Bruce Hibbard

Eclectic singer/songwriter, arranger, and instrumentalist Bruce Hibbard is known most for CCM-oriented recordings beloved by fans of soulful West Coast soft rock, with a songbook that features material interpreted by numerous high-profile artists such as Amy Grant and the Gaither Vocal Band. His solo albums range from A Light Within (1977) and the Myrrh-issued Never Turnin' Back (1980) to the instrumental jazz-pop set Cloud Street (2023). Originally from Oklahoma City, Hibbard is based near Salt Lake City, where he founded and operates Libelle Studio, a residential recording facility. Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Hibbard started on his musical path in the church, first performing at the age of 12 and writing songs as a teenager. After years spent supporting other artists, performing, touring, and/or recording with Ascension, Sonlight, the Amplified Version, and Charity, as well as with Paul Clark and Phil Keaggy, Hibbard made his solo debut in 1977 with A Light Within. A version of its "Rescue Me" was released the same year by Andrus, Blackwood & Co., and three more of its songs -- plus an additional Hibbard composition -- were covered by Tom Netherton on his 1979 album Hem of His Garment. That album was released by Word, who hired Hibbard as a staff writer and issued Hibbard's subsequent Never Turnin' Back through their Myrrh offshoot. Never Turnin' Back yielded a handful of 1980 Christian radio hits showcasing Hibbard's inviting voice and positive outlook, most notably "You're So Good to Me" and "Never Turnin' Back." Although he wouldn't release another solo album for 20 years, Hibbard placed songs throughout the '80s and '90s on albums by the Imperials, Amy Grant, First Call, Lisa Whelchel, and Dawkins & Dawkins, among others. He also did session work as a background singer for Twila Paris and longtime collaborators Paul Clark, Phil Keaggy, and Kelly Willard. In 2000, Hibbard picked up where he had left off with his solo work, self-releasing Time Waits, featuring Keaggy's guitar throughout, while it added Julie Hibbard, his wife, as a fellow songwriter and background vocalist. Heaven's Gold: Collection followed eight years later. Not an anthology, it consisted of previously unrecorded songs Hibbard had written across his career. Strictly new compositions filled his next album, 40 Years, issued in 2013. Ten years later, he offered Cloud Street, his first album of instrumentals.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo