Colin's musical beginnings are traced to Ron Strykert who is the other founding member of the band Men at Work. The band released their debut album 'Business as Usual' in 1981 and went on to have short lived success in Australia, the UK and the US before their demise in 1985.
After the break-up of Men at Work in 1985, Hay decided to focus on a solo career and through his success with the band he received backing from a major label. However his commercial success was never as great as when he was part of the band, his debut album 'Looking For Jack' missed the top 100 on the US Billboard chart and failed to chart in Australia. He has also struggled with the critics throughout his career, mostly receiving mixed reviews from the likes of AllMusic and Popmatters.
He has released eleven more albums since the debut and has made infrequent appearances on the US Heatseekers chart. He continues to tour worldwide often showcasing solo material from his long career as well as performing a select number of Men At Work tracks. He took a break from the live circuit in 2014 to focus on writing and recording new material.
When I first saw Colin Hay play solo, in Manchester some years back, he broke off from regaling the crowd with a tour anecdote to reassure them, “don’t worry, we’ll get through at least three songs tonight.” He was on stage for well over two hours, but got through maybe sixteen songs in that time; the rest of the show was taken up by stories, jokes and interaction with the crowd. Frankly, you wouldn’t have it any other way; the former Men at Work frontman is a genuinely funny guy, and it was as much a delight to hear him share stories of awkward dinners with a soon-to-be-divorced Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, or drinking sessions with Russell Crowe, as it was to hear him play tracks from a formidable back catalogue. The crowds at his shows are looking a little younger these days, and it’s telling as to what - or rather, who - has afforded him some recent popularity; Hay guest-starred on Scrubs and had a song featured on the soundtrack for Zach Braff’s Garden State. Often backed by his wife on backing vocals, he includes plenty of his finest solo cuts - ‘Waiting for My Real Life to Begin’ and ‘Beautiful World’ included - as well as classic Men at Work material, reworked for the acoustic guitar, including ‘Overkill’ and the recently-contentious ‘Down Under’. Should he return to the UK on his current ‘Finding My Dance’ run, you’d be as well-advised to track him down for his quick wit as his fine songwriting; Hay’s a real entertainer.