The new, improved RH photo gallery is finally live!  Fans of the band will be able to check out new photos as well as everything from our archives – we’ll be posting new stuff over the next few weeks so check back often!

Their exceptional vocal harmonies, delivered with flawless perfection, led to a string of hits that included “Bluest Eyes in Texas,” “I’ll Still Be Loving You,” “That Rock Won’t Roll,” and “Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right).” Then the early 90’s Crossover smash “When She Cries.” Disbanding the way they did, what they now simply refer to as “irreconcilable differences”, left them without closure and it was fourteen years before they reunited in the studio. Their long over-due reunion resulted in a their long over-due latest studio album, aptly titled, Still Restless.

The award-winning band, with all five original members, now sounds better than ever. In “What We Know Now,” the autobiographical final cut on their previous project, they sing “We were reckless, young and proud. We had the whole thing figured out. We never saw the writing on the wall. Even though we thought we knew it all. Oh my friend, if we knew then what we know now.” It is very clear that, with the passing of time, they have deciphered the writing on the wall and the best part is that they do know now what they didn’t know then. They haven’t lost any of the talent that took them to the top of the charts and their vocal harmonies remain so tight you wouldn’t be able to get a laser beam between them.

Today, driven by the musical force which brought them together more than a quarter of a century ago, and tempered by their combined experiences and talent, Restless Heart continues to thrill old and new fans by doing what they do best, making great music and having fun.

Randy Wachtler, Pres./CEO of 615 Music, hosted a fundraiser gala for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as part of his campaign for the non-profit’s Nashville’s Man of the Year 2008. Phil Vassar, Lee Roy Parnell, Larry Stewart (Restless Heart), and Dave Berg performed at the intimate event at Wachtler’s home. Guests included music industry friends, Titans coach Jeff Fisher and NFL star Neil O’Donnell.

Wachtler is raising funds in honor of his late mother, Joyce Morton, who died from Leukemia at age 44; 13-year-old Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia patient Jamie Grace Dubois, daughter of music executive Tim Dubois; and 18-year-old musician Ben Bjork, a 10-year survivor of B-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma.

“It’s always an honor to help raise money for a great cause, especially when it hits so close to home,” Larry said. Tim Dubois is the founder/co-producer of Restless Heart.

Through May 30, contributions to Wachtler’s campaign can be made online (click here to donate) and by mail, made payable to LLS c/o 615 Music Companies, 1030 16th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212.

“It’s gonna be a party kinda night,” said lead singer, Larry Stewart. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the 14th anniversary of the Wildhorse with our tour launch party.

“It will be our second show in Nashville in the last two months,” Stewart noted.  “Playing for the hometown crowd  is a great way to get the summer started.”

In April, Restless Heart headlined the WKDF Birthday Bash at the Sommet Center.  According to the station’s post concert survey, Restless Heart was the favorite act of the eight hour concert with an overwhelming 57 percent of the vote!

This is the band’s first performance in the Wildhorse Saloon but certainly not the first performances of their multiple Top Ten songs.   It’s rare an aspiring country star on the Wildhorse stage wouldn’t include a few Restless Heart songs in their playlist.
Sunday, June 1 is the time to hear those great songs performed by Restless Heart. 

Tickets are $10 to $45 and available online through Ticketmaster. The $45 VIP tickets include a Meet and Greet with the band.  Doors open at 6 pm and dinner is available. 

But Restless Heart’s performance is actually more of an anniversary than it is a reunion. In fact, all five original members of Restless Heart — John Dittrich, Paul Gregg, Dave Innis, Greg Jennings and Larry Stewart — have been reunited and playing shows together since 2001.  And this year the band is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

“Sometimes it feels like 25 (years), sometimes it feels like five (years), sometimes it feels like 125 (years),” said Jennings, who plays guitar in the band. “This (performance) isn’t a one time only thing. We’re a going concern. We’re going to play many more (shows) after this one.”

The band split in 1996, and the misconception here that they were still on the outs, singer Stewart figures, might stem from the fact that most of Restless Heart’s recent touring has been in the Midwest, Southwest and West. (Sunday’s show is the first time the members recall playing Nashville in at least 10 years, besides CMA Music Fest or the Grand Ole Opry.)

“Most of our success came from that part of the country,” he said. “Our music was more appealing out there than it was to the more traditional side of country in this part of the country. Early on we offended some people with our sound, especially here in town . . . we were too contemporary for what was going on on radio at the time. But what was funny was that radio stations accepted us with open arms.”
‘Things shift around’

Restless Heart had its first Top 10 hit in 1985 with “I Want Everyone to Cry,” which was followed by successes including “Til I Loved You,” “That Rock Won’t Roll,” “I’ll Still Be Loving You,” “The Bluest Eyes in Texas” and “A Tender Lie” before Stewart left the band in 1991 to pursue a solo career.

