Thomas Avery Hays (August 12, 1929 – May 13, 2023) was an American guitarist, band leader and vocalist; and was one of the last living members of the great musicians who created The Bakersfield Sound.[1]
Tommy Hays | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Thomas Avery Hays |
| Born | August 12, 1929 Hartshorne, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | May 13, 2023 (aged 93) Bakersfield, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, bandleader, singer |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1939–2023 |
Hays started playing the guitar in church when he was 10 years old. He performed on the Billy Mize TV Show, Cousin Herb Show, was a member of the house band for the Lucky Spot[2] and the Blackboard and had his own radio show on KMPC. Tommy played on stage with many of the old timers who were part of creating the Bakersfield Sound. Tommy was in the band that gave Buck Owens his first gig, with Dusty Rhodes, at a bar called the Roundup.[3]
Hays had been playing in the honky-tonks in and around Bakersfield for over fifty years. Recognized as one of the original “Bakersfield Sound” pioneers,[4] he helped forge this unique and definitive sound. Driven by the piano, steel and Telecaster guitar, the Bakersfield Sound was a reaction to the early ‘50s and ‘60s sweetening of country music epitomized by the Nashville Sound.
Along with the Western Swingsters which also included Big Bill Wilkerson, he released the CD 60 Years of Western Swing in 2006.
Hays was inducted into the Western Swing Society Hall of Fame in 2010.[5]
Hays lived in Bakersfield, California, and played locally until his death on May 13, 2023, at the age of 93.[6][7]
Discography
edit- 60 Years of Western Swing (2006)
References
edit- ^ Bakersfield Observed Remembering the old Blackboard bar
- ^ Legacy.com Johnny Barnett Obituary
- ^ Book excerpt page 209 Workin' Man Blues: Country Music in California By Gerald W. Haslam
- ^ VisitBakersfield.com History of the Bakersfield Sound
- ^ Western Swing Society Archived 2015-04-10 at the Wayback Machine Listing of Western Swing Society Hall of Fame Inductees
- ^ That Bakersfield Sound Archived 2014-12-18 at the Wayback Machine Bakersfield Sound article
- ^ "Bakersfield country musician Tommy Hays dead at 93". 23ABC Bakersfield. May 15, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
External links
edit- Echoes of Bakersfield, an informational archive site.
- Article about the Bakersfield Sound, Tales and Reflections.
- Another Bakersfield Sound article Totally Explained.
- Walking the Floor with Chris Shiflett Tommy Hays about his life and the golden age of the Bakersfield Sound
- KERO 23 article Two Legends Play At Crystal Palace
- BillyMizeMovie.com Coming to a Palace near you: The Billy Mize film