John Barlow Jarvis (born January 2, 1954, inPasadena, California)[1] is an American songwriter, composer, session pianist and recording artist. Before moving toLake Tahoe in 2014, he had lived inNashville, Tennessee, since 1982.
As a child, Jarvis was trained in classical music under Evelyn Hood inSan Marino, California, and won both the Southern California Bach Festival and first place in the California Music Teachers Composition Contest. He first began his professional musical career at the age of 14 when he was signed as a staff songwriter for Edwin H. Morris Music. By age 17, he was a staff piano player forMotown Records. He also toured with such 1960s bands as the Grass Roots and Hermans Hermits before landing the job of pianist inRod Stewart's band in 1974.[2] During this period he played on records by artists such asRingo Starr,Harry Nilsson,Delbert McClinton,Air Supply,John Cougar Mellencamp,Leo Sayer,Art Garfunkel,Stephen Bishop and many more.
Jarvis relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville in 1982 and continued with his studio career culminating in several nominations for both CMA and ACM musician of the year. The list of artists Jarvis has recorded with includesGarth Brooks,Tammy Wynette,Shania Twain,Dusty Springfield,Bob Seger,Hank Williams Jr,George Strait,Reba McEntire,Jimmy Buffett,Lionel Richie,Steve Earle,Mary Chapin Carpenter, and more. He also played piano on theElvis Presley Christmas Duets Album and performed withJames Taylor for his Small World Tour. In 2011 Jarvis performed at the White House with James Taylor for the PBS special "In Performance at the White House". Jarvis has also performed on TV withRay Charles andSting.
While continuing his career as a recording pianist Jarvis also composed numerous songs resulting in country hits forConway Twitty,Waylon Jennings,Steve Wariner andKenny Rogers andDolly Parton, culminating in being awarded 2 Grammys for Song of the Year (1991-1992) for co-writingVince Gill's biggest hit "I Still Believe In You" andThe Judds' #1 hit "Love Can Build A Bridge".[2] His songwriting success has continued beyond country music with songs recorded byStevie Nicks,Taj Mahal,Bad Company,Cher,Westlife and many more. In 1996 his song "The Flame" was the closing song at theAtlanta Olympics. Jarvis was also nominated for an Emmy for his score in the TV show "Expedition Earth". In 2015 Jarvis wrote music for the best selling video game "Fallout 4". He has also contributed 26 tracks toBand-in-a-Box, the automatic accompaniment software program.[3]
Beginning in 1984, Jarvis recorded four albums forMCA Records. In 1993, he recorded his fifth album ("Balancing Act") forLiberty Records, and, in 2003, recorded his sixth album ("View From a Southern Porch") for Barlotone Productions.[4] Time Magazine named "Whatever Works" as one of the ten best pop records of 1988.[2][5] and music from "So Fa So Good" was picked as theme music for the1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
As of 2016, Jarvis continues to tour with theVince Gill band, which also featuresWillie Weeks,Paul Franklin andTom Bukovac. Jarvis continues to record, performing on works byLynda Carter,Chris Botti and others.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
