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Walker Hayes

Walker Hayes

ALL ARTIST INFO IS PULLED FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA.
IF YOU REPRESENT THIS ARTIST AND WOULD LIKE TO VERIFY YOUR PAGE OR UPDATE THE INFO, Click Here
birthday
27th
December, 1979
Birth Sign
capricorn
Biography

Charles Edgar Walker Hayes, better known simply as Walker Hayes, is a country singer and songwriter from Mobile, Alabama. Born on December 27, 1979, the 41-year old musician is currently based in Franklin, Tennessee. 

Some of his most successful tracks to date are “You Broke Up With Me” from his 2017 album Boom and “Fancy Like,” an August 2021 collaboration with Ke$ha. Walker plays guitar and piano, and he’s known for his distinct voice. He’s toured with the likes of Kelsea Ballerini, Old Dominion, and Dan + Shay. 

Here’s everything you need to know about this country music titan.

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instruments played
Guitar
Piano
Vocals
Birth Name

Charles Edgar Walker Hayes

Genres

Pop, country pop

Labels

Capitol, Monument

Occupations

Singer-songwriter

Origin

Mobile, Alabama

Years Active

2010 present

Name

Walker Hayes

Wiki Link

Walker's Career Begins 

Walker Hayes spent his early life in Mobile, Alabama, and went to college at Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama. There, he earned a bachelor's degree in music with a piano focus.  In 2005, Walker and his wife moved from Mobile to Nashville, where Walker wanted to pursue a career in country music. Once in Nashville, Walker started working as a songwriter, then got himself a deal with Mercury Records Nashville. However, this first deal dissolved fast, and he got dropped from the label and moved to Capitol Records Nashville. Walker's debut single "Pants" was released in 2010, and it made it to number 60 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. The song was later accompanied by a music video, which came out in December of the same year. 

Walker’s Struggles and Victories 

After releasing his debut studio album, Reason to Rhyme, in 2011 and writing songs for Colt Ford, Rodney Adkins, and others, Walker ended up losing his deal with Capitol Records. During this time, he went on hiatus from the music industry and took a job at a local Costco. At that point in Walker’s career, he’d reached a roadblock that might have been a career-ender for someone else. However, Hayes was already married with six children, and he knew he had no choice but to keep going. So, he continued working at Costco while picking up gigs at local bars and other venues. These tough times ended up serving as inspiration for some of his best lyrics.  “Lela’s Stars,” a song on the album Boom, features the lyrics “The sky ain’t falling/it’s just the roof of my car,” a line that Walker wrote when he was driving a run-down Honda and struggling to make ends meet. That track and others like it ended up helping Hayes restart his career – he was making it on his own without a label, and he’s been vocal about his gratitude.

Walker Makes It Big 

Walker's big break came in 2016, when Shane McAnally, a multi-Grammy Award winner, signed him to SMACK/RareSpark Records, who released his EPs 8Tracks (Vol. 1): Good Shit and 8Tracks (Vol. 2): Break the Internet. McAnally is a notable country songwriter who saw potential in Hayes’s writing, particularly in the vulnerable nature of his more recent songs.  After releasing those two projects, Walker moved to Monument Records and released another EP, 8Tracks (Vol. 3): Black Sheep. Monument is a label run by McAnally and Jason Owen, two country industry veterans that helped Walker release some of his most successful tracks yet.

Boom 

Walker has released two full-length studio albums so far in his career, and the second, 2017’s Boom, was the most successful of the two. Co-produced by Hayes and Shane McAnally, the Monument Records release features Shane’s single “You Broke Up With Me,” a song about a man who gets into an altercation with his ex-girlfriend at a party. The song went double-Platinum in the United States, making it one of Hayes’ most commercially successful songs yet. His debut album Boom also features “Halloween,” a collaboration with Nicolle Galyon, and another single, “Craig,” which was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2018 AIMP Nashville Awards. Regarding the album’s title, Hayes is quoted as saying, “‘Boom!’ It’s my favorite word. It’s what I text my team every time another station adds “You Broke Up With Me…” It’s the first thing I say after I play a song from the album for anyone… So, it’s what we had to call the album. After Boom, he released a single in 2018 titled “90’s Country,” in which he references country songs from that era. 

Country Stuff 

Walker's most successful release so far was the June 2021 EP Country Stuff, which shows the full range of Hayes’ creativity. Produced by Hayes, Shane McAnally, and Joel Thibodeau, the EP features the track "Fancy Like," which made it to number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. He wrote it along with Josh Jenkins, Shane Stevens, and Cam Bartolini.  Several of the other songs on Country Stuff feature high-profile guest vocalists, including Jake Owen on the title track, Carly Pearce on "What If We Did," and Lori McKenna on "Briefcase." "Fancy Like" went viral after Hayes, his wife, and his kids started making TikTok dance videos that included his songs. The song went on to earn a Platinum certification from the RIAA.  It burst in popularity on the app and is sometimes known as the “Applebee’s song,” as the restaurant is mentioned in the chorus. Other artists, like Thomas Rhett, have been inspired by his success on TikTok and have attempted to create their own viral TikTok sounds.  The lyrics to the clip go as follows: “We fancy like Applebee's on a date night / Got that Bourbon Street steak with the Oreo shake / Get some whipped cream on the top, too / Two straws, one check, girl, I got you." Following “Fancy Like,” he has released another single titled “U Gurl,” in honor of his wife Laney.

Conclusion 

Walker Hayes spent years in the country music industry before he really made it big, but his hard work made it all worth it. His story is one of perseverance and never giving up on what you believe in, and that’s what makes him such a compelling storyteller.

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