Joey Scarbury facts for kids

Joey Scarbury (born June 7, 1955) is an American singer and songwriter. He is most famous for his hit song, "Believe It or Not". This song was the theme for the TV show The Greatest American Hero and became very popular in 1981.

Early Life and Music Dreams

Joey Scarbury was born in Ontario, California, in the United States. He grew up in Thousand Oaks, California. His mother always encouraged him to follow his dream of singing.

When he was just 14 years old, a songwriter named Jimmy Webb's father noticed his talent. Joey then signed a recording contract with Dunhill Records. His first song, "She Never Smiles Anymore," did not become a hit. Soon after, he was without a record label.

Music Career in the 1970s

Joey Scarbury continued to work in the music business throughout the 1970s. He was inspired by Dan Seals from the group England Dan & John Ford Coley. Joey often sang backup for other artists, including country star Loretta Lynn.

Sometimes, he would record his own songs. He had a small hit song called "Mixed Up Guy" in 1971. However, he did not find big success on the music charts for the rest of that decade.

The 1980s and a Big Hit Song

In the late 1970s, Joey started working with record producer and composer Mike Post. Mike Post and Stephen Geyer were asked to write the theme song for a new TV show. The show was called The Greatest American Hero. It was about a regular high school teacher who gets a superhero suit from aliens.

Joey Scarbury recorded the full song, which was named "Believe It or Not". A shorter version was used as the theme song for the TV show. The show became very popular, and its catchy theme song helped too.

Elektra Records released "Believe It or Not" as a single song. It quickly climbed the charts, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981. An album with a similar name, America's Greatest Hero, was also released and sold well.

After this big hit, Joey Scarbury found it hard to have another successful song. His next single, "When She Dances," reached number 49 on the charts, but then he disappeared from the main music charts.

He worked with Mike Post again in the mid-1980s. They recorded "Back to Back" for the TV show Hardcastle and McCormick. Joey also teamed up with Desiree Goyette to record "Flashbeagle" and "Snoopy" for the Peanuts special It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown. He also sang the opening theme for the TV series Jennifer Slept Here. He sang on the Splashdance album and re-recorded it for Donald Duck's 50th Birthday. He also sang the demo for Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears.

1990s and Songwriting Success

In 1990, Joey Scarbury found success again, but this time as a songwriter. He co-wrote a song called "No Matter How High". The famous country music group the Oak Ridge Boys recorded it, and it became a number-one country hit.

His co-writer was Even Stevens. Even Stevens had also written hit songs for country star Eddie Rabbitt. He also co-wrote the Kenny Rogers hit "Love Will Turn You Around" from the movie Six Pack. In 1993, Joey Scarbury and Jennifer Warnes recorded the theme song for the TV show Almost Home.

In April 2005, Joey Scarbury was invited to New York City. Radio station WPLJ-FM asked him to perform at the China Club in Times Square. This was for a concert featuring popular TV theme songs. Other singers of famous TV themes joined him on stage. These included Gloria Loring, Greg Evigan, Gary Portnoy, David Pomeranz, and David Naughton.

"Believe It or Not" in Pop Culture

The song "Believe It or Not" was made fun of in an episode of the TV show Seinfeld. In the season 8 episode called "Susie", Jason Alexander played his character George Costanza. George used a funny version of the song as his answering machine message. He changed the words to "Believe it or not, George isn't at home." He also sang it badly on purpose. Jason Alexander is a good singer in real life, but he was told to sing as poorly as he could to make it funny.

Music Albums and Songs

Here are some of Joey Scarbury's albums and songs that appeared on music charts.

Albums

• America's Greatest Hero (1981)

Charting singles

See also

In Spanish: Joey Scarbury para niños