Hardin & York -

Hardin & York were the English blues-rock-soul duo of drummer Pete York and keyboardist–singer Eddie Hardin. York co-founded the Spencer Davis Group, which Hardin joined as Steve Winwood‘s replacement.

Hardin & York released the 1969–70 albums Tomorrow Today and World’s Smallest Big Band on Bell Records, followed by the 1971 Decca title For the World. In 1974, they teamed with Taste–Stud bassist Charlie McCracken. Hardin and McCracken cut two albums in the Streetwalkers spin-off Axis Point.

Members: Eddie Hardin (vocals, keyboards, piano, organ, synthesizer), Pete York (drums, percussion)

Background

Eddie Hardin (b. Feb. 14, 1949, London) and Pete York (b. Aug. 15, 1942, Redcar) first interacted in the late-sixties iteration of the Spencer Davis Group.

York co-founded SDG in 1963 with guitarist Spencer Davis and brothers Muff Winwood (bass) and his younger brother Steve (keyboards, vocals). Despite their function as a democratic unit, they made Spencer the namesake because Davis, unlike the others, enjoyed fielding business calls and interviews. The Winwood lineup released three albums and nine singles, including the 1966–67 transatlantic hits “Gimme Some Loving” and “I’m a Man.” After the Winwood brother’s departure — Steve to Traffic and a subsequent solo career; Muff to A&R and production work — the Spencer Davis Group hired Hardin and (ex-Les Fleur de Lys) guitarist Phil Sawyer.

Hardin cut one prior single in the mod band A Wild Uncertainty. The Hardin-era Spencer Davis Group made the 1967 psychedelic singles “Time Seller” and “Mr. Second Class,” both included on their 1968 album With Their New Face On, produced by ex-Springfields guitarist Mike Hurst. York and Hardin left the band in late October 1968 over policy differences with Davis.

Tomorrow Today

Hardin & York released their debut album, Tomorrow Today, on July 1969 on Bell Records.

Tomorrow Today presents a Hammond-led hybrid of jazz-inflected rock and organ-driven soul, built around the swirling keyboard passages of Eddie Hardin and the responsive kit work of Pete York. Guitarists Mike Hurst and Vic Flick add texture behind the interplay between the two, while wind players Mel Thorpe and Rex Morrissey occasionally expand the tonal field with flute, trombone, and sax. Serial session bassist Herbie Flowers (Hungry Wolf, Rumplestiltskin) rounds out the lineup.

The album features seven Hardin originals, including both sides of the pre-released single “Candlelight” and “Tomorrow Today.” He co-wrote one song each with Pete York (“Mountains of Sand”) and former colleague Spencer Davis (“I’m Lost”).

Song by song, Tomorrow Today balances introspective ballads, extended improvisations, and keyboard-centered rock passages. Three tracks—“100 Years from Now,” “I’m Lost,” and “Candlelight”—establish a contoured, melancholic arc built around slow pacing, layered keyboard voicings, and restrained energy. “100 Years from Now” rides a soft pulse shaped by piano and acoustic guitar, with phrasing that shifts gently without breaking its tension. “I’m Lost” begins with a fragmented exchange of flute and keyboards before resolving into a mid-tempo progression carried by Hammond organ and rising vocal lines; its eight-minute length accommodates a slow build, but stretches past its peak.

“Candlelight” fuses blues phrasing and steady rhythmic pacing with an overlapping blend of organ, vocal harmony, and melodic pedal bass lines. “Mountains of Sand” operates as an instrumental plateau shaped by organ swells, flute improvisation, and an extended drum sequence, while “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” pivots toward blues phrasing with an active lead from guitarist Vic Flick. The title track stands apart with a more extroverted tone, drawing from gospel phrasing and stacking backing vocals against piano-driven motion. The album closes with “Listen Everyone,” where thick Hammond voicings and sharper instrumental punctuation elevate its intensity beyond the surrounding material.

A1. “Tomorrow Today” (3:30)
A2. “100 Years From Now” (2:37)
A3. “I’m Lost” (8:13)
A4. “Drinking My Wine” (4:47)

B1. “Candlelight” (4:36)
B2. “Beautiful Day” (2:27)
B3. “Mountains of Sand” (6:38)
B4. “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” (6:00)
B5. “Listen Everyone” (3:42)

Mike Hurst produced the album with Vic Smith at the console. Hardin handled all arrangements. Bell issued “Candlelight” backed with “Tomorrow Today” in advance of the album’s release.

Hardin and York performed “Tomorrow Today” and their setlist centerpiece “The Pike” on Beat-Club for the German music program’s December 31 broadcast, which also featured numbers by Chicago, Steamhammer, and Terry Reid.

Tomorrow Today appeared in a gatefold with black-and-white photography by Richard Dunkley and sculptural artwork by Jephan de Villiers, integrating cubed portrait imagery with surreal clay dioramas.

The front cover presents a cratered lunar terrain populated by miniature box-encased heads of Hardin and York beneath a splattered, cosmic rendition of the title, while the back pairs their full-size visages—each enclosed in translucent cubes—against a stark black field, emphasizing isolation and abstraction.

World’s Smallest Big Band

Hardin & York released their second album, World’s Smallest Big Band, in July 1970 on Bell.

The album builds on the duo format with a mix of piano-driven ballads, uptempo medleys, and extended keyboard–drum exchanges. Eddie Hardin alternates between organ and piano while Pete York counterbalances the shifts in tone with dynamic percussion. The two trade space naturally, with Hardin’s phrasing giving way to York’s fills and breaks, especially on the extended set pieces.

