Joey Scarbury

Artist Biography by James Christopher Monger An American pop/soft rock singer/songwriter best known for his 1981 hit "Theme from the Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)," Joey Scarbury was born in Ontario, California and raised in Thousand Oaks, where he was encouraged by his mother to follow his dream and pursue a career in music. A precocious singer, Scarbury began honing his chops at a very young age, and was discovered by the father of Jimmy Webb. He cut his first single, a cover of Webb's "She Never Smiles Anymore," in 1968, and spent the following 13 years recording for numerous record labels and singing backing vocals for Loretta Lynn. Many of those Lynn sessions were recorded with Mike Post, who would go on to be one of the most prolific television composers of the era. In 1981 Post tapped Scarbury to sing the theme song for the superhero comedy/drama The Greatest American Hero. The Elektra-issued single, which appeared on the album of the same name, peaked at number two and became a soft rock/pop radio staple for years to come, but despite landing a minor hit later that year with "When She Dances," Scarbury's time in the mainstream would be fleeting. He continued to work with Post throughout the latter half of the 1980s, and in 1990 found success as the co-writer of the smash Oak Ridge Boys hit "No Matter How High."