"For anyone who may be vague on the subject
          this is country music."


      "Rodney Hayden is The Real Thing"


     "Rodney Hayden is as solid 
          as a well kept dancefloor..."


     "He's what every great performer 
          who's stood on the Grand Ole Opry
          stage wishes would happen to country music."


      "His voice is so akin to the Possum's 
          you could call him George Clones..." 
         



Quotes:

Robert Earl Keen - "Rodney Hayden is a double eagle, blackjack talent.
          he makes me want to give up my nightjob."         


Tony Brown (George Strait, Gary Allan, etc.) - "This is real country music."

Check out http://www.texasindependencerelay.com/raceupdates  for the full version of this story.  Thanks to Jon for writing such a nice story. 

February 7, 2008 - Rodney Hayden at the Finish!


In the very early part of this decade, country music artists Alan Jackson and Pearsall native George Strait won a Country Music Association Vocal Event of the Year Award with their song, “Murder on Music Row,” which talked about the current state of affairs of country music. Not long after, Pleasanton’s Rodney Hayden, after an audience in Austin with respected producer and MCA president Tony Brown, tried running down his musical dream in Nasvhille – the mecca of country music.

But Hayden, then 20, an age where most young Americans haven’t yet graduated from college, was being told that he was “too country for Nashville.” Ah… got it… that must like being told that you’re “too Texan”, or “too fit for the TIR” Believe us, we know that there’s no such thing. And we wouldn’t dare consider delivering any part of our post-race festivities that weren’t stamped with the Lone Star State.

After returning from that awakening moment in Nasvhille and with the record label support and backing of Texas country music favorite – and friend - Robert Earl Keen, Hayden's debut CD, “The Real Thing,” in 2002, was deemed a critical success that influenced Strait – today’s “King of Country Music” - to put Hayden's version of the title cut on one of his albums. Another one of his songs from the inaugural album, “Heartaches and Highways,” which includes the line “a train whistle blows in the night” (think Wallis), may foretell the story of more than a few TIR teams.

Dale Martin of the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung (2/21/07) called Hayden “a virtual human jukebox who can pull countless classic country tunes from his hat or entertain the crowd with one of the many great original songs he’s written throughout the years.” Those songwriting talents have been highlighted on his third CD, and almost appropriately named for the TIR, “Down The Road”, which was released last spring on his own Palomino Records label, as he wrote or co-wrote all 11 tracks.

Asked by the San Antonio Express News last year (9/05/07) to describe his music, Hayden explained, “"It's somewhere between traditional country and guys like Robert Earl Keen and Randy Rogers. “We’re not really as rocking as most bands are but we can crank it up a little, too,” he added with a smile. Billboard Magazine once put it more bluntly about Hayden, “For anyone who may be vague on the subject, this is country music.”

Bigger venues, such as last October’s Big Texas State Festival, continue to take notice and so did we here at the Texas Independence Relay. Hayden is one of just five acts this year that will have an auxiliary performance at both the Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo in Austin and the legendary Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

But before he plays inside Houston’s Astrodome, the once-labeled Seventh Wonder of the World which has hosted musical acts from George Jones to George Strait, he’ll make a visit to play at one of Texas’ largest landmarks and the world’s tallest war memorial. Playing where Texas’ Independence was won puts a little extra special shine on any Texas country music artist’s resume.

So on Sunday afternoon, March 2, as teams are crossing the finish line at the San Jacinto Monument, having blazed their own paths of collective independence across southeast Texas, Rodney Hayden – and his band -- will be gearing up to deliver his brand of country music that has its roots deep in the heart of Texas. And while runners will have proved “How Texas Is Run!”, Rodney will show fellow runners “How Texas Is Sung!”

[Rodney, who attended High School in Pleasanton (just south of San Antonio), bypassed a track scholarship to Texas State in favor of sharpening his musical talent. He told us that he has just started running again – about a mile a day – in the past three weeks. Maybe we inspired him - cool! In high school, he ran the 110 hurdles and the sprint relay as well as being a long jumper and triple jumper. He was regional qualifier in all four events, set his district’s 110 hurdles record in 1998 and still owns two meet records in the triple jump. Despite these fine running & track accomplishments, he clearly made the right decision in regards to what his true talent is.]

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