By: Betsy Howe

He's the high note in the harmonies of BlackHawk, and also part
of the team behind several of their hits, such as the number one
"Every Once in a While" and the top 5 "Almost a Memory Now." Born
in Ohio and raised in Nashville, Van has been involved in music most
of his life. As a teenager, he played in a bluegrass band, and was, he admits, a little
wild. He went to college and became a minister. In 1981,
he began writing songs with Dave Robbins (keyboardist of BlackHawk),
among others. Many of his songs have been recorded
by Restless Heart, including "Back to the Heartbreak Kid", co-written
with Tim DuBois, "She Danced Her Way Into My Heart,"
"This Time," "I've Never Been So Sure" and "New York (Hold Her Tight)."
In fact, Van co-wrote the song "Restless Heart" from their first album,
which is where the group got it's name. Van co-wrote with Dave two songs
on a 1983 Kenny Rodgers album, "Bad Enough" and "All My Life." Dan Seals
recorded his "Everybody's Dream Girl," and he's also had songs recorded by
Tim McGraw, Reba, and John Anderson, who recorded "Bad Love Gone Good",
which can also be found on BlackHawk's "Strong Enough" CD. Van,
along with Dave and Tim DuBois,wrote Restless Heart's 1988 number one hit "Bluest Eyes
in Texas," and my personal favorite "Big Dreams in a Small Town." He also co-wrote
Diamond Rio's recent hit "It's All In Your Head." For his songwriting efforts, Van has won
several BMI awards.

However, even with success, he remembers lessons his father taught him about putting family
first (Van has three children) and the fact that "I don't know everything I think I know.
Being the young cocky kid that I was, I don't mind admitting that I'm still learning today."
And along with this comes better and better songs about life and love. The two songs Van is
most proud of writing are "Let 'Em Whirl," off BlackHawk's first CD, and "Stepping Stones,"
an awesomely powerful song from their upcoming CD. For those of you who missed it when they
sang it on Prime Time Country, here are just a few lines: "And I need you now/Like I needed
you then/to help me get back up on my feet again/Only you and you alone/could turn my stumblin'
blocks/into stepping stones..." and "Surrounded by troubled waters/I was all but lost/You were
my bridge across/My bridge across..."

And of course I have to mention that Van co-wrote the group's latest single "Hole in My
Heart." This song sort of reminds me of "I'm Not Stong Enough to Say No" - it's the
same idea of wanting the girl but not being able to have her..."I need you/Girl I need
you/But I know it's gonna hurt/Cause your love is gonna tear me apart..." It's got sort
of a 60's sound...Anyway, be sure to listen for this song...I can't do it justice by
describing it.

Of course I can't list all the songs Van has written - go pick up any Restless Heart CD, and
you'll find several of his songs on it - and I'm sure there are many out there which I haven't
heard...