Daniel Hayward

UK / Independent

Dan Hayward is a drummer and percussionist based in the West Midlands in the UK.

He grew up watching his dad play drums in various bands and was naturally drawn to the instrument.

When he was 11 years old he had his first drum lesson at school, from there he learned to read music and started working through drum kit grades, playing his first paid theatre show at 14 years old. From there, Dan started playing with various ensembles within his local education authority - Sandwell Youth Music, as well as other brass bands, wind bands, dance bands, function bands and tribute acts. At 18 he gained a place at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire to study Orchestral Percussion.

Whilst at the Conservatoire, Dan developed a reputation for being a very strong and reliable player and sight reader, trying to gain as much experience at music college as possible and being called upon to work with various bands/ensembles/artists ranging from pub/club gigs to international tours, appearances in Bollywood movies and festival shows such as the Malaysian international Jazz Festival. During this time, he also performed with his own band "Mezzotonic" who were featuring regularly on radio shows such as BBC Introducing, playing a variety of venues/festivals and supporting acts such as the Average White Band and Living Colour.

After graduating from the RBC with Honours, Dan was hired to play for soul/R&B group "the Drifters" as their percussionist. Dan toured up and down the country with the Drifters in theatres and arenas (most notably on the "Legends Live" arena tour, performing as part of the band for Mary Wilson of the Supremes as well as the Drifters, followed on the bill by Roberta Flack and Dionne Warwick).

Dan recorded 4 of the new tracks on the band's latest album "Stand By me: The Very Best of the Drifters" which reached the top 20 in the UK album charts when it was released, as well as for other bands/artists/library music projects and even video games such as the official in game soundtrack for Pure Pool (released on Playstation 4, Xbox One, Steam and now Nintendo Switch).

After a few years, Dan left the Drifters and Mezzotonic to work on his first musical theatre contract as part of the Avenue Q UK tour, following this tour was an 8 year career in musical theatre where Dan was lucky enough to work on a variety of shows including American Idiot (Dep: UK Tour/West End), Evita (UK/European Tour/International Tour/Turin Opera House, Italy - with the Turin Opera Orchestra/West End), Saturday Night Fever (UK Tour), Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat (UK Tour), On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan (invited to audition and selected by Gloria Estefan and Clay Ostwald of the Miami Sound Machine - the MD for the London dates (West End/UK Tour), Hairspray (UK Tour) and Dreamgirls (UK Tour).

Currently, as well as depping on shows like Frozen (West End), the Lion King (UK Tour) and Sister Act (UK Tour), maintains a busy schedule playing and recording for various bands/ensembles/artists as well as teaching as one of the visiting drum kit tutors at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire on the BMus Orchestral Percussion course.

Daniel Hayward

UK / Independent

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