Martin Hayes (musician)

Martin Hayes
Hayes in 2008
Background information
Born	(1962-07-04) 4 July 1962 (age 54)
Origin	County Clare, Ireland
Genres	Traditional Irish
Instruments	Fiddle
Years active	1980s–present
Labels	Green Linnet, Real World
Associated acts	Dennis Cahill P. J. Hayes The Gloaming
Website	www.martinhayes.com

Martin Hayes (born 4 July 1962) is an Irish fiddler from County Clare. He is a member of the Irish-American supergroup The Gloaming.

Hayes was born into a musical family in Maghera, a village in the parish of Feakle in East County Clare, Ireland. His father, P.J. Hayes, was a noted fiddle player and his grandmother played the concertina. His father and his uncle Paddy Canny, also an influential fiddler, were among the founders of the Tulla Céilí Band in 1946. P.J. Hayes led the band from 1952 until shortly before his death in 2001.

Martin Hayes started playing the fiddle at the age of seven, taught by his father. At 13 he won his first of six All-Ireland Fiddle Competitions. He is one of only three fiddlers ever to be named All-Ireland Fiddle Champion in the senior division in two consecutive years (1981 and 1982). He joined the Tulla Céilí Band as a teenager and played in the band for seven years.

Hayes moved to Chicago in 1985 and became active in the Irish traditional music scene there. He was a regular performer at weekly jam sessions organized by Chicago fiddler Liz Carroll, who later described him as belonging to "that very narrow set of performers from any musical genre - not just Irish - whose every note is perfect". To make a living he worked in bars playing in a variety of genres including "rebel music, and songs and stage Irish humor in clubs, and all kinds of things". In the late 1980s he led a band called the "Celtic Aires". In 1989 he and the Chicago guitarist Dennis Cahill formed "Midnight Court", which combined traditional Irish and rock music. The band was active until 1992. In 1993 Hayes moved to Seattle, where he lived until 2005.

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