Dan Hartman

Daniel Earl Hartman (December 8, 1950 – March 22, 1994) was an American pop rock musician. Among songs he wrote and recorded were "Free Ride" as a member of the Edgar Winter Group, and the solo hits "Relight My Fire", "Instant Replay", "I Can Dream About You", "We Are the Young" and "Second Nature".

"I Can Dream About You", his most successful US hit, reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984. The James Brown song "Living in America", which Hartman co-wrote and produced, reached No. 4 on March 1, 1986.

Hartman wrote the 1980 disco song "Love Sensation" recorded by Loleatta Holloway, which has been sampled on numerous records, including the 1989 Black Box track "Ride on Time".

Hartman was born on December 8, 1950, to Carl Hartman (1921–2006) and Pauline Angeloff (1925–1999) near Pennsylvania's capital, Harrisburg, in West Hanover Township, Dauphin County. His father served as an aerial gunner during World War II, before working for the U.S. Postal Service. His maternal side of the family originated from Yugoslavia (ethnic Macedonians)

Both of his parents had musical talents. His father played the saxophone and clarinet whereas his mother sang on the radio during her teenage years. Hartman was a child prodigy and studied classical piano until the age of 9. He attended John Harris High School, where he sang for the John Harris Choir and partook in journalism and theater as extracurricular activities.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.