(Larry Henley - Jeff Silbar)
Australia
#19 Melbourne #16 Adelaide #38 Perth
Single on Avenue label, February 1983, first charted in April 1983 (Melbourne).
One of the earliest recorded versions of the song, Colleen Hewett's Wind Beneath My Wings was released six years before Bette Midler's #1 hit
version, and was already on the Australian charts before Gary Morris's country hit single was
released in May 1983.
Colleen Hewett (b.1950) came from Bendigo in
regional Victoria. Starting as a pop singer with local bands, she later branched out into acting and entertaining on stage, screen and radio. More recently, Colleen played Peter Allen's mother on stage in The Boy From Oz, starring Hugh Jackman.
Suggestion from Terry Stacey and Mike Robbins.
(Larry Henley - Jeff Silbar)
USA
Single on Warner Bros July 1983, also on the album Why Lady Why (1983, #6 Billboard Country).
Not the original, but the first popular version of Wind Beneath My Wings, a #4 country hit by Gary Morris, versatile singer, composer and actor born in Fort Worth, 1948, also known for his role as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on Broadway from November 1987.
References, further reading: 1. Gary Morris Biography by James Manheim at All Music. 2. GaryMorris.com.
(Larry Henley - Jeff Silbar)
USA
Song also known as Wind Beneath My Wings.
On the Leon Sylvers-produced Columbia album Visions May 1983 the song is entitled Hero on the sleeve and Hero aka The Wind Beneath My Wings on the label. A Columbia single November 1983 has simply Hero.
Thanks to the Visions album, according to Ron Wynn at All Music, Gladys & The Pips were “back in the game”.
(Larry Henley - Jeff Silbar)
USA
Up-tempo version by soul-jazz-pop singer (1935-2006), single on Epic, also on album When The Night Comes, produced by Ron Haffkine.
On CBS album New Looks by pop-country singer from Houston (b.1942) who released a handful of singles 1963-64 with B.J. Thomas & The Triumphs but had a string of solo hits from the late 60s through the 70s, notably Hooked On A Feeling (1968, #5 USA), Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head (1969, #1 USA) and (Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song (1975, #1 USA). In Australia, his biggest hit was Mama (1966, #22 USA), a #1 in most major cities down here.
(Larry Henley - Jeff Silbar)
UK
On 1982 album Madness, Money & Music by Scottish pop star of the 80s (b.1959).
(Larry Henley - Jeff Silbar)
UK
Original version
This, the original version, appeared on the RCA album Wind Beneath My Wings by singer-songwriter Roger Whittaker.
Co-writer Larry Henley was the falsetto singer on such Newbeats hits as Bread And Butter (1964, #2 USA). His sister is singer
Barbara Mills (see Little Things Like That). Jeff Silbar is a prolific and much-recorded
Nashville songwriter.
Further reading: 1. LarryHenley.com 2. JeffSilbar.com.
A former teacher born in Kenya, Roger Whittaker (1936-2023) went to study Science in the UK in 1959 and took
up folk singing. He became a prolific and popular TV and recording artist in the 70s with such hits as Leavin’
(Durham Town) (1969, #12 UK), I Don’t Believe in ‘If’ Any More (1970, #8 UK) and The Last Farewell (1975, #2 UK, #19 USA). His records have sold millions in Europe and elsewhere, but he is lesser known
in the US.
References: 1. Roger Whittaker biography by William Ruhlmann at All Music. 2. Wikipedia’s Roger Whittaker entry.
(Larry Henley - Jeff Silbar)
USA
Later version
#1 USA, #5 UK, #1 Sydney, #1 Melbourne, #2 Brisbane, #3 Adelaide, #2 Perth, #4 NZ
The hit version: single on Atlantic, 1989. First heard on the soundtrack of Beaches, released in USA on 21 December 1988.
This is a much recorded song, a popular choice for weddings as well as funerals (at least in the UK). The song’s title is printed with or without The, and is also known as Hero or Hero (Wind Beneath My Wings). Apart from the early versions listed above, a browse of Second Hand Songs, The Originals, Coverinfo.de and eBay reveals versions by Lee Greenwood (1984), Willie Nelson (1984), Menage (1985), Irma Thomas (1986), Betty Buckley (1986), Perry Como (1987), Jack Jones (1987), Little Milton (1988), Ray Price (1988), Judy Collins (1989), Paloma San Basilio (1990: Gracias a ti), Shirley Bassey (1991), James Galway (1991), The Starsound Orchestra (1992), Richard Clayderman (1992), Patti Labelle (1992), Nana Mouskouri (1993), Paivi (1993: Tuuli alla siipien), Rob De Nijs (1993: De hemel die mij draagt), Bill Tarmey (1994), Michael Chapdelaine (1995), Angelika Milster (1995: Du bist wie der Wind), Gerald Levert & Eddie Levert Sr. (1995), Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (1995: He Hawai I Au), Kamahl (1998), Steve Houghton (1997), Michael Ball (1998), Hans Vermeulen (1998: De schaduw van de zonneschijn), Gunther Neefs (1999), Marti Webb (1999), Bamse (1999), Daniel O’Donnell (2000), Jackie Jones (2000), Sonata Arctica (2001), Sally Harmon (2002), Baccara (2003), Lisa Layne (2004), John Tesh (1994), Mo Casal (2004: Du bist wie der Wind), Shirley Clamp (2006: Vindarna som bar) and Elisabeth Withers (2007).
A search of Gemm.com (now defunct) gave versions by Dan Gibson, Oscar Harris, Joe Longthorne, Meta Four, Serena O’Meara, Gary Wilmot, Cathy Bolton, Cannon And Ball, Pamela Bruner, Nancy LaMott and US Air Force Tactical Band.
All Music also lists Joey Albert, Anne Albritton, Dennis Allen, American Film Orchestra, Billy Andrusco, Mark Azzolina and the Florida Symphonic Pops, Michael Ball, J. Scott Beatty, Bluiett’s Barbeque Band, Robert Bonfiglio, Dennis Bono… and that’s just a few from the As and Bs.
Pop Archives
Australia's premier song history site since 2004
Website by Lyn Nuttall. © Lyn Nuttall 2004-2024. Chart positions courtesy of Gavin Ryan’s Australian Chart Books and Dean Scapolo’s Complete NZ Music Charts. Special thanks to Terry Stacey for information, corrections and suggestions. Thanks also to Tony Watson, Philippe Edouard, Dave Overett.., More…