ക JOEY SCARBURY, Believe It Or Not|Back to Back|Flashbeagle|

Joey Scarbury (born June 7, 1955) is an adult contemporary singer best known for his hit song, "Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)", in 1981. Growing up in Thousand Oaks, California, Scarbury was continually encouraged in his ambition to sing by his mother. At the age of 14, after being spotted by songwriter Jimmy Webb's father, he was signed to a recording contract, and seemed to be destined for stardom. Scarbury's first single, "She Never Smiles Anymore," flopped, and he was soon without a record label.

Scarbury, undaunted by what happened, stayed in music up through the 1970s singing backup for artists like Loretta Lynn, and occasionally recording his own material. Although he had a minor chart single with "Mixed Up Guy" in 1971, real chart success eluded him for the rest of the decade. This was to change when he started working for record producer and composer Mike Post. Post was hired along with Stephen Geyer to write the theme tune for a new TV series dubbed The Greatest American Hero, about a high school teacher who comes into possession of a superhero outfit, and Scarbury was chosen to record it. An extended version of the song (3:15 compared to the television theme's minute-long length), released by Elektra Records, shot up to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Look at what's happened to me, 

I can't believe it myself; 

Suddenly I'm up on top of the world, 

Should've been somebody else. 

*Believe it or not, I'm walkin' on air, 

I never thought I could feel so free; 

Flyin' away on a wing and a pray'r, 

Who could it be? 

Believe it or not, it's just me. 

Just like the light of a new day, 

It hit me from out of the blue; 

Breakin' me out of the spell I was in, 

Makin' all of my wishes come true.

*

This is too good to be true, 

Look at me. Falling for you. 

Believe it or not, Believe it or not, 

Believe it or not, Believe it or not. 

Oops! The Greatest American Hero or The Worst American Idol,  peeping at the lyrics on his left palm...so sorry for him! Oh! oh! the Hero has just tickled the funny bone of Paula & Randy.

Scarbury could not follow it up however, and after charting at #49 with the single "When She Dances", Scarbury disappeared again from the charts. Scarbury went on to work with Post again in the mid 1980s to record the song "Back to Back", for the television series Hardcastle and McCormick and teamed up with Desiree Goyette to record "Flashbeagle" for the Peanuts special It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown.

His hit song from The Greatest American Hero appeared in Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11 on the scene when President George W. Bush declares the Iraq Mission Accomplished. As of 10/17/08, Joey is back on the radio after a long absence. His current single "How Do You Sleep At Night" released on Golden Records has broken the top 40 and is currently #48 on the Music Row secondary radio chart. [wikipedia]