Los Angeles based singer/songwriter, Emrys Hanley, was born to play music.
As a baby, his mother sang him to sleep playing her acoustic guitar.
As a toddler, he walked around with headphones on his ears all day telling people, "This is my favorite part."
At age 10, his aunt took him to a Donovan concert.
She dressed him up in a red velvet cape and love beads and fluffed up his curly hair into an afro.
After the show, Emrys got to hang out with Donovan.
The experience inspired Emrys so much that he began teaching himself how to play guitar.
Other Musicians Featured on Album
Emrys Hanley's first album was produced by Dale Ockerman (Doobie Brothers) and features Tiran Porter (Doobie Brothers), Dale Ockerman (Doobie Brothers, Quicksilver Messenger Service), Richard Bryant (Doobie Brothers), Barry Phillips (Ravi Shankar, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr), Vince Black (Black Uhuru, Peter Tosh), Grammy-nominated singer Tammi Brown, & Jimmi Sanchez (Bonnie Raitt, Steve Miller, Tom Waits).
Influences
Among musical influences, Emrys counts these artists: The Beatles, The Doobie Brothers, Lovin' Spoonful, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, The Eagles, Pure Prairie League, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Dave Matthews, Ben Harper, Mozart, The Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, Weird Al Yankovich, Peter Tosh, Jack Johnson, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, The Rolling Stones, Nick Drake, The Cure, Steve Miller,The Grateful Dead, U2, and many more.
Album Released
Officially released in 2011, the album is now going out to thousands of radio stations around the world.
Genre
The album--titled Emrys--incorporates elements of folk, classic rock, reggae, gospel, soul, and country.
Emrys's Message
A frequent message in the songs: No matter what you're feeling or going through, you're not alone, and things will get better.
Accomplishments
Emrys has been seen on NBC, Showtime, and the BBC, and been a featured performer at events and venues that also included performances by Michael Franti & Spearhead, Indigo Girls, Damian "Jr Gong" Marley, Arrested Development, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Paula Cole, Angelique Kidjo, and more...
Emrys felt very honored to be invited to perform his original song "All I Wanted To Be (Is Love)" during the World Peace Prayer at the LA Convention Center alongside world spiritual leaders who prayed for peace in multiple languages. These leaders included: Japanese: Dr. Emoto, Spanish: Dr Alfredo Younis, Toltec: Don Miguel Ruiz, Chinese: Mantak Chia, German: Nassim Haramein, English: Don Tollman, French: Michelle Karen, Tibetan: Lama Geshe Norbu, Icelandic: Gudni Gudnison, Arabic: Dreaming Bear Baraka.
What is Emrys Doing Now?
Emrys is now touring, shooting music videos, and recording new songs.