Gus Hardin

Gus Hardin (born Carolyn Ann Blankenship; April 9, 1945 - February 17, 1996) was a country music singer.
Hardin was born in 1945 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her rise to country music popularity began in 1983 with her first RCA Records single, the top 10 hit "After The Last Goodbye." Other hits, such as "Fallen Angel," "I Pass," "Lovin' You Hurts" and "If I Didn't Love You" soon followed, as well as "All Tangled Up in Love," a duet with Earl Thomas Conley. She recorded and released "One of the Boys" and "Mama Knows" by songwriter Kevin Weyl, and "Tornado" by Kevin Weyl and Steve Robertson which is featured in the sound track of the Kevin Pollack film "Deterrence."

Hardin married keyboard player Steve Hardin, who was a member of the group Point Blank, and after their divorce kept his last name. Garth Brooks' sister, Betsy Smittle, was one of Gus's band members and did background vocals on Gus's album "I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can."
On February 17, 1996, Hardin died in a car accident on Highway 20 west of Salina, Oklahoma near her home in the Lake Hudson area. Memorial services were held in Oklahoma and Nashville, Tennessee. Hardin is survived by her daughter Toni.

Discography: