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All Music Guide:
At the age of 19, Hunter Hayes became one of the hottest new stars in country music, having signed with a major label and attracted plenty of press attention and airplay, but despite his youth, this wasn't really new for Hayes -- he was playing for paying audiences at the age of five and cut his first album when he was only nine. Hayes was born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana in 1991, and showed a keen interest in music at an early age. His family was proud of their Cajun heritage, and young Hayes was had a regular babysitter who was a fan of legendary Cajun accordionist Aldus Roger. Hayes began singing the melodies of Roger's songs around the house, and when his folks bought him a toy accordion, he was playing Cajun tunes on it within a few days. By the age of five, he had moved up to a custom-made accordion designed to work with his small hands, and he was regularly sitting in with local Cajun bands that played at a local restaurant. Hayes became a minor celebrity in Louisiana, appearing on local television programs, playing a bit part in Robert Duvall's film The Apostle, joining Hank Williams, Jr. on-stage to perform "Jambalaya" at a concert in front of 200,000 fans, and meeting the likes of Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, and Bill Clinton. In 2000, he recorded his first album, Through My Eyes, for a regional label, with the youngster playing accordion, singing, and writing several songs as well as performing a handful of Cajun standards. He wrote or so-wrote seven of the thirteen songs on his second independent album, 2001's Make a Wish, which he helped to produce. While Hayes had already mastered keyboards and accordion, he expanded his repertoire to include guitar, mandolin, bass, and percussion, and as a teenager, he assembled a home recording setup, learning more about the rudiments of record making. In 2009, Hayes moved to Nashville, hoping to make a mark in country music, and he signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group; Rascal Flatts recorded one of his tunes, "Play," on their 2010 album Nothing Like This. Producer and songwriter Dann Huff, who had worked on the Rascal Flatts album, teamed up with Hayes to produce Hayes' first major-label project after he landed a deal with Atlantic Records. In the summer of 2011, Hayes' single "Storm Warning" was released and made the country Top 40; he wrote the song as well as singing and playing all the instruments himself. His debut album Hunter Hayes was scheduled for release later in 2011, and as his single rode the charts, he spent part of the summer touring small venues as a headliner, and large arenas opening for Taylor Swift.
Wikipedia:
Hunter Easton Hayes (born September 9, 1991) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is signed to Atlantic Records Nashville, which released his debut single "Storm Warning" on May 16, 2011. His self titled album was released on October 11, 2011.
Biography
Hayes was born on September 9, 1991 in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana to Lynette and Leo Hayes. He began his musical career at age two when his grandmother gave him a toy accordion. At age four, he began making appearances at local performances and on national television, including showings on Maury, Rosie O'Donnell, and Nickelodeon's series Figure It Out. At the age of 13, Hayes appeared on "America's Most Talented Kids," a show hosted by Dave Coulier. He performed the hit Hank Williams song, "Hey Good Lookin'."
In 2008, he moved from his hometown of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana to Nashville, Tennessee to be signed with Universal Music Publishing Group as a songwriter. He graduated in 2007, at the age of 16, and in 2010, co-wrote "Play" for the Rascal Flatts album Nothing Like This. In September 2010, Hayes was signed to Atlantic Records Nashville and released his debut single "Storm Warning" on May 16, 2011. It was the first single from his debut album, on which Hayes played every instrument and co-produced with Dann Huff. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the single three stars out of five, praising the lyrics and comparing Hayes' voice favorably to Rascal Flatts' lead singer Gary LeVox, with whom Hayes toured from January to February 2012 on the Rascal Flatts "Thaw Out" tour. Hayes' debut, self-titled album, Hunter Hayes was released on October 11, 2011.
Hayes appeared as the opening act of ten dates of country star Taylor Swift's Speak Now World Tour throughout the summer of 2011 and concluded his leg of the tour in St. Louis, Missouri. He went on his own radio tour that lasted several weeks on which he debuted songs that would appear on his self titled album. Hayes concluded the first leg his debut headlining tour entitled the Most Wanted Tour. This leg of the tour began on October 8, 2011 in Beaumont, Texas and ended on December 4, 2011 in San Bernardino, California. Hayes and actress/singer Victoria Justice contributed a duet to the soundtrack of 2011's Footloose remake, recording a cover of Mike Reno and Ann Wilson's 1984 hit "Almost Paradise" from the original film. Hayes made a sneak appearance on the compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 41 with his song "Somebody's Heartbreak," originally heard on his self-titled album. "Where We Left Off" is an original song, written by Hayes, that can be heard on the soundtrack for the 2012 war film Act of Valor. In Fall 2012 Hayes will be the headliner for Carrie Underwood's Blown Away Tour.
