Roy Hay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roy Hay (born Roy Ernest Hay, 12 August 1961, Southend, Essex, England) was the guitarist/keyboardist with Culture Club, one of the most popular bands of the 1980s, fronted by Boy George. Hay, a trained pianist since the age of five, replaced founding member Johnny Suede in 1981. Hay's musical influences were bands like The Isley Brothers and Led Zeppelin. Before his involvement with Culture Club, Hay was a hairdresser in his native Essex. It was during Culture Club's beginnings that Hay met Alison Green. The two married in 1982 and had a child, Sunny, in 1986. They divorced in 2005, although the two had been separated since 1995. Hay and Green have maintained a close relationship for the sake of their daughter.

As for the international hit "Karma Chameleon", Hay described it "Embarrassingly bad!" His bandmates pointed out during their Club Rewind tour of 1998, it did provide him with "some flash cars and a house!" Hay left the band when it imploded in 1986 due to Boy George's drug habit and tensions between George and drummer Jon Moss, who were former lovers. According to the "Culture Club" episode the VH-1 series Behind the Music, Hay assisted George in quitting heroin "cold turkey". The singer suffered the painful withdrawal symptoms closely attended by Hay in his Essex home.

Following Culture Club, Hay formed another band, called This Way Up. In 1987, they released three singles : "Tell Me Why", "If I Can't Have You" and "Louise". An album, Feeling Good About It was released in some European countries and in Japan in 1987. All those records unfotunately flopped, "Tell Me Why" being the only one that charted, for one week at number 72 in the UK singles charts.

Hay found later success as a composer in Hollywood, California, working with fellow composer Hans Zimmer and composing the music for a series directed by Robert Altman, as well as the music for "Fitz" with Robert Pastorelli and for "The Dead Zone" by Stephen King. Hay reunited with the three original members in 1998 to record a new album. In a Rolling Stone interview, Hay describes the years apart as a healing process. "There was obviously a bit of a healing process that needed to happen between Jon [Moss] and George. They hadn't really spoken to each other in quite a while." The description of the tour was "Older and wiser...We've all been through some good and bad times since the band. I think we've all grown up a bit."