First Published in Country Music International – February 1999

Signed to Universal Records by Jimmy Bowen ten years ago, Joni Harms enjoyed two Top 40 singles before Music Row discarded her. Now she’s back with an album of Western songs and a cut on Lisa Brokop’s forthcoming album

Joni Harms was a fresh-faced new girl singer when she was signed by the legendary Jimmy Bowen to the short-lived Universal Records in 1988. Three years later behind-the-scenes power struggles killed her career almost before it had taken off. She had made that all-important breakthrough with her single I Need A Wife, but her HOMETOWN GIRL debut album was delayed by more than a year, as Universal left the MCA fold and was absorbed into Capitol Nashville.

“I was having pretty good success with the first two singles on Universal,” Joni recalls, “They were both Top 40, but the album was not released. We had a lot of requests from people wanting to buy it, and it was heart-wrenching for me when the album did not come out until a year later. By that time people had pretty much forgotten about the singles, so it didn't really have much of a chance,”

Many believed that the promising youngster, burnt so badly by the big, bad music business, had just given it all up. But nothing was further from the truth: having grown up on a ranch in Oregon, Joni Harms was made of sterner stuff, and for the past eight years has diligently pursued a musical career on her own terms, while also becoming a mother. Last year she was signed to Warner Western and released COWGIRL DREAMS, an album of self-penned songs reflective of her ranching roots amd western lifestyle.

“Oh boy, have I been trying to get locked in with another record deal,” she says defiantly. “I have put out a couple of CDs on my own and have continued to perform and work a lot of different shows. Finding the right home at a record label was quite challenging, I think what's helped is that country music is starting to make a turnaround to where a little more traditional country is acceptable again.”

Joni was weaned on traditional country music and finds country-pop music hard to accept. She still lives on the ranch that was homesteaded by her great-grandfather more than a century ago, near the small township of Canby, Oregon. A former Miss Northwest Rodeo Queen, she began writing songs in her teens and won a Future Farmers Of America talent contest in high school.

Her father, now 80-years-old, has lived on the homestead his whole life. He and his wife now live in a smaller house, a little way from the ranch house where Joni and her husband and two toddler children live. Her husband runs a lumber company, and they also raise cattle and horses on the ranch and lease some of the land to a grower who raises Christmas trees. 

Joni performs around 100 shows a year. Three years ago she released a self-financed album of self-penned songs, and has more recently completed an album of original Christmas songs. she also spends a lot of time commuting to Nashville for songwriting sessions "I have had several different publishing agreements," she explains, "so I have continued to write songs for myself and other people. That was pretty much how this record deal happened. It was some of the songs that I was pitching to the other Warner Bros acts that got me the attention to get me signed there."

In a distinct departure from her HOMETOWN GIRL, which was a Music Row radio-driven affair, Joni has made a comeback with a stunning collection of fully realised, self-penned gems. Working a tougher, more mature sound this time, COUNTRY DREAMS is definitely country music—real country music. It's a breath of fresh air and so pleasant to hear.

"There is an abundance of artists right now. My goodness, there are so many people that for some crazy reason want to be in this business,” she laughs. “But I believe that if country music does turn around and accept more traditional country music again, the time might come for my songs by other artists as well as by me.”

Joni is an artist who has her own signature style and is blazing her own trail, making ties between the cowboy image and traditional country music. Her music is definitely her real life. Her sharp western attire and positive music are not part of some cowpoke-imaging ploy cooked up by industry opportunists looking for the next female hat act. Joni Harms is the real deal—a talented singer-songwriter who grew up around cowboys and their music. 

"I really do believe that things happen for a reason," she says. "Look at what kind of music I'm able to put out now versus the late 1980s and early 1990s. Back then it was very much demanded that you tried to fit-in to the pop-country scene. I feel that I have a lot more freedom now than I would have had then."

She has already gained some notable cuts as a songwriter, mainly with independent label acts, but is very excited that Canadian songbird Lisa Brokop has included one of her songs on her forthcoming Columbia album, due out this spring. "Several of my songs have been what they call 'on hold,'" she says. "Several artists have said: 'I really like that and would like to put that on my album'" But when they choose the final 10 it seems like mine have usually been left off. But Lisa has cut the song and it should definitely make the album.”

Joni is delighted that her music is being appreciated overseas, firmly believing that many of her songs have a universal appeal. "I like songs that have messages that can reach people anywhere, and of course that's my favourite type of song to write," she says. "Most people may not be out there riding the ranges in real life, but just about everybody has had a vision of pretending that they're a cowboy at some time or another. It doesn't matter where you live or what you do, it's like a book: you can put yourself in that situation, and become the character in the song.”