Artist description Erin Hay has a strong following in the European traditional country fan base and the overseas DJ's have dubbed her the new Queen of the Honky Tonk Angels. ...........Contact: Erin Hay ........... P.O. Box 41818 ......... Nashville, Tn. 37204 ...................

Music Style Country

Musical Influences Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Kitty Wells

Similar Artists Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Patty Loveless, Lorrie Morgan, Connie Smith, Becky Hobbs, Kitty Wells, Ray Price, Buck Owens, Dale Watson, Faron Young, Jack Greene, Mark Chesnutt, Lefty Frizzell

Artist History Erin Hay.............Biography............... Erin was born and raised in Southern California. Born to Edward and Patricia Hay on November 25, 1970, she has always been a performer and has always loved music. In fact, if you listen to her mom, she'll tell you Erin "sang" her first song at 3 months old. Erin was exposed to all kinds of music growing up, from Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney and Judy Garland to her Dad's favorite, Marty Robbins. But at age seven, when she heard Dolly Parton sing for the first time, Erin's love and admiration for traditional country music began to grow. She discovered Loretta Lynn after the film Coal Miner's Daughter came out and soon after discovered Tammy Wynette. These great ladies, along with the likes of George Jones, Jack Greene and Roy Acuff, became her influences, and it was through them that Erin was introduced to stories of Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry. She quickly took to the music and to the tradition. This is what she loves to sing. Although singing was a great love of hers, it seemed acting was more of a calling throughout school. In 1987, Erin entered the Fountain Valley Jr. Miss Pageant and won the Performing Arts Award for performing a comedic monologue from Lily Tomlin's one woman show, "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe." Erin had plans of attending UCLA as a Theatre Arts major. She had aspirations of following in the footsteps of her two other idols, Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett. This, of course, never happened. While attending college in California, Erin realized she did not take the acting craft as seriously as everyone else did. What she did take seriously was her music. Erin knew in her heart that Nashville was where she wanted to be. The real turning point came after a visit backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and a meeting with Mr. Roy Acuff. That was the environment she longed for. She wanted to sing on that stage and knew she had some dues to pay. Erin moved to Nashville in 1991 with her mother to attend Belmont University as a Music Business major. Since the move, Erin has interned at RCA Records and Sony Music, she's recorded many demos for Nashville songwriters, performed at many new artist nights in Nashville clubs and at the Tennessee State Fair. She recorded her first independent album, Somebody's Angel, in 1992 with the help of good friend and songwriter, Lonnie Ratliff. Erin graduated from Belmont in 1995 and was hired at a film production company in Nashville, working with such artists as Garth Brooks, Faith Hill and Janet Jackson, but Erin's first love is still her music. She completed her second independent album, Honky Tonk Heaven, in October of 2000. It received great reviews around the world and was a #6 import CD in the UK in April of 2000. Erin just released her third independent album, The Circle. It is a project that both Erin and her producer, Lonnie, are very proud of. It's fourteen cuts of the music she loves, music she hopes would have made Mr. Acuff proud. She's proud to have two duets on the CD, one with Grand Ole Opry star, Ernie Ashworth, "Gotta Travel On," which did very well for them in Europe, and one with Grand Ole Opry star, Jack Greene, on the Tommy Collins song, "High On A Hilltop." Erin is also very proud of the liner note her idol, Loretta Lynn, graced her with for the new CD, "Erin is a great singer. Maybe the Opry will find that out someday." Erin has also enjoyed a lot of success on MP3.com, a web site devoted to independent artists, and has obtained a wide following in the European market, being dubbed the "New Queen of the Honky Tonk Angels." Erin's song, "I Got the Blues Again," is one of the most downloaded Country songs on MP3.com, and it was featured in the Robert Altman/Alan Rudolph film, Trixie, last year. She is very grateful to the people of MP3.com and to the European and US disc jockeys playing her music. Erin is definitely having fun on her road to the Grand Ole Opry, and if she is destined to sing on that great stage some day, it will be the pinnacle in her singing career not just a stepping stone.

