Colin Hay Biography

Fast Facts

• Men at Work started out as an acoustic duo featuring him and guitarist Ron Strykert, who were joined by drummer Jerry Speiser, saxophonist Greg Ham, and bassist John Rees in 1979
• Taught himself how to play the guitar when he was 12 years old and was inspired to become a musician by his parents, who owned a music shop
• Quote: "(On his optimistic lyrics): "It's not a conscious thing and may have to do with the Scottish mentality․ We deal with darkness by shining a light on it․ It doesn't diminish the charge of the feeling, it just makes it easier to deal with․""
• Quote: "[Younger fans] picked up on me since 'Scrubs,' they're young enough they never heard of Men at Work․ But I've found if people discover you they discover everything about you․"
• Founded his own record label, Lazy Eye Records, in 1992, through which he has released all but the first two of his solo albums
• Reunited with Greg Ham as Men at Work from 1996 to 2002, which included a performance at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics
• Began focusing on his solo music career after moving to Los Angeles in 1989 and has released 11 solo albums since then
• Best known as the lead singer of the Australian band Men at Work
• Has also toured with Ringo Starr's All Starr band and was featured in the "All Starr" TV special
• His songs have also been featured in Zach Braff projects like "Garden State" and "Scrubs․"