Colin James Hay (born 29 June 1953) is a Scottish-Australian musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and the sole continuous member of the band

Men at Work Men at Work are an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1978 and best known for breakthrough hits such as " Down Under", "Who Can It Be Now?", " Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and frontman is C ...

, and later as a solo artist. Hay's music has been used frequently by actor and director

Zach Braff Zachary Israel Braff'Scrubs' Star Zach Braff Wows ...

in his work, which helped a career rebirth in the mid-2000s. Hay has also been a member of

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band is a live rock supergroup founded in 1989 with shifting personnel, led by former Beatles drummer and vocalist Ringo Starr. History and description Since 1989, Starr has toured with fourteen variations of the b ...

. Hay has made appearances in movies such as '' Cosi'' (1996) and in television shows such as ''

The Larry Sanders Show ''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. The series was created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein and aired from August 15, 1992, to May 31, 1998, on the HBO ...

'', '' JAG'', '' The Mick Molloy Show'', '' A Million Little Things'', and '' Scrubs''. In ''Scrubs'' he performs an acoustic version of the

hit " Overkill". His music also appeared in television series '' What About Brian'', '' The Black Donnellys'', ''

Cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking * Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are ...

'', and the BBC medical drama '' Casualty''.

Early life

Colin James Hay was born on 29 June 1953 in

Saltcoats Saltcoats ( gd, Baile an t-Salainn) is a town on the west coast of North Ayrshire, Scotland. The name is derived from the town's earliest industry when salt was harvested from the sea water of the Firth of Clyde, carried out in small cottages al ...

, a town on the west coast of

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east a ...

, Scotland to James and Isabela Hay. In 1967, when he was 14, the Hays emigrated to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. His parents owned a small music shop; his father, a piano tuner, had been a stage singer and dancer in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

Career

1978–1986: Men at Work

In 1978, Hay met Ron Strykert and they formed an acoustic duo. In 1979, Hay and Strykert added Jerry Speiser and

Greg Ham Gregory Norman Ham (27 September 1953 – 19 April 2012) was an Australian musician, songwriter, and actor, best known as a member of the 1980s band Men at Work. He played saxophone, flute, organ, piano, and synthesizer. Early life Ham was born ...

started composing songs for what would become

.Entries at

Australian Rock Database The Australian Rock Database was a website with a searchable online database that listed details of Australian rock music artists, albums, bands, producers and record labels. It was established in 2000 by Swedish national Magnus Holmgren, who had ...

: *Colin Hay/Colin Hay Band: *Men at Work (1979–1986, 1995–present): The band released their debut studio album, '' Business as Usual'', in 1981, which was followed by ''

Cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including tra ...

'' (1983) and '' Two Hearts'' (1985) before breaking up in January 1986. In 1986, Hay joined as guest vocalist with

the Incredible Penguins The Incredible Penguins were an Australian supergroup formed in 1985, which reached the top ten on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart with their cover of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" in December. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albu ...

in for a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

of "

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a Christmas song released in 1971 as a single by John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir. It was the seventh single release by John Lennon outside his work with the Beatles. The song reach ...

", a charity project for research on

little penguin The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is a species of penguin from New Zealand. They are commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage and are also known by their Māori name . The Australian li ...

s, which peaked at No. 10 on the Australian

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent (historian), David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music ...

in December 1985. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until

ARIA In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

created their own

charts A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974. Note: n-lineversion established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition.

1987–1993: solo career beginnings

Following the break-up of Men at Work in 1986, Hay released his debut single "Hold Me" in January 1987. The song peaked at number 40 on the Kent Music Report. His debut studio album, '' Looking for Jack'' was released in March 1987 and peaked at number 58. Hay relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in 1989. He settled in the Topanga region of the city and has resided in the United States since. In January 2016 he became a US citizen. In March 1990, Hay released "Into My Life", the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from his second studio album, ''

Wayfaring Sons ''Wayfaring Sons'' is the second solo album by the Scottish-Australian singer Colin Hay, released in 1990. The album peaked at number 118 on the ARIA charts. Critical reception The ''Calgary Herald'' wrote: "From Australia, basic pop music that ...

'', which was released in April 1990. Neither single nor album reached the ARIA top 100.*For ''Wayfaring Sons'' and "Into My Life" The album was credited to the Colin Hay Band which consisted of Gerry Hale, Paul Gadsby and Robert Dillon. In 1992, Hay released the acoustic album '' Peaks & Valleys''. The album featured Hay's sister, Carol on vocals.

1994–2004: ARIA Hall of Fame and Lazy Eye Records

At the

ARIA Music Awards of 1994 The Eighth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) was held on 30 March 1994 at the State Theatre in Sydney. Radio and TV personality Richard Stubbs hosted the ce ...

