Biography
Christopher John Hayes was born on November 24, 1957 in Sacramento, California. He got his first guitar when he was nine years old, and he took whatever lessons he could - from folk to jazz (he is now a self-confessed jazz freak). He quickly became so proficient with the guitar that he started teaching it. He was pursuing his first love, jazz guitar, on a full-time basis, with several different bands (his first band was called "The Rubber Band"), and, when he was 20, he went to Europe to back-up the world famous blues singer Little Esther Phillips. When he returned to San Francisco, he looked around for a new band to play with, and he heard that Huey Lewis was on the look-out for a guitarist. He tried out for the position and although he still had a lot to learn about rock and roll (he used to hate it as a kid), he became a member of the band.
He comes from a musical family, but as Huey says, "[he's] the pick of the litter!" His sister, Bonnie Hayes, is a celebrated Bay Area singer and band leader whose latest CD was released in 1996 (Chris appears on this album as well). Kevin Saunders Hayes, who sometimes jams with Bonnie too, plays drums with The Robert Cray Band. These aren't the only Hayes siblings, Chris is the oldest male of seven children! The youngest, Jonathan, plays guitar for the LA-based band, "Walking Giant".
Now, as well as playing guitar in the band and singing backing-vocals, he is also an established rock songwriter, often putting Huey's lyrics to music. Outside the band, his interests include golf, fly fishing, and playing the piano, his favorite movie is Casablanca (1942), and his favorite movie stars are Humphrey Bogart and James Dean. He has two sons and a daughter and his hometown is San Francisco, California.
