“My Stonebridge is the finest guitar I’ve ever owned, and it’s comparable to guitars I’ve played that are priced four – or five – times higher. The sound quality is so much better than what most people out there are playing, it’s startling.”
– Joe Hash
Joe Hash has written songs for most of his life. But he only got serious about it sometime in 2006, after spending a day at a Tommy Emmanuel workshop. “That guy is inspirational,” says Hash. “I went there thinking I was going to learn to be a better guitar player, but I came out thinking about what’s important to me in life.” It turned out to be songwriting.
Like many songwriters, Hash plays at writer rounds and small venues, recently as a guest performer at the release concert for Billy Dean’s album, “A Man Of Good Fortune.” And audiences respond to the catchy, story-telling, often-emotional songs. “It has to be the songs,” he says, “because I’m not all that much of a singer.”
Audiences aren’t the only ones responding. Music Connection Magazine ranked Hash’s songs among their Top 25 new music finds of 2012.
Reviewing Hash’s, “The Last Waltz,” for AmericanSongwriter.com, award-winning singer-songwriter Amy Speace (“The Weight Of The World”) said, “You listen to this kind of song and you just have a permanent smile on your face. Because it’s one of those songs that’s like a great discovery. It’s a total standard.”
Other top Nashville songwriters have had a similar reaction to Hash’s songs. When Hall of Fame writer Tony Arata (“The Dance”) heard Hash’s “Dynamite Shack,” he exclaimed, “I love this song!” And Rich Fagan (“Sold! The Grundy County Auction Incident”) called it “a masterpiece.” Hit writer Jeffrey Steele (“The Cowboy In Me” ) has been spotted in a Nashville audience, yelling and spelling out H-I-L-L-B-I-L-L-Y to Joe’s crowd pleaser, “The H Word.”
Hash was born in Ohio, but his family roots are in the south, and so are his musical influences. Happily married to a Canadian beauty who happens to be an equine health professional, he shares her love of horses, and she shares his love of music. They divide their time between Toronto and Nashville.