SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Top40 Charts/ Jeffrey Halford Official Website) - Jeffrey Halford, acclaimed San Francisco-based, Americana/Acoustic/Blues singer/songwriter/guitarist who fronts long-running ensemble Jeffrey Halford & The Healers, has been called 'An Americana heavyweight' (MERCURY NEWS) as well as 'the West Coast's Answer to Bruce Springsteen' for his heartfelt songs about the conditions of the everyday man and woman in America. Among his most memorable: 'Cry of Hope,' about Americans' need to keep faith in America; and 'Louisiana Man,' about the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster and our government's slow response to it.
As validation of Halford's writing prowess, he just won '2009 Songwriter of the Year' at the recent 5th Annual South Bay (Los Angeles) Music Awards (www.southbaymusicawards.com).
Jeffrey Halford and the Healers return to perform at Rancho Nicasio, No 1 OLD Ranceria Rd., Nicasio, Sunday, September 6. 4 p.m.; $20. Info: (415) 662-2219 or log onto www.ranchonicasio.com.
Halford's song 'Watching the Trains' is included as part of 'ROCKIN ROOTS Singing 12-Pack,' recently released by Lyon, Colorado-based Oskars Brews. The CD is included with the purchase of a 12-pack of Oskars, the only micro-brewed beer sold in cans in the U.S. His most recent CD, BROKEN CHORD, reached No 8 on the national Americana charts.
In high school, Halford ditched classes and came only to take the tests. According to school records, he had the worst attendance of any graduating student. He decided to add trouble w/the law to his resume. Then came a guitar from his dad, and things started to turn.After high school, Halford enrolled in architecture school in San Francisco. While walking along Market Street, he watched a legendary street band-Jimmy Ventilator and Harry Spider-playing Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson, and the Ventures. Halford convinced them that he should join the band.
For more than a year, he cut his guitar chops on the street, playing to crowds in Chinatown and Union Square until the police closed them down. His street gig led him to play with Oakland blues greats Sonny Lane, Mississippi Johnny Waters, and JJ Malone in clubs throughout that city. He also formed his own roots rockabilly band, 'The Snappers,' playing for students at U.C. Berkeley, serving as the house band at Ruthie's Inn in Berkeley, and performing with the Blasters, Chris Isaak, and the Beat Farmers. Music was Halford's salvation.
In high school, Halford ditched classes and came only to take the tests. According to school records, he had the worst attendance of any graduating student. He decided to add trouble w/the law to his resume. Then came a guitar from his dad, and things started to turn.After high school, Halford enrolled in architecture school in San Francisco. While walking along Market Street, he watched a legendary street band-Jimmy Ventilator and Harry Spider-playing Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson, and the Ventures. Halford convinced them that he should join the band.
For more than a year, he cut his guitar chops on the street, playing to crowds in Chinatown and Union Square until the police closed them down. His street gig led him to play with Oakland blues greats Sonny Lane, Mississippi Johnny Waters, and JJ Malone in clubs throughout that city. He also formed his own roots rockabilly band, 'The Snappers,' playing for students at U.C. Berkeley, serving as the house band at Ruthie's Inn in Berkeley, and performing with the Blasters, Chris Isaak, and the Beat Farmers. Music was Halford's salvation.
Based in San Francisco over the last 15 years, Halford has been touring the country with his band, the Healers. They've played shows with some of the most acclaimed artists and songwriters, including Taj Mahal, Los Lobos, Etta James, The Radiators, Robert Earl Keen, John Hammond, Augie Meyers, Dave Alvin, Guy Clark, and Chuck Prophet, among others. His newest and fifth CD, 'Railbirds,' is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 'Hunkpapa.' His original roots rock 'n roll songs etch a uniquely American, and specifically California, landscape. The reviews for 'Hunkpapa' encapsulate what makes Halford so distinctive and compelling:
"BROKEN CHORD again highlights his strengths as a talented wordsmith with the soul of a rugged roadhouse rocker,' writes NO DEPRESSION. 'I liked (BROKEN CHORD) better each time I heard it,' states BLUES BYTES. 'Halford and the Healers tone down the electric edge of the country-rock, which has matured admirably on their new CD, BROKEN CHORD,' states the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. 'Halford is a singer/somgwriter who plays a mean six-string...with shades of country, blues and rock and roll, he and his band play with a fiery fury that is raucously delightful. He is about as authentic as the day is long' (TACOMA WEEKLY VOLCANO).
'Jeffrey Halford and crew go well beyond a mastery of their instruments' - MUSIC CONNECTION. 'Their impeccable improvisational skills make listeners feel that each moment of their performance is unique and special...experience and dedication emanate from Halford and the Healers...(he) makes his guitar sound like the voice of a soulful back-up singer.' Phil Reser of the CHICO ENTERPRISE RECORD writes, 'Halford is a talented, American roots-rock musician steeped in the trinity of blues, folk and rock, with well-crafted and lyrically interesting songs about American life.'
Halford's song 'Rock N' Fire' was recently featured on nationally-syndicated radio show, BLUES DELUXE, heard weekly over one-hundred-plus stations throughout the U.S. and Canada with a two-million-plus listenership. Three tracks from BROKEN CHORD have been added to regular rotation on KPIG-FM in San Francisco. This past summer, BROKEN CHORD remained in the Top 20 Americana Charts for nine consecutive weeks, receiving over 3,500 spins - placing it on a par with such renowned artists as Wilco, Steve Earl and Ryan Adams.
September 6 RANCHO NICASIO/AFTERNOON BBQ Rancho Nicasio, CA
November 23 CAFE' DU NORD San Francisco, CA
November 28 MYSTIC THEATER Petaluma, CA
JEFFREY HALFORD INTERVIEWS/BROKEN CHORD REVIEW COPIES AVAILABLE.
www.jeffreyhalford.com www.myspace.com/jeffreyhalfordandthehealers
