Gerry Hale

Gerald Richard "Gerry" Hale (born 1959, Newmarket, Suffolk) is an English-born, Australian-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. He has worked as a session musician for the Soft Boys (1978–80) and was a band member of Bouncing Czecks (fl. 1984) before relocating to Australia in 1987. He has provided violin and mandolin for Colin Hay Band (1988–90, 1994, 1998) and Broderick Smith Band (1990, 1994, 1996). Hale formed a bluegrass group, Uncle Bill, in 1996 which has had a variable line up. The group worked with Paul Kelly and together they released an album, Smoke (October 1999), which peaked at No. 36 on the ARIA Albums Chart. On that album, Hale provided guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, lap steel, vocals and he co-produced it with Kelly.

Biography

Gerry Hale grew up in Newmarket, Suffolk and started playing music at the age of twelve, he turned professional at fifteen, spending three years touring rural England. He performed with American bluegrass pioneer, Bill Monroe, in 1975, at age sixteen. Hale worked in Cambridge from the mid-1970s, where he was a founding member of Telephone Bill and the Smooth Operators in 1975 on vocals, mandolin and fiddle, with Robb Appleton on vocals and harmonica, Anne Baker on vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, bass and percussion, Nick Barraclough on vocals, banjo, mandolin, guitar and bass, and Chris Cox on vocals, mandolin, banjo and double bass. Their first gig, in October, was at Mumford Theatre, Cambridge.

In 1982 the Bouncing Czecks were formed in London as a cabaret, comedy group by Brian Bowles on lead guitar and Ricky Piper on lead vocals. They were joined, in 1984, by Hale on fiddle, Richard Lee on double bass (also ex-Telephone Bill and the Smooth Operators), and Australian-born Warren Wills on piano. One of the judges, Tim O'Brien (of US bluegrass group, Hot Rize) opined, "The musicians here seem to be developing real fast. There are a few really good players, and some that are coming along." From March to April he worked on a stage comedy, Tristram Shandy – Gent, at the Russell Street Theatre. Also in that year he provided banjo for the Black Sorrows' fifth studio album, Hold On to Me (September 1988).

Hale appears on Hay's second solo album, Wayfaring Sons (April 1990), after which Hay relocated to the United States. Hale then joined Broderick Smith Band on violin and mandolin during 1990. Also in April of that year he provided electric guitar, acoustic guitar and fiddle for Archie Roach's debut solo album, Charcoal Lane (1990), which was co-produced by Paul Kelly and Steve Connolly.

Hale returned to working with the Bouncing Czechs, from April to May 1991 at the Last Laugh Theatre Restaurant, in Collingwood. In 1997 Uncle Bill contributed two tracks for a various artists' compilation album, Where Joy Kills Sorrow, via the W. Minc label: "The World's Got Everything in It" and their collaboration with Kelly, "Thanks a Lot". The title track, "40 Miles to Saturday Night" and "Maybe this Time for Sure" were originals by Kelly; "Don't Drink the Water" and "Overkill" were written by Hay; and "Stella Joy" was co-written by Smith and Randy Bulpin. Late in that year Uncle Bill released their second album, One Day at Adelphia...; its seventeen tracks were recorded live-in-the-studio at Adelphia Studio, Fitzroy, on 10 November of that year.

By 1999, the line up of Uncle Bill was Hale on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, lap steel and vocals, Gare on fiddle, mandolin and vocals, Somerville on banjo and vocals and Stuart Speed on double bass. They teamed with Kelly, again, for a bluegrass album, Smoke (October 1999), co-produced by Hale and Kelly, it appeared on the latter's own label Gawdaggie via EMI. The album peaked at No. 36 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the 2000 Victorian Country Music Awards Smoke won three awards, Best Group (Open), Best Group (Victorian) and Album of the Year. In December that year Uncle Bill released their third album, Heartbreak Train, which was recorded between July and November 2000 at Red Heeler Studio, Preston.

In early 2001, Hale disbanded Uncle Bill, and went on to appear on Deborah Conway's covers album of Patsy Cline's songs, PC: The Songs of Patsy Cline, which was released in August 2001. Hale joined her backing band, Deborah Conway and the Patsy Clones which toured Australia to promote the album. In the same year Hale co-composed the soundtrack for the feature film Silent Partner with Kelly. In 2003 Hale toured with Conway, again, promoting her compilation album, Only the Bones and he co-composed the soundtrack for the film Ned, with Willy Zygier – Conway's domestic and musical partner. Hale also performed and co-produced a number of tracks on Conway and Zygier's 2004 album, Summertown.

Hale on mandolin and guitar formed a new band, Gerry Hale's Innocent Bystanders, with Shane Ryall (guitar), Nigel MacLean (violin), Kimberly Wheeler (vocals/double bass) and Amelia Barden (vocals/percussion), their first performance was at the Czech Club in North Melbourne on 29 October 2004. In April 2006 they released, Vivando, a seventeen song tribute album to Dan Hicks. In 2009 Hale (guitar) re-formed Uncle Bill with Kim Wheeler (bass), John Gray (banjo), John Kendall (fiddle, mandolin), Kat Mear (vocals) and Pepita Emmerichs. In May 2012 they released an EP, Blue Mule.