, Hay was inducted into the

ARIA Hall of Fame In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompani ...

as a member of

. In 1994, Hay established his own recording label, Lazy Eye Records, and released his fourth studio album, '' Topanga''. In 1996, Hay reunited with Men at Work and toured South America, which led to the live Men at Work album, ''

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

''. In October 1998, Hay released his fifth studio album, ''

Transcendental Highway ''Transcendental Highway'' is the fifth studio album by Scottish-Australian singer Colin Hay, released in 1998. Track listing All songs written by Colin Hay except where noted: #"Transcendental Highway" (Dale, Hay) – 5:49 #"Don't Believe Y ...

'' and in 1999 recorded and released the song "Misty Bay" with his girlfriend, Cecilia Noël. On 1 October 2000, Hay performed with Men at Work at the

2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony The 2000 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony also known as "Let's Party!" was held on 1 October 2000 in Stadium Australia. As with the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony was directed by Ric Birch as Director of Ceremonies while David Atkins ...

. In 2001, Hay released his sixth studio album, ''

Going Somewhere ''Going Somewhere'' is the sixth solo album by Scottish–Australian singer Colin Hay, released in 2001. Track listing All songs written by Colin Hay, except where noted. #"Beautiful World" – 4:04 #"Looking for Jack" (Alsop, Hay) – 2:56 #"G ...

''. In 2002, Hay released his seventh studio album '' Company of Strangers'' and the video album ''Live at the Continental'' recorded in 2000. In July 2003, Hay released his eighth studio album, '' Man @ Work'', re-recording some Men at Work hits and his solo songs. Hay toured North America with former Beatles

, as a member of his

. In 2004 Hay launched his one-man show named ''Man at Work'', a mixture of songs and stories.

2005–2020: Continued success

In 2006 Hay provided his voice for one of the characters in the computer-animated film '' The Wild''. In April 2007, Hay released his ninth studio album, '' Are You Lookin' at Me?''. In 2008, Hay plays the role of Nick at the horror movie '' The Uninvited''. In May 2009, Hay performed at the Artist for the Arts Foundation benefit at Barnum Hall, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, California. Performing alongside

Curt Smith Curt Smith (born 24 June 1961) is a British singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and co-founding member of the pop rock band Tears for Fears along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Smith plays bass guitar, has co-written severa ...

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new ...

, Fee Waybill of

the Tubes The Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band. Their eponymous 1975 debut album included the single " White Punks on Dope," while their 1983 single " She's a Beauty" was a top-10 U.S. hit and its music video was frequently played in the early ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, and over 70 members of the

Santa Monica High School Santa Monica High School, officially abbreviated to SaMoHi, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1891, it changed location several times in its early years before settling into its present campus at 601 Pico Boulevard. It is a part o ...

Orchestra and Girls Choir, the benefit helped to provide funds for the continuation of music education in public schools. In August 2009, Hay released his tenth studio album, '' American Sunshine''. In 2010, Hay released the live album, ''Live at the Corner'', filmed in 2007 at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, Australia. In August 2010, Hay performed in

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ; fla, label= Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County. It is located along the Clark Fork ...

with a Los Angeles

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid subgenres from the later 1960s, including blues rock, country rock, Southern rock, ...

band named

Patrolled By Radar Patrolled By Radar (PBR) is a roots rock trio based in Los Angeles. The band blends alt-country, blues and soul with "equal parts British invasion, cow-punk and Americana ... songwriting respected as craft". After dismantling his group 50 Cent ...

. In May 2011, Hay released his eleventh studio album ''

Gathering Mercury ''Gathering Mercury'' is the eleventh studio album by Colin Hay, released on 9 May 2011, on Compass Records. Regarding the album's thematic content, Hay said, "I think it’s about life and loss and the injustice of the way the universe is set up; ...

''. In 2011, Hay commented on his early solo career, stating, "After Men at Work, for the better part of a decade, I was stumbling around being unfocused. It was pre-internet; I really had to try to find my audiences by going out on tour. Men at Work really didn't build a foundational audience. We came in as a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

band with enormous radio success; once that goes away and the band breaks up the audience tends to go away with it. You're left with what you want to make of it. When you start out doing those tours, you start again ndyou tend not to attract a very big number of people. I'd play to a hundred people or sometimes less." In December 2013, Hay announced on his website that he was done touring "for the time being" and would spend 2014 writing and recording. In February 2015, Hay released his twelfth studio album, ''Next Year People''. The album was preceded by the single "Trying to Get to You". On 4 August 2015, ''Colin Hay: Waiting for my Real Life'', a documentary film about Hay, debuted at the

Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venice Film Fes ...

