Benjamin Cas Haley (born 1980; Paris, Texas) is an American singer-songwriter, who specialises in reggae-inflected music when singing. He rose to national prominence by appearing on America's Got Talent in 2007, finishing as runner-up on that season's competition,[2] whereupon he has conducted several tours and produced several albums during his career with a number of different recording labels.
Cas Haley | |
|---|---|
 Cas Haley, singer-songwriter & winner of Lincoln "Chart Your Course" competition | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Cas Haley[1] |
| Born | December 27, 1980 Paris, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | folk, rock, blues, reggae |
| Occupation | Singer/songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | vocals, guitar, piano, bass, drums |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Cartel Records (2008–2010) Easy Star (2010–2013) Mailboat Records (2015–present) |
Career
editBenjamin began his career developing pieces inspired by reggae music. In 2007, he auditioned for the second season of America's Got Talent, conducting several songs with his reggae-inflected music; his first for his audition earned praise from Piers Morgan, a judge for the program at the time, who praised his version of "Walking on the Moon" as being far better than when it had been sung by the musician Sting.[2] His performances earned him national recognition, leading to him finishing the competition as runner-up. After his involvement on the program, he released a self-titled debut album later in the year, reaching No. 8 on Billboard's Reggae Albums chart.[3]
In June 2010, Benjamin toured Hawaii with Josh Heinrichs playing shows in Hawaii, in which he made appearances on several local radio programs and the television morning news portion of Hawaii News Now.[4] Three months later, he signed a deal with Easy Star Records, who released his follow-up album, Connection, on September 14.[5] It reached No. 2 on Billboard's Reggae Albums chart in 2010.[3] In October, he toured the U.S. west coast and Europe in support of Connection with the Easy Star All-Stars.[6]
Benjamin released his third album, La Si Dah, on May 28, 2013,[7] which consisted of thirteen songs, funded by his fans, and produced by both Benjamin and Grammy-winning producer-engineer Rob Fraboni. The release was followed by a European tour.[7] Later that same year, Cas was nominated as best reggae rock entertainer for the 32nd annual International Reggae and World Music Awards.[7]
In 2014, Haley suffered a skiing accident that left serious muscle and nerve damage in his neck. He endured eight months of acupuncture and vocal and physical therapy to get his voice back.[8] The following year, on November 6, he released the album More Music More Family on Jimmy Buffett's Mailboat Records.[8] Nine of its 12 songs were recorded in Hawaii, and three were recorded in Haley's home in Texas and filmed as part of a video series for the Dallas News.[8]
On June 21, 2019, Haley released Lessons and Blessings, which was written during the time of his wife's illness. It was recorded at the Haley family farm, and his wife contributed to the songwriting.[9]
In 2020, Cas Haley was the grand prize winner of the Lincoln Motor Company's "Chart Your Course" contest. His winning song, "Every Road I'm On," beat out over 1,600 entrants. Haley won a talent contract and a recording session at Capitol Studios, a Lincoln Corsair, and appeared in a national Lincoln marketing campaign.[10] As part of the promotion, Haley met and worked with actor Matthew McConaughey, and musicians Jon Cleary, Tank of Tank and the Bangas, Ruthie Foster, and more.[11] Lincoln filmed his cross-country journey, which ended at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, where he recorded the song. The campaign includes a national broadcast and online spot and a 24-minute documentary.[12]
"Every Road I'm On" will be included on Cas Haley's album, All the Right People, set for release in early 2021 on Jimmy Buffet's label, Mailboat Records.[13]
Personal life
editBenjamin was born in Paris, Texas on December 27, 1980, and is currently married to his wife, Cas Haley. The couple have two children - a son, Eben, and a daughter, Nolah.[7] In 2018, Cas's wife, Cassy, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Subsequently, Haley cancelled his tour dates and set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the family's medical expenses.[14]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Album | Peak | Certifications (sales threshold) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Reggae |
Year end Reggae | ||||||
| 2008 | Cas Haley
|
— | 2[15] | 8[16] | ||||
| 2010 | Connection
|
— | 2[15] | — | ||||
| 2013 | La Si Dah
|
— | — | — | ||||
| 2015 | More Music More Family
|
— | — | — | ||||
| 2019 | Lessons and Blessings
|
— | — | — | ||||
| 2021 | All the Right People
|
— | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes the album did not chart. | ||||||||
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | ||||||||
| 2010 | "Better" | — | Connection | |||||
| 2020 | "Every Road I'm On" | — | All the Right People | |||||
| 2020 | "All the Right People" | — | All the Right People | |||||
| 2020 | "Blue Jeans" | — | All the Right People | |||||
| "—" denotes the single did not chart. | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Texas Births, 1926–1995". Familytreelegends.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ a b Rickert, Julia (May 27, 2011). "Cas Haley". Relix. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Eldridge, Ellen (October 30, 2015). "CAS HALEY RETURNS WITH NEW ALBUM NOV. 6, PLAYS CENTER STAGE DEC. 5". Atlanta Music Guide. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ "Reggae artist Cas Haley to hold concert Wednesday night – Hawaii News Now – KGMB and KHNL". Hawaii News Now. June 1, 2010. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ "New Releases For September 14, 2010". New Releases Now. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
- ^ "Cas Haley Events". Easy Star. Archived from the original on December 25, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Geddie, Tom (February 27, 2020). "Cas Haley is Where He Wants to Be". County Line Magazine. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ a b c Ricciardi, Tiney (October 13, 2015). "Cas Haley thought he'd never sing again, but he's back with new album and new attitude". Dallas News. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ "Cas Haley: A New Kind of Grassroots". Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival. June 25, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ Boswell, Sally (September 22, 2020). "Cas Haley, Lincoln are good together". Lincoln. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ Mueller, Erica (July 15, 2020). "CAS HALEY IS WINNING LIFE, MUSIC AND A THANKS TO LINCOLN'S CHART YOUR COURSE COMPETITION, A NEW CORSAIR". A Girl's Guide to Cars. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ Gazdik, Tanya (September 3, 2020). "Lincoln Offers Music-Centric Corsair Campaign". MediaPost. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ Dye, Robert (October 9, 2020). "Cas Haley's "All The Right People" Is An Instantly Memorable Singalong". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
- ^ "CAS HALEY LAUNCHES GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN FOR WIFE'S CANCER TREATMENT". Grateful Web. May 10, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ a b "Connection – Cas Haley". Billboard.com. October 2, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ [1] Archived February 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "#2 Most Successful Independent In Sales – Heavyweight Dj Forums – Los Angeles". Heavyweightdj.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ "Malibu magazine". Malibumag.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.