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BIOGRAPHY

Tyler Hilton
	BIOGRAPHY | GALLERY | GOSSIP

I was born in Palm Springs, California to a quite musical family. Uncles wrote, strummed and sang, Grandma played piano, and everyone else could clap along.

I got my first guitar for Christmas one year (to the relief of my dad's guitar who wasn't all that fond of the abuse it had started to get when it's handler wasn't around). I turned an Elvis piano song book I was using in my lessons into a guitar song book and thought maybe I was a rocker.

I moved to the Bay Area from the Coachella Valley for a few years, learned all the Elvis songs I could, moved to BB King songs, moved to originals by my family and before long there I was in 7th grade with a girl that happened to do or say the right or wrong thing that tweaked me just enough and a song of my own spilled right on out.

I moved back to the Coachella Valley for high school and hooked up with an open mic going on weekly at a local coffee house. Every week I'd play songs I'd written or songs I'd learned. Then the best night of my life came when the owner of this particular coffee house approached me about having my own show. That's all you need, I've decided since then. As soon as you get your own show, it's easy the rest of the way as long as money's not what you're looking for!

I played shows there, moved to other restaurants and bars and soon was making tips everywhere. Things took a turn elsewhere when I heard that Johnny Lang was coming to town for a concert.

I called the Mark and Brian radio show on KLOS in Los Angeles to win tickets by playing over the phone for them one of the Lang tunes I'd been doing in my set. They dug the song, gave me the tickets and asked me to call back the next day to chat about the show and maybe play some more music. I was stoked! This was national radio! I called back the next day, played some originals, talked to the guys some more and afterwards was invited in to do an in studio interview. I couldn't believe it! After that I had people coming from all over to see my shows; just curious to check out the kid on the radio.

Eventually I figured that the live CD I was selling for 5 bucks wasn't cool enough so I put together a self titled full length album with the help of my family and friends. KLOS and Mark and Brian played it a bit and talked about it which got the ball rolling on that really nicely. More gigs outside of town lead to local press which eventually lead to small groups of fans I could rely on to come out and cheer. Oh, that's the best feeling there is! Record labels thought they might be interested in what I was playing, but it always turned out they weren't. I headed to Europe after graduation to find my self and song on the streets and trains elsewhere in the world before heading off to college.

College never happened but apparently while I'd been gone, Maverick Records had. They'd seen a review on my album and wanted to meet me! I came in, played them some songs, hung out for awhile and eventually we all decided that we should see each other a lot more often! I signed with Maverick in the early fall and began the process that would end up being "The Tracks of Tyler Hilton".

The album was recorded quickly. I knew what I wanted and so did everyone else and we seemed to all be relatively on the same page. Finding room for it on the shelves, however, looked like it might take awhile so I started touring.

Live shows are the best part of the job to me. Well, maybe recording the songs are. I don't know, either way, I loved the road. I haven't stopped since!

Being interested in acting throughout high school and doing alright in a few competitions lead my musical agent to sign me on for acting as well. You never know, right? Well, Fox wanted to audition musicians for "Walk the Line," their Johnny Cash biopic. I went in and played a Cash song for them like everyone else. They asked me if I knew any Elvis songs. A whole book full! I played song after song until they told me to stop and read some Elvis. The following summer I found myself in Memphis, TN filming a major motion picture as Elvis Presley!
The album came out that fall and "When It Comes" hit the radio, almost two years after I'd been signed. That's about the time I heard that One Tree Hill was looking for a new character to come on the show for a bit. I'd had a lot of fun in "Walk the Line," but stopping touring again made me nervous. This character would have blow me away to take another month off. Ah man?I couldn't believe it. Chris Keller was hilarious! He was cocky, mean, rude, talented, and thought the world of himself. Something about him made me want to play him. I auditioned, played the folks at One Tree Hill some songs off my album, and got a call while I was touring out on the east coast that if I still wanted to be Chris, I should head out to North Carolina, where they taped the show, 'cause I'd start in a few days. I couldn't believe it! Two acting jobs in one year?! How crazy was this? We turned the van toward the Carolina's?

And here we are!? "The Tracks of" is now in all stores and is keeping me afloat on the road, "Walk the Line" is coming out Nov. 18, and my part on One Tree Hill has been extended several times and I'm still able to come back every now and then to do an episode!

I'd love to hear from my fans, pls visit my site at www.TylerHilton.com