Press Reviews Metro Country .... England ...December 2001...Review of THE CIRCLE....Latest CD from one of my favourite country music lady's. "The Circle" is a 14 track album containing 4 original's and 10 covers of some classic country songs. The title track says it all about this fine artist. Written by producer Lonnie Ratliff, "The Circle" tells of Erin's dream of one day standing in the circle where Hank Williams once stood, centre stage at the Grand Ole Opry. I have a real strong feeling that dream isn't very far away. There are some excellent versions on here of classics like; Bob Wills' "My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You,"one of my all time favourite songs this one and Erin does it full justice with her wonderful presentation of it here. Erin credits Dolly Parton as being her main inspiration for singing Country Music and she pays homage to the legendary star with good covers of "False Eyelashes" and "Tomorrow Is Forever," two songs previously recorded by Dolly, with the latter also coming from Dolly's own pen. "Walk On By" was a major hit for Leroy Van Dyke in the early 60s……….it even spawned an answer song from Margie Singleton, "I'll Walk On By"………….and you will be hard pressed to find a better cover than this one here. There are 3 duets on the album as she teams up with Jack Greene for a spine tingling version of the late Tommy Collins' "High On A Hilltop," Opry veteran and Grammy nominee, Ernie Ashworth shares the mike for "Gotta Travel On," …..a hit for Billy Grammer back in 1959….while Loretta Lynn's steel guitarist Perley Curtis is her partner for the excellent love ballad, "His & Hers," Perley has a great voice and according to the liner notes is currently pursuing a solo career. I for one will be listening out for his first album! Talking of Loretta Lynn, the star also contributes to the liner notes by stating, "Erin is a good singer. Maybe the Opry will find that out one day. I love her singing." Erin also covers Stonewall Jackson's chart topping, "BJ The DJ," as a tribute to Stonewall and also to say thank you to all the DJ's who play her music.(I don't think they would need much persuasion to do that). Erin Hay is country to the core. Forget all the Nashpop coming from the major's these days, if you like REAL country music, then they don't come any more traditional than this exceptionally talented young lady. "The Circle" is a wonderful, 14 track, value for money album, with not a bad track to be and is a must for any serious country music fans collection! ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Country Music People Magazine....March 2001....Erin Hay-Honky Tonk Heaven....Review by: Craig Baguley***4 1/2 stars***.....It's an apt title, for sure. If you like dyed-in-the-wool honky tonk, plastered with sizzling steel and fiddle, you'll love this. With a touch of Connie Smith in her vocals, Erin Hay proves she's right at home in the world of shuffles, twosteps and barroom ballads. California-born, Erin's been in Nashville a few years now - she cut her first album, Somebody's Angel, way back in 1992 - but her obvious dedication to hardcore country music, shining through on her bright, glowing vocals, probably doesn't gain her any favors on Music Row. The choice of material is well thought out, from classic songs like "There Goes My Everything" and Loretta's "Honky Tonk Girl" to lesser-known gems such as Skip Ewing and Max D. Barnes' achingly beautiful "Autumn's Not That Cold." The production and playing exhibit a spirit that you rarely find on major label projects these days where ProTools, sampling and technical accuracy take precedence over feel - not that a simple country album like this would be considered by heavyweight label in Music City. I loved the kickoff cut, "You're A Lesson I've Already Learned," with its extended fiddle intro. I loved the animated two-step, "Bad Luck." I loved the torchy Patsy Cline-ish "I Got The Blues Again." I loved the midtempo shuffle "If The Phone Don't Ring." I loved the slow, self-exploratory "Mirror Mirror (On The Wall)." Darn it, I just loved everything on this album. At every listen, the star rating goes up and up, so I think I'd better stop here. It's not world-beating. It's not making history. It's not breaking new ground. It's just REAL country music................................................................................................................................................ (2) Review from Listen-To.com Hometown:......... Nashville, Tennessee.......... US........................ Erin Hay could very well be the new Queen of the Honky-Tonk Angels. Her backline consists of Nashville musicians who sound descended from the old timey session guns on any of yesteryear's classic recordings -- sons of guns if you will. Hay's voice invokes the past like it was heaven sent. Her elastic inflections are dripping with the honey of pure high-lonesome tones. She manages to infuse her own relevant visions into the song structures, which keeps her from being pigeonholed as a retro act. .....................................Review In My Kind Of Country by Linda Fryer..........................Erin HayCD: Honky Tonk HeavenARTIST: Erin HayPRODUCER: Lonnie Ratliff I’m not sure I’ve recently heard REAL country music—the old- fashioned kind, in quite this way, for quite awhile. Not THIS strong, anyway! Erin Hay has it all—perfect "country singer" voice, great musicians to back her up, excellent material, and a producer (Lonnie Ratliff) who knew exactly how to bring it all together.I’ve listened to a lot of artists; seasoned vets, big stars, independents, and brand new kids on the scene. Some have just knocked me right outta my chair. Some have me hooked with the very first note. And some, sadly, just haven’t moved me at all. "Honky Tonk Heaven", Erin’s second album, (the first was "Somebody’s Angel") is one of those CD’s that will go into my "good country tunes" stack, to be played a LOT! And I’ll listen to it, every time I feel a pang in my soul, for honky tonk country music. This is one CD that will never be out-dated. It’s one I’ll go back to again and again. Why? Because it satisfies my need for the kind of music that can only RARELY be found on the radio today. The kind that reminds me of why I really love country music! Erin Hay is another of the independent and VERY talented artists being represented by Stardust International Records, and Colonel Buster Doss. And I hope she gets all the recognition she deserves—both in Europe, AND right here in the good ol’ USA. I recommend that you stop by www.MP3.com/erinhay to hear her music, and send her your words of encouragement at erinhay@usa.com Erin Hay is someone that I’m bettin’ we’ll hear more about, in the future. I hope not the too DISTANT future, either! And, wow, I just love writing reviews like this. Its always good to have to search for enough POSITIVE words to cover everything. And this one sure does deserve a lot of them! Yep, it’s only MY opinion. And yep, as always,…"An Independent View".By: Linda FryerFreelance Music/Entertainment Journalistwww.mkoc.com/CountryFryed/ Lfryer1324@aol.com ......................................"If it's too Country for everyone else, it's just right for me!" says Erin Hay, and listening to this 14 track album, the lady leaves you with no doubt that she means it. Influenced by Country Music Queen's such as Wynette, Parton, & Lynn, Erin, who has a voice I would describe as a cross between Tammy Wynette and Lorrie Morgan, even takes on Tammy's "Your Good Girls Gonna Go Bad" and turns in .....for me......an even better performance then the late star herself! There's also great versions of the much covered....both pop & country....Dallas Frazier penned, "There Goes My Everything," and Faron Young's Country chart topper, "Alone With You," as well as an excellent reading of Loretta's "Honky Tonk Girl." Other stand out tracks........although there isn't a bad track on the album......include the very catchy shuffler, "You're A Lesson I've Already Learned," the rockin' "Bad Luck," and a spine tingling rendition of the Skip Ewing penned ballad, "Autumn's Not That Cold." If the major labels weren't too busy looking for their next big hit in the POP charts, they would be fighting tooth and nail for this very talented young lady's signature. She's that good!!!!!! Get down to your local record shop straight away and place an order for "Honky Tonk Heaven," I guarantee, you won't be disappointed.Ray Grundy - Metro CountryUnited Kingdom

Location Nashville, Tn. - USA

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