Hayes Carll

Biography

Joshua Hayes Carll, known professionally as Hayes Carll, was born on January 9, 1976, in The Woodlands, Texas. He received his first guitar at age 15 and almost immediately began writing songs, drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Dead Poets Society, and the Beat novels of Jack Kerouac. After earning a history degree from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, Carll spent the early years of his career performing cover songs for tips in the bars of Crystal Beach, Texas, on the Bolivar Peninsula. In 2000, he discovered The Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe in Galveston, a prestigious venue run by Wrecks Bell, the longtime bassist for Townes Van Zandt, where he worked as a bartender while performing at open mic nights and eventually opening for touring artists.

Carll's recording career began in 2001 when he independently recorded his debut album 'Flowers & Liquor' at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studio, which was released in 2002 and earned him comparisons to Townes Van Zandt. His second album 'Little Rock' made history as the first self-released record to reach number one on the Americana Radio Chart. After signing with Lost Highway Records in 2006, he released 'Trouble in Mind' in 2008, featuring "She Left Me For Jesus," which won the Americana Music Association Song of the Year in 2008. His 2011 album 'KMAG YOYO' (an abbreviation for "Kiss My Ass Guys, You're On Your Own") won the Americana Music Association's Album of the Year award and earned widespread critical acclaim.

Carll's style of country, folk, and roots-oriented songwriting is noted for his plain-spoken poetry and sarcastic humor, firmly establishing him in the Townes Van Zandt/Guy Clark/Ray Wylie Hubbard tradition of maverick country-folk. He received Grammy nominations in 2015 and 2016, and his songs have been covered by a wide range of artists including Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack, Jack Ingram, Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis, and Brothers Osborne. He has appeared twice at Austin City Limits and performed on Jools Holland and The Tonight Show, cementing his reputation as one of America's most acclaimed singer-songwriters in the Americana and Texas country scenes.

Fun Facts

• Carll founded the Stingaree Music Festival in 2008, a small music event held in Crystal Beach, Texas, named after a local restaurant where he used to wait tables. The festival ran for two years before being discontinued in 2010 following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike.
• While attending Hendrix College, Carll spent years bemoaning two facts: he'd picked a school in a dry county, and he lacked a car that could get him to Little Rock where there were bars and potential gigs. Adding to his angst was that the future Mrs. Hayes Carll had a working all-girl band that wore leather pants and was actually landing bookings.
• Carll once called to bail on songwriter Allison Murphy at a White Elephant show in Fort Worth because he was still throwing up from his bachelor party the night before.
• His discovery of the Americana Jam at Gruene Hall was a turning point moment, happening on a Sunday when his usual sparse crowd at Saengerhalle in New Braunfels was even more dead than usual. The raucous scene filled with Robert Earl Keen and Reckless Kelly made him realize there was a Texas music scene he could aspire to join.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Bob Dylan - Early musical influence on his songwriting style (Influenced Carll's approach to songwriting) [1990s-early career]
• John Prine - Major influence on his plain-spoken poetry and storytelling (Influenced overall songwriting approach) [1990s-early career]
• Kris Kristofferson - Influenced his roots-oriented writing style (Stylistic influence on songwriting) [1990s-early career]
• Townes Van Zandt - Major stylistic influence; Carll worked at venue run by Van Zandt's bassist and drew comparisons to him (Influenced 'Flowers & Liquor' and overall style) [2000s-present]
• Guy Clark - Influence on his maverick country-folk style (Overall stylistic influence) [Early career-present]
• Ray Wylie Hubbard - Stylistic influence; Carll opened for him at The Old Quarter (Influenced songwriting approach) [2000s]

Key Collaborators

• Lisa Morales - Producer of debut album ('Flowers & Liquor' (2001)) [2001]
• R.S. Field - Producer for second album ('Little Rock') [Mid-2000s]
• Wrecks Bell - Ran The Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe where Carll developed his career (Early career development venue) [2000-2009]

Artists Influenced

• Kenny Chesney - Covered Carll's songs (Recorded Carll compositions) [2000s-2010s]
• Lee Ann Womack - Covered Carll's songs (Recorded Carll compositions) [2000s-2010s]
• Brothers Osborne - Covered Carll's songs (Recorded Carll compositions) [2010s]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Drunken Poet's Dream (Trouble In Mind)
2. Down The Road Tonight (Little Rock)
3. Bible on the Dash (Cabin Fever)
4. KMAG YOYO (KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories))
5. The Love That We Need (Lovers and Leavers)
6. You Get It All (You Get It All)
7. Beaumont (Trouble In Mind)
8. Happy Hour (You Get It All (Deluxe Edition))
9. To Keep From Being Found (You Get It All)
10. Another Like You (KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories))

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #americana, #country, #folk