Haley

MY JOURNEY (this far)
Not long ago I was digging through old stuff in the garage and I found an art project I made in elementary school. It's my thumbprint with arms, legs and a face and under the drawing it reads, "I am thumb-body who likes to sing." Well at 28, I am still thumb-body who likes to sing and I have been blessed to do that full-time since I graduated from college in 2003. I grew up in a musical family. All throughout my childhood, I traveled and performed whenever I could with my father, fingerstyle guitarist Doyle Dykes. I started playing mandolin when I was 11 thanks to an early obsession with bluegrass music and an old mandolin my Dad had laying around the house. I started writing songs in high school thanks to a creative project for Mrs. Wyche's English IV class. I love looking back and seeing God in the small things and how those small things lead to big things.
My parents encouraged me to go to college and my Dad promised me my first record when I graduated. I graduated early with a notebook full of songs and immediately hit the road and the studio with a group of my favorite Nashville players. In 2005 I released "The Mystery of Her" independently and continued to travel and promote the CD. Over the next few years I developed a loyal fan-base and began doing more and more shows on my own.
I know a favorite question for any musician is "Who do they sound like?" The indie artist in me wants to say you'll just have to take a listen, but I'll do my best to describe my style and sound. My bluegrass roots definitely shine through with the mostly acoustic band including guitar, fiddle, dobro, banjo and bass. But I am a bit of a rebel to traditional bluegrass as I like to use drums and percussion. My writing is far from traditional bluegrass as well. I write from my life, which includes a lot about my faith and also a lot about love, personal struggles and getting through them. Rootsy. Newgrassy. You'll just have to listen.
I find myself being shy to mention some of the amazing opportunities I've had to share my songs, but I'm not shy to say that all of these amazing opportunities are from one amazing God, who created the gift of music. That being said, I believe the best is yet to come. Currently, I am making plans to get back into the studio and release an album this year. I will also be getting married to the new bass player! Thank you so much for reading about my journey this far. As the journey continues, I hope our paths will cross along the way.
Be blessed.
Haley