Wade Hayes

Infobox musical artist

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Name = Wade Hayes
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Tony Wade Hayes
Born = birth date and age|1969|04|20
Origin = Bethel Acres, Oklahoma, USA
Instrument = Vocals
Guitar
Genre = Country
Occupation = Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 1994-present
Label = Columbia, Monument (solo)
Universal South (in McHayes)
Associated_acts = Brooks & Dunn
McHayes
URL =

Wade Hayes (born Tony Wade Hayes, April 20, 1969 in Bethel Acres, Oklahoma)cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:dxfyxqlgldse~T1 |title=Wade Hayes biography |accessdate=2007-10-12 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |authorlink=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |work=Allmusic] is an American country music artist. Signed to Columbia Records in 1994, he made his debut that year with his gold-certified album "Old Enough to Know Better". Its title track, which served as his debut single, reached Number One on the "Billboard" Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, and three more singles from it all reached Top Ten as well.

Hayes' second album, 1996's "On a Good Night", was also certified gold, although its #2-peaking title track was the only Top 40 hit from it. "When the Wrong One Loves You Right", his third album, produced two more singles, including the #5 "The Day That She Left Tulsa (In a Chevy)", although he left the label by 1999. A year later, he signed to the Monument roster, where he released "Highways & Heartaches", his final solo album. This album produced no Top 40 country hits, however, and was his last solo album.

In 2003, he paired up with Mark McClurg, then a member of Alan Jackson's road band, to form a short-lived duo called McHayes, which charted one single on the country charts and recorded one unreleased album for the Universal South label.

Biography

Wade Hayes was born and raised in Bethel Acres, Oklahoma. His father, Don Hayes, also a professional country musician, inspired him to begin playing music as well. Initially, Hayes had learned to play mandolin, but later switched to guitar after his father bought him one.cite web |url=http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Wade-Hayes.html |title=Wade Hayes biography |accessdate=2007-10-12 |work=Oldies.com] When he was eleven years old, his family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where his father signed him to an independent record label. The label soon declared bankruptcy, unable to pay its debts to Hayes' father, and as a result, their house in Nashville was repossessed. Financially destitute, the family was forced to return to Oklahoma, where Wade later found work as a musician in his father's band.

Although he attended three different colleges, Hayes dropped out of college in 1991 in pursuit of a career in country music, after seeing bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs perform on the 1991 Country Music Association awards show. Wade returned to Nashville, where he began recording demo tapes and writing his own material. Eventually, Hayes partnered with a songwriter named Chick Rains, who recommended him to Don Cook, a record producer who has produced albums for several country music artists, including Brooks & Dunn.

Musical career

With Cook's help, Hayes was signed to a record deal with Columbia Records in late 1994. The same year, Hayes' debut single, "Old Enough to Know Better", was released, and by early 1995, it peaked at Number One on the "Billboard" Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. The single was followed by the release of Hayes' debut album, also titled "Old Enough to Know Better", which produced three additional Top Ten singles on the country music charts, and was certified gold by the RIAA. Also in 1995, Hayes was nominated for Top New Male Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association.

"On a Good Night", Hayes' second album, was released in 1996. Although the album's lead-off single (which was the title track) peaked at #2 on the country charts, the second singles fell short of the top 40. Nonetheless, "On a Good Night" was also certified gold. In 1997, Hayes also issued a cover of Glen Campbell's song "Wichita Lineman", although this cover was not released on an album.

1998 saw the release of Hayes' third and final album for Columbia, titled "When the Wrong One Loves You Right". The album's first single, "The Day That She Left Tulsa (In a Chevy)", reached Top 5 on the country charts, while "How Do You Sleep at Night" (the third single) peaked at #13. Both singles also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100. Hayes considered "When the Wrong One Loves You Right" as a more mature effort than his first two albums, with more of an emphasis on ballads. [cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1473654/20030708/hayes_wade.jhtml |title=CMT.com : Wade Hayes : Wade Hayes Shifts Gears |accessdate=2007-10-12 |work=CMT.com]

The same year, Hayes married former Miss USA runner-up Danni Boatwright, who appeared in the video for Hayes' single "Tore Up from the Floor Up" (a single from "When the Wrong One Loves You Right". Boatwright later achieved fame as a contestant on the CBS reality television series "Survivor". [cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1474989/20030730/hayes_wade.jhtml |title=CMT.com : Wade Hayes : Wade's Wedding |accessdate=2007-10-12 |work=CMT.com] [cite web |url=http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/articles/person.php?p=516 |title=Danni Boatwright contestant information |accessdate=2007-10-12 |work=Reality TV world] Also in 1998, Hayes posed fully clothed in "Playgirl" magazine. [cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1475306/20030804/hayes_wade.jhtml |title=CMT.com : Wade Hayes : Hayes in "Playgirl" |accessdate=2007-10-12 |work=CMT.com]

By 2000, Hayes had switched from Columbia Records to Monument Records. His fourth and final album, titled "Highways & Heartaches", was released in 2000. Two singles were released from the album before Hayes was dropped from Monument's roster.

McHayes

Three years after having been signed to Monument, Hayes joined Mark McClurg, a former member of Alan Jackson's road band, to form a duo called McHayes. McHayes charted one single on the "Billboard" country charts, and recorded a studio album on the Universal South label. However, due to the single's poor performance, the album was never released.

Discography

Albums

ingles

References

External links

* [http://www.wadehayes.com Official Wade Hayes website]