Side One contains three Hardin originals and a medley of fifties rock ‘n’ roll chestnuts. Side Two contains the epic Hardin–York signature “The Pike” and a ten-minute Beatles medley. Apart from Hardin’s three numbers, they recorded the album live at De Lane Lea Studios “before an invited audience of Soho deadbeats.”

Despite its title, “I Can’t Find My Way Home” is not the same song as the recent Blind Faith ballad “Can’t Find My Way Home,” a song written by Hardin’s Spencer Davis Group predecessor Steve Winwood.

A1. “Just a Case of Time” (4:00)
A2. “I Can’t Find My Way Home” (3:36)
A3. “Love, A Song For You” (6:16)
A4. “Rock & Roll Medley” (4:50)
      a. “Jailhouse Rock”
      b. “Mean Woman Blues”
      c. “Rip It Up”
B1. “The Pike” (8:58)
B2. “Northern Medley” (10:08)
      a. “Lady Madonna
      b. “Norwegian Wood

Hardin recorded his three studio tracks at Olympic Sound with engineer Blob and string arranger Phil Dennys. The rest of the album was taped live at De Lane Lea Studios before a small invited audience, described by the band as “Soho deadbeats.” John Stewart engineered those sessions.

Steve Thomas designed the album cover and Richard Dunkley handled photography. Bell issued “I Can’t Find My Way Home” as a single (b.w “Rock And Roll Medley”).

For the World

Hardin & York released their third album, For the World, in November 1971 on Decca.

This set expands their core duo sound with layered arrangements and shifting instrumentation, as Eddie Hardin alternates between piano, organ, and bass across the tracks. Pete York drives the rhythmic focus with congas and assorted percussion in addition to his main kit, matching Hardin’s tonal changes with dynamic flourishes.

They co-wrote “EX 345” and “Cowboy,” surrounded by Hardin originals with brass and string arrangements by Phil Dennys.

A1. “Deep In My Despair” (3:33)
A2. “Have Mercy Woman” (3:58)
A3. “For the World” (2:39)
A4. “Some Places Are Better to Be” (2:48)
A5. “EX 345” (5:42)

B1. “Cowboy” (4:20)
B2. “I’ll Be Back Again” (3:03)
B3. “Feeling, Seeing, Hearing” (2:33)
B4. “Natural Gas” (2:38)
B5. “Take Away Today” (6:03)

Mike Hurst produced the album in sequence with his 1971 solo release In My Time. Decca issued For the World as a standalone release without an accompanying single. The LP features artwork and layout direction by Joe McGillicuddy with custom lettering by Chris Coates.

Hardin & York with Charlie McCracken

In 1974, Hardin & York released their collaborative album with bassist Charlie McCracken on Vertigo (Germany, Italy).

McCracken (ex-Taste, Stud) locks in with Hardin’s layered keyboard work—piano, organ, electric piano, clavinet, and synthesizer—adding responsive counterpoint that deepens the trio’s range.

Peter York tracks the shifts in tone with nimble percussion, while Barry St. John, Christine Holmes, and Liza Strike reinforce select passages with stacked harmony vocals. Hardin and McCracken handle production across most of the album, assisted on two cuts by erstwhile Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover.

A1. “Ain’t No Breeze” (3:13)
A2. “Back Row Movie Star” (4:48)
A3. “Freedom” (10:03)

B1. “Wish I’d Never Joined a Band” (2:35)
B2. “Clubtrop” (4:16)
B3. “Some Sweet Dream” (5:05)
B4. “Loving You’s So Easy” (5:13)

McCracken and Hardin co-produced five tracks while Glover produced “Ain’t No Breeze” and “Some Sweet Dream.” Hardin and Glover co-wrote both the opening track and “Wish I’d Never Joined a Band.” Vertigo issued the album exclusively in Germany and Italy without a single release.

Hardin & New York

Hardin & York released their fifth and final album, Hardin & New York, in 1981 on the German TELDEC label. For this reunion, Hardin performs with York’s recent band, Pete York’s New York (hence the album title).

Hardin & New York features four songs by Eddie Hardin: “One Day Soon,” “Reservations,” and the revisited Hardin & York numbers “Tomorrow Today” and “The Pike Rides Again.” Two songs (“Dreamland,” “Give Me Be-Bop”) are co-writes by New York reedist Mel Thorpe and keyboardist Roger Munns.

New York’s Steve Richardson wrote “Carnival Is Coming.” He alternates between electric bass and guitar while interacting closely with Hardin’s layered piano, organ, and synth textures. Munns shares harmonic duties with Thorpe, who moves between alto and tenor sax, flute, and backing vocals.

The album features covers of Spooky Tooth (“Waiting for the Wind”) and early rock chestnuts by Jerry Byrne (“Lights Out”) and Ray Charles (“Tell All The World About You”).

A1. “Dreamland” (5:00)
A2. “Tomorrow Today” (3:40)
A3. “Tell All The World About You” (3:16)
A4. “One Day Soon” (2:37)
A5. “Lights Out” (2:50)

B1. “Reservations” (2:10)
B2. “Carnival Is Coming” (3:21)
B3. “Give Me Be-Bop” (2:29)
B4. “The Pike Rides Again” (7:20)
B5. “Waiting For The Wind” (3:16)

Hardin and York produced the album jointly with contributions from all members of the New York band.

Discography: