Hart's first experience as a performing artist came at age 11, when he sang ' Ben' for Tom Jones in Miami. Hart had little contact with his father, and this is reflected in some of his compositions, such as the 1998 song 'Reconcile'. He shared an especially close relationship with his mother, to whom Hart's first album was dedicated. Hart then returned to Montreal to live with his mother and older brother Robbie. Hart's parents separated when he was 10 years old. His paternal grandfather was a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant, while Corey's mother was from a Romanian Jewish family. Hart was born on May 31, 1963, in Montreal, Quebec, the youngest of five children of Mina (née Weber) and Robert Hart, both Montreal natives.