. On 27 January 2017, he released the first single, "A Thousand Million Reasons", from his thirteenth studio album ''Fierce Mercy'', released in March 2017. ''Fierce Mercy'' debuted at number 44 on the ARIA chart, becoming his second solo chart entry in Australia. The album was promoted with his segments on ''

Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery ''Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery'' was an Australian television interview series, starring Julia Zemiro and produced by Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder. Each episode featured Zemiro interviewing a celebrity or prominent person while visiting locations i ...

'' and '' Sunday Night''. Also in 2017, Hay released his first audiobook, ''Aesop's Fables with Colin Hay'', published by Devault-Graves Digital Editions, for which he narrated 24 of

Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Of diverse origins, the stories associated with his name have descended to ...

written by author

Tom Graves John Thomas Graves Jr. (born February 3, 1970) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2020. Graves previously served one term as the U.S. representative for from 2010 to 2013, followin ...

2021–present: "Down Under" remix success

In August 2021, Hay released his fourteenth studio album, ''I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself''. The album features 10 versions of some of Hay's favourite songs from

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

( Norwegian Wood,

Across the Universe "Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album ''No One's Gonna Change Our W ...

) Blind Faith,

Del Amitri Del Amitri are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Glasgow in 1980. Between 1985 and 2002, the band released six studio albums. Their 1995 single " Roll to Me" reached number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Five Del Amitri albums have ...

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

, Faces, Gerry and the Pacemakers,

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

( Wichita Lineman),

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...

(

Many Rivers to Cross "Many Rivers to Cross" is a song written and recorded in 1969 by Jimmy Cliff. It has since been recorded by many musicians, including Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, Joe Cocker, Percy Sledge, Little Milton, Desmond Dekker, UB40, Cher, The Br ...

) and

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

( Waterloo Sunset). In late 2021, Australian producer Christian "Luude" Benson (from the Tasmanian electronic dance music duo

Choomba Choomba is an Australian electronic dance music duo consisting of cousins, record producer Christian Benson and Timothy Benson. The project formed in 2019. They received full rotation on Triple J with their song "La Luh". The pair have play ...

) remixed Men at Work's "Down Under" as a drum and bass track, with Hay re-recording the vocal for the track's release on the Sweat It Out record label. "Down Under" by Luude featuring Colin Hay charted at number 32 on the UK Singles chart on 7 January 2022 and at number 48 in Australia (ARIA Top 50 Singles for week of 10 January 2022). Hay's fifteenth studio album, ''Now and the Evermore'', was released on 18 March 2022.

Personal life

Hay is married to singer Cecilia Noël, who often provides backing vocals at his shows. Noël has also helped with production on Hay's solo studio albums. Hay said of his ninth solo studio album, '' Are You Lookin' at Me?'' (2007) that "She was really crucial. She was a really great

sounding board A sounding board, also known as a tester and abat-voix is a structure placed above and sometimes also behind a pulpit or other speaking platform that helps to project the sound of the speaker. It is usually made of wood. The structure may be spe ...

for me. She's a really good producer in the sense that she's very musical and has a great sense of song structure and so forth. So she was great to bounce ideas off. And she sang on nearly all the songs. So she was really a great part of this record". Hay and Noël live in

Topanga Canyon Topanga () (Tongva: ''Topaa'nga'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow s ...

in the

area. On 13 February 2009, former

band member Ron Strykert was arrested for allegedly making death threats against Hay. Colin became an American citizen in 2016. He also has a residence in St Kilda, Melbourne.

Discography

* '' Looking for Jack'' (1987) * ''

'' (1990) * '' Peaks & Valleys'' (1992) * '' Topanga'' (1994) * ''

'' (1998) * ''

'' (2001) * '' Company of Strangers'' (2002) * '' Man @ Work'' (2003) * '' Are You Lookin' at Me?'' (2007) * '' American Sunshine'' (2009) * ''

'' (2011) * ''Next Year People'' (2015) * ''Fierce Mercy'' (2017) * ''I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself'' (2021) * ''Now and the Evermore'' (2022)

Acting

After performing in Men at Work, Hay performed in a number of films and TV shows, usually in small roles.

Countdown Australian Music Awards

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and ev ...

'' was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine ''

TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

''. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards. , - , 1982 , himself (Men at Work) , Best Songwriter , , - , 1983 , himself , Songwriter of the Year , , -

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, Colin 1953 births Living people APRA Award winners Australian expatriates in the United States Australian male actors Australian rock guitarists Australian rock singers Male new wave singers Men at Work members People from Kilwinning Reggae rock musicians Scottish emigrants to Australia Australian male guitarists Australian male singer-songwriters Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band members