Profile

She was born down south, lives out west, and has a mind that wanders to wherever a good story lines up with a strong melody.

As an artist, Eileen Hemphill-Haley focuses on the inevitable effects of human nature, how personalities repel, enhance, enliven or attract one another—what she calls "the reactor fuel of relationships." She describes her musical style as "story-oriented folk rock," and depending on the instrumentation (that is, whether playing solo or backed by her roots-rock band), the sound ranges from folk to rock to blues to Americana. Regardless of the exact presentation, Eileen's music is all about characters in action that make themselves seen and heard in the imagination.

The fourth of five sisters, Eileen was raised in a raucous household where everyone talked at once, and family, humor and music ruled. Her household was constantly uprooted thanks to her father's career, so she spent her early years moving from place to place, inadvertently becoming immersed in the broad range of subcultures called ‘America.' This life helped hone her sense of observation about the world around her and develop a true appreciation for everyday people, the foundation for her songwriting today.

A creative arranger and producer, Eileen has released five CDs since 1996, all of which have garnered airplay on folk and Americana radio shows across the country and abroad. Her work has a common thread: a respect for the ordinary things in life, and the everyday aspirations that connect us all. It's no wonder that so many people relate to her songs. Notes Frank Gosar of KLCC FM (Eugene, Oregon): 'Eileen Hemphill-Haley writes songs with bone and sinew as well as heart, with characters that breathe and stories that ring true."

Eileen's vocal style is completely honest and straightforward—much as you might expect from a kid who learned to sing while riding in the back of a station wagon bombing down Interstate 40 with four sisters and a barking Labrador retriever. Her bold and accomplished guitar style is all the more interesting considering that she is entirely self-taught. An experienced performer, Eileen has a knack for making audiences feel at ease and happy to kick back. Her live shows range from the intimate venues common to the singer-songwriter scene (cafes, bookstores, house concerts) to concert halls and folk festivals. She's opened for Patty Larkin, Dar Williams, Ferron, Greg Brown, and Lucy Kaplansky among others. In 2000 she was a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk contest and a 2001 finalist in the Music-to-Life contest sponsored by Paul Stookey and the Public Domain Foundation.

Eileen lives on the California northcoast, where she is active in the artistic community. She lives with her husband, a college professor, and their seven-year-old son.

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www.ehhmusic.com