Hardy Hopes: Arroyo Grande man drops first CD

J.D. Hardy grew up on the “Bakersfield sound,” and he’s bringing it to Santa Maria.

The country musician has released his first, self-titled CD, and has been performing at gigs in Santa Maria and Santa Ynez.

He wrote the melodies and lyrics for every song, he said in a recent interview with the Santa Maria Times.

He grew up influenced by Bakersfield natives Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, who were instrumental in the “Bakersfield Sound” country music style.

“When I was growing up, it wasn’t too far from when this sound was being created,” said Hardy.

He said Owens was influential in his area; and in fact, Hardy played guitar and sang in Owen’s studio for a gospel radio show when he was 11 or 12.

“There was always this kind of umbrella he had over the musicians there,” said Hardy. “He was a living legend in front of us. And he was one of us.”

His father, Jack, grew up in Los Angeles but relocated to Bakersfield. Farther back, their family hailed from Oklahoma and Arkansas.

His parents and grandparents were also involved in music. His mother was a singer and songwriter, and his father was a guitarist for the Oak Ridge Boys in the 1960s and played in studios for gospel music groups.

“I grew up on those roots,” said Hardy.

Hardy has been playing the guitar since he was about 8 years old, and learned to play the drums at 12.

His father, Jack Hardy, said J.D. has always been interested in writing.

“As a little boy, he’d write poems and short stories,” said Jack.

J.D. said he started taking his writing more seriously when he was praised for his songs by his friend Rick Russell, who would later become the lead singer for the Bakersfield-based country band The Smokin’ Armadillos.

That’s when he was discovered by Oak Records producer Ray Ruff.

Hardy, while working as a loan broker for Country Wide Home Loans in Santa Maria, met a talent scout, Jill Gordon, who was getting a home loan there. He convinced her to listen to him play, and she took him down to Hollywood.

“I thought I was going to go down there to sell my songs,” said Hardy. “But they ended up signing me to a record deal.”

Although Ruff passed away two months into his project, Hardy was able to use the connections he had made in Hollywood to make his first CD with Castle Records of Nashville. Hardy said the CD has since been distributed to 2,800 country music radio stations around the world.

Hardy graduated from North High School in Bakersfield in 1991. He worked right out of high school in construction in Visalia, Calif., then as a car salesman in Bakersfield. He moved to Arroyo Grande, with his parents in 1997 when his father, who was a district sales manager for a gas and welding supply company, was transferred to Santa Maria.

Hardy said one of the most rewarding parts of making his CD was working with the studio musicians, who have worked with country music star Tim McGraw.

He lives with his wife, Jacque, and three children, ages 15, 11 and 7. His sister and her family live in Arroyo Grande, and the rest of his family besides his parents live in Bakersfield.

In his spare time, Hardy likes to work on his music, hunt and fish.

He doesn’t always like to listen to his own music.

“I hear when I could’ve it better,” he said. “It was good, but now I know where I could’ve done great.”

He said his songs were inspired by his own life. “They’re all real things and have something to do with me personally,” said Hardy.

He wants to release more CDs, but he first wants to see how well this one sells. If it does well, he will try to tour as an opening act for an established country musician.

And if it doesn’t sell well?

“I’ll probably just cross that bridge when I get to it,” said Hardy. “I’ve got other options.”

Bettina Adragna can be reached by phone at 739-2220, or by e-mail at badragna@santamariatimes.com.