“To be honest, Greg Jennings and I were both going to leave the band because it just was too thick, and it wasn’t fun at all,” Stewart said. “There were internal problems and personal problems, and we didn’t want to do it anymore. I made the announcement I was moving on, and Greg Jennings changed his mind and decided to stay.”

The band continued on as a four-piece with drummer John Dittrich and bassist Paul Gregg providing lead vocals. A year later the group released Big Iron Horses, which spun hits “When She Cries” and “Tell Me What You Dream,” then followed up with Matters of the Heart in 1994 before calling it quits two years later.

“Larry had left the band and everyone had written us off,” Dittrich said. “We had success, but sometimes things shift around and . . . market conditions change. Radio lists were getting shorter and shorter, and new artists were getting bigger and bigger, and all of a sudden it became a challenge for us to get played at radio and for us to go out and tour. I just said, ‘Well, I’d like to go out on top, and I have too much respect for this band to watch it slowly die. Let’s just go out with our dignity and just hang it up.’ I honestly thought that was going to be the end of Restless Heart.”

Dittrich went on to form a new band, Buffalo Club, but by 1998, Restless Heart had reformed, minus Dave Innis. The group released a greatest hits package on Koch Records and toured for a year with Vince Gill, but when their new single failed to break the Top 20, the band went back on hiatus until 2001.
Members enjoy the ride

Members credit former booking agent Rick Ship at William Morris Agency with getting the group back together in its original form.

“We were over at Greg Jennings’ studio, and (Ship) came over and we talked and decided to book some shows,” Stewart said. “He said, ‘Let’s put the original members of Restless Heart back together — let’s see if we can do it.’ And we did, and guess what? It’s 2008 and we’re still together.”

Dittrich said this time around, members are making sure they take time to enjoy the ride.

“We’ve been together since the end of 2001 making music and having fun, and enjoying it a lot more than we did in the past because there’s no pressure,” he said.

“We’re able to go out and enjoy the audience and just have fun performing without some earth-shattering problem facing Restless Heart. It’s nice to be at this stage of our career, 25 years down the road, and still have a career. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate.”

Reach Cindy Watts at 664-2227 or ciwatts@tennessean.com.

McEntire was eager to participate, but there was a hitch. “I said, ‘I’d love to,’” she recalled, “but the problem is, I didn’t have that many love songs that I’ve recorded during my 31-year career, believe it or not.”

The album contains four songs recorded exclusively for Hallmark, among them a version of country act Restless Heart’s 1987 No. 1 single “I’ll Still Be Loving You.” “That’s one of my all-time favorite songs,” McEntire said. She invited members of Restless Heart to sing vocals with her on the song.

At the 3,700 Hallmark Gold Crown stores nationwide, “Love Revival” will be priced at $7.95 with the purchase of three Hallmark cards.

Legendary country artists, Restless Heart, today announced the Aug. 8 release of a special edition of their first live album. The CD, “25 and Live!” is also a celebration of the group’s 25 years together.

Recorded in late 2006 at Riverside Hotel and Resort, Laughlin, Nev., the band’s tenth album is a collection of 14 chart-topping, crowd-pleasing favorites presented the way every fan wants to hear Restless Heart – LIVE!

Choosing the final 14 cuts was no easy task. Through the years, Restless Heart put 26 hits on the country charts with 15 in the Top Ten. Cross-over success, rare in the music world, was also theirs with six songs making the adult contemporary charts, including taking the #1, #2 and #3 spots. The final album play list includes six tracks which rose to #1 on either the country or adult contemporary charts.

“We made the choices based on what we felt were the real fan favorites at our shows,” said Larry Stewart, the band’s lead singer. There were ample opportunities to gage fan reaction – Restless Heart was on stage for more the 100 performances in 2006 alone, including an around-the-world tour of military bases.

The album has all six country #1 songs – “That Rock Won’t Roll,” “I’ll Still Be Loving You,” “Why Does It Have To Be Wrong Or Right,” “Wheels,” “Bluest Eyes In Texas,” and “Tender Lie.” “Tell Me What You Dream,” performed by drummer John Dittrich, never made the country list but was #1 on the adult contemporary chart. Another Dittrich crooned cut, “When She Cries,” was covered on three charts – #2 on adult contemporary, #9 on country and #33 on the US Hot 100.

Other cuts (and their rankings) are “Dancy’s Dream” (#5), “Fast Moving Train” (#4), “Let the Heartache Ride” (#23), “Long Lost Friend” (#16) and “New York Hold Her Tight” (#23). The only non-charted song “Hummingbird” always draws the great crowd reaction. “I get behind the drums with John and we both cut loose,” said Stewart, “The fans love it.”

Fans, old and new, can remember that action and the other great times at Restless Heart shows with this new album available for limited sale now at www.restlessheartband.com