Jack Hadley was born in the Philippines into a military family. When they returned to America, they were stationed in San Francisco where he spent his childhood in the Haight-Ashbury district. Jack’s mother bought him an acoustic guitar at an early age to keep him busy. The family eventually moved to Denver, Colorado, where he learned to play music by ear, playing everything from Hendrix to Dylan, unaware that he was learning the foundation of American music – the Blues.
Jack played in a number of bands, sharpening his guitar skills and discovering his vocal talent along the way. He began performing as a solo artist and played countless shows as a hired gun. In 2005, Jack decided to focus on writing and performing his own blues-based material with his trio, The Jack Hadley Band. That same year he was playing at a local club when he was approached by blues veteran Otis Taylor, who happened to be in the audience. For the next 18 months, Jack was Taylor’s lead guitarist, playing festivals and shows all over the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom. He appears on Otis Taylor’s 2007 Telarc release “Definition Of A Circle” playing lead guitar and lap steel. Notable musicians on this recording include ex-Thin Lizzy axeman Gary Moore and blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite. In November, 2006 he recorded two songs with keyboard wizard Steve McQuarry at the legendary Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco including his revolutionary track “You & Me”. Some of Jack’s notable performances include: live on the BBC in London with Otis Taylor | Blues From The Top | BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups | Brighton Blues Blast | Snowy Range Music Festival | The Rauma Blues Festival in Rauma, Finland, backed by the St. Louis Blues All-Stars featuring keyboardist Bob Lohr, bassist Terry Coleman and drummer Keith Robinson. “The St. Louis Sessions” was released in October, 2014, on San Telmo Media. His latest effort, “Daybreak In Alabama – The Langston Hughes Project” was released in July 2020. This project features songs written by Jack, based on the poetry of Langston Hughes. Taj Mahal bassist Bill Rich holds down the bottom end, along with drummer Bill Larson and jazz guitarist Rich Gibbins.
Jack is currently wrapping up his fourth CD, once again recorded in St. Louis. Release date TBD, early 2024.
“…left-of-center/eclectic blues…a monster blues guitarist/singer with an amazing sum of influences : North Mississippi drone blues-meets Jimi/ BB/Albert/Curtis Mayfield/Marley filtered- through-Haight Ashbury…” – Bob Lohr, Producer, San Telmo Media
Winner of the 2017 Colorado Blues Challenge, Solo/Duo category. Representing the Colorado Blues Society at the International Blues Competition in Memphis, Tennessee, January 16-20, 2018.
