatt (20 August 1952 -) was born and raised in Indianapolis, IN. He’s a country singer-songwriter whose style roams from straight-forward country to country blues to country rock. He’s been nominated for several Grammy Awards, and though he’s never won a Grammy, he is respected by other musicians as one of the most influential American songwriters.

Hiatt has released over 20 studio albums, yet remains unknown to most people. His songs have been covered by artists like B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, and many more.

Hiatt’s childhood was painful; his father died and his older brother committed suicide before he finished grade school. After high school, he moved to Nashville where he was hired as a songwriter, and he had some early success with songs for Conway Twitty and Three Dog Night. He eventually got a contract with Epic Records in 1974, and they released his firs two albums. Neither sold well and he was dropped.

Hiatt moved to Los Angeles and played in clubs, opening for folk musicians. He got a contract with MCA and released two more albums, but he still couldn’t generate big volume, so they too dropped him.

In 1986, with the help of Ry Cooder, Hiatt got a contract with A&M Records. Hiatt assembled a band comprised of Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner, and released Bring the Family in the summer of 1987, and it finally won Hiatt both critical acclaim and sales volume. Slow Turning followed in 1988 and secured Hiatt’s position as a voice in music.

Like many music artists, Hiatt has struggled with alcohol and cocaine addiction. He lost a good part of the 1980s, but he eventually got himself clean sober, and he’s stayed that way since the mid 90s,

Hiatt continues to record and tour today, with or without a Grammy.