Andy Pratt attained vast critical
acclaim in the 1970s, mostly based on the albums Andy Pratt (1973) and, particularly, Resolution, (1976) which Rolling Stone
magazine raved "has forever changed the face of rock." Though Pratt
never gained the commercial success that 18518h718s many predicted, he nonetheless was
seen as one of the most unique singer/songwriters of his day.
Born into a well-to-do family in
Boston (his great-grandfather founded the Pratt Institute), Andy Pratt
graduated from Harvard in 1968 and became active musically in the Cambridge,
MA, scene with groups such as Butter and the Chosen Few. In 1972, he cut a demo of
"Avenging Annie" before releasing his 1973 Columbia album, Andy Pratt, to much critical praise. In
1975, Pratt enrolled in Boston's
Life Institute after the death of his father, seemingly searching for a higher
meaning in life. Released from his Columbia
contract that same year, Pratt hooked up with Arif
Mardin who worked diligently with Pratt to
find expression to the profound changes in his life. The result was the classic
Resolution album, released on Nemperor in 1976. Though the album received rave reviews and
charted reasonably well, it was no runaway commercial success. The next effort
from Pratt and Mardin, Shiver in the Night, was notably more
commercial than Resolution and sold moderately well. In
1979, Pratt released Motives, his final album for Nemperor. It signaled his conversion to Christianity,
though Pratt's unique style remained intact.
Andy Pratt continued to release
albums into the '80s and '90s. He has lived in Belgium since 1996, after having
originally moved to Holland
in 1987 and marrying a Dutch woman in 1988. His music is mostly Christian based
and Pratt states that it has been used as the impetus for inner healing of
hurting people.
