Who is Colin Hay?

Colin Hay is a singer-songwriter and musician from Scotland. Born in 1953, he is best known as the former lead singer of the iconic band Men at Work. After the dissolution of the band in 1985, Hay pursued a solo career and released fourteen solo albums. His music draws on a variety of genres such as rock, folk, reggae, and world music.

Early Career and Men at Work

Hay moved to Australia in 1977 and formed a band called The Far East with Ron Strykert. The band released one album before splitting up in 1979. Afterwards, Hay joined forces with Strykert and other members of the group to form Men at Work. They had an instant hit with their debut album Business as Usual (1981), which was certified 6x Platinum in the United States. Following two more successful albums, they disbanded in 1985.

Solo Career

Following the dissolution of Men at Work, Colin released his first solo album Looking for Jack (1987). His second album Wayfaring Sons (1990) was critically acclaimed and went Gold in both Australia and New Zealand. In 1995, he released his third album Transcendental Highway, which was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album. Since then he has released several albums including Man @ Work (2003) and Gathering Mercury (2011).

Collaborations

In addition to his solo work, Hay has collaborated with various artists including Zubot & Dawson, The McNally Smith College of Music, and Benmont Tench from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. He has also appeared in several films including Garden State (2004), Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (2011).

Live Performances

Over the years, Colin has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Australia. He continues to tour regularly and has performed sold out shows at iconic venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York City and Royal Albert Hall in London. He is also a regular guest on late night television shows such as Conan O'Brien's show on TBS.