Hayley Oliver Biography

Hayley Claire Oliver (born 24 April 1976) is a British country music singer. She has released two solo albums and one band project to date. She has received rave reviews in UK country music publications and airplay around the world on local country radio, nationally on BBC Radio 2 and right across the local BBC country network.

Biography

The youngest of five girls, Oliver was born in South London, At the age of eleven, Hayley was nominated to sing solo at the Royal Albert Hall, and this led to her making her first record (Saint of the Orphans), and subsequent television appearances on "The Wide Awake Club", and "Going Live". Oliver had vocal coach training from aged twelve for a few years and to this day continues to keep up with her vocal excises. Her success at such an early age made Hayley want to have a career in music, but first she had to finish her education. She studied at Linden Lodge School, the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford for 4 years where she took Diplomas in business administration. She then studied at the University of Glamorgan, gaining a BA Honours Degree in Business Studies. In 2002 Hayley entered, and won, the Joe Pasquale's "Curtain Call" talent showcase, which has led to many other concert appearances since then. In 2006, Hayley released her first self-produced album Two Hearts, drawing rare reviews it led to her winning the Evy of Canada Award for Best New Artist 2007. Oliver's musically influences growing up were in the country world, listening to Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Tammy Wynette and traditional country music that her parents played. Later she then worked with Nashville writers and producers on brand new material, which resulted in her second solo album I Can Still Dream, released in October 2009.

Over recent years Hayley has performed regularly with various artists and bands. In 2005, she met lead guitarist Lee Ellis which led to Hayley forming her own band not wanting to go out as a solo artist. This project evolved with the release in 2010 of Naturally, recorded in two days at Ten21 studios in Kent, this captures and showcases the band's live sound.

Musical career

Two Hearts

Oliver's self-produced debut album, released in 2006. It includes some of her favourite classic country songs as well as the title track "Two Hearts Dancing As One", written by two of UK's finest country music writers Sue Bennett and Lorna Flowers.

I Can Still Dream

In 2009, Oliver's released I Can Still Dream, her second self-produced solo album. This is a collection of original songs. Album demos were sent to Tennessee followed by editing, mixing and mastering in Maidstone, Kent. In February 2010 this album produced chart topping positions on the Country Hotdisc Charts with the release of the single 'Another Lonely Night'. It stayed at # 1 for 6 weeks on the British & Irish Independent Chart and was # 1 on the main Top 40 Chart. On 7 February 2010 Hayley was made the Sunday Spotlight artist on BBC Radio 2 when her song "Be Love" was featured. "An authentic country sound from a fresh and breezy British artist" - Maverick Magazine February 2010

Naturally

In 2010, The Hayley Oliver Band released this cover songs project. Lee Ellis drafted in two friends from the band Rare Breed, which was formed back in the nineties, comprising Nigel Nesbitt and Wayne Lee (the son of guitarist Albert Lee). Together they had the honour of performing with Albert Lee and supporting him on various occasions across the country, with Rare Breed. With bass and keyboards in place, Ellis then looked to another friend, Scott Gladman, on acoustic guitar and then finally Julian McLaren (Marianne Faithful/Sean Maguire) on drums. Hayley needed to showcase her talents on the live circuit, and with two albums recorded she needed a way to get the music across to her wide and varied audience. The band first came together in February 2009 and began to rehearse for their first gig at the Viking Rooms on 18 April 2009. They have continued with the live performances and recorded their first album, Naturally with Hayley. This album has already produced two chart-topping positions on the Country Hotdisc Charts with the release of the singles "Tell Me Why" written by Karla Bonoff, which was a hit for Wynonna Judd and "I'm A Little Bluer Than That", written by Irene Kelley and Mark Irwin which was recorded by Kelley on her CD Simple Path. This song also appeared on the CD Drive by country singer Alan Jackson.

With this third chart No. 1 from three releases, the band have now become the most successful British act ever to appear on Hotdisc. No other UK act has managed three number ones in the main Top 40 before. The Hayley Oliver Band have been invited to go to Nashville in November. They will be representing the UK, taking part in a WSM Radio event, who are putting on an International show of six country acts at the Loveless Caf on 9 November 2000. The show will be broadcast live in HD via the Internet.

Since then, Hayley and the band released "Arbinger Grove" with guest appearances by Albert Lee, Gerry Hogan and John Permenter. The album was critically acclaimed as being of international standard, but conflicting commitments had caused some original band members to depart and, after the band's hugely successful show at the 2014 Kolding Festival in Denmark, Hayley decided to leave and pursue a slightly different path, including a more "rootsty" Americana approach, rather than the full-on sound that was the trademark of the "H.O.B.". The "unplugged" approach proved a huge success as a theatre show. In 2015, Hayley and her new band played the main stage at the Americana International Festival, and have started taking bookings in various forms. A new album may be on the cards for 2016, along with a return to Nashville, and taking up an invitation to visit Austin, Texas.

Hayley's current band (2014, on..)

• Harley Dave: Electric, Acoustic and Baritone guitars
• Shaun Murray: Electric, Acoustic and Spanish guitars and Mandolin.
• Chris Dunn: Bass
• Sue Lusk: Drums

"Hayley Oliver Band" (2010 - 2014) members were

• Hayley Oliver: lead vocal
• Lee Ellis: lead guitars, vocals
• Nigel Nesbitt: bass guitars, vocals
• Wayne Lee: keyboards, vocals
• Scott Gladman: rhythm guitars
• Julian McLaren: drums

Singles

Year	Single details	Peak positions
		UK Country	HotDisc
2010	Another Lonely Night From Album: I Can Still Dream	"?	1
2010	Tell Me Why From Album: Naturally	"?	1
2010	I'm A Little Bluer Than That From Album: Naturally	"?	1
""?" denotes releases that did not chart
HotDisc is a compilation disc sent out to Media and DJ's in the UK and Europe

Music videos

Year	Video	Director
2010	"Tell Me Why"
2010	"I'm A Little Bluer Than That"
2010	98.6 Degrees And Falling
2011	Heartless

Awards

• Evy of Canada Award, for best new artist in 2007
• The Hayley Oliver Band have been nominated in the British Country Music Awards which take place on 10 October 2010
• The Hayley Oliver Band won two awards at the British Country Music Awards at Lakeside Frimley 2010, the first the

Horizon award for the best British Newcomer and the Hotdisc award for I'm a Little Bluer Than That, which topped the charts for 7 weeks, their 4 singles to date have been at the top of the charts for a total of 19 weeks from January 2010 til October 2010. They have also been invited to play 2 venues in Nashville in November 2010

Quotes

• Hayley Oliver is a definite find!,You won't be disappointed" David Allan (Country music journalist, broadcaster, former BBC Radio 2 Presenter) See Article published in Country Music People January 2010
• "She has got an absolutely lovely voice" - Aled Jones (TV & BBC Radio 2 presenter)
• "What a great voice there and a very great talent that's Hayley Oliver" - BBC Radio Suffolk
• "Lovely UK talent, one of the best we've had for many years "- BBC Radio Shropshire
• "Pure Country"- BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
• "One of the most exciting Country Music talents to emerge in the UK for many years. A rare combination of a great talent, great voice and great person." - Colin Gordon-Farleigh, CEO Sheer Joy Music