SEAN HOGAN

SEAN HOGAN BIO/ (Canuck in transit has recently validated O-1, or I-129 work visa for U.S. good til Oct. 4th 2011)
The response Hogan's 1996 debut album (Self titled) "Sean Hogan"over a decade ago was nothing less than spectacular! With a stylistic sound that some industry observers have described as dangerously balanced between “alt-country authenticity” and “modern rustic pop appeal,” his first release immediately caught the attention of country radio programmers and listeners across Canada. Their reaction earned him the first-ever C.C.M.A. Independent Male Artist of The Year Award in 1997. Since then, Hogan has become one of the highest profiled Canadian singer/songwriter artists, performing his own brand of Country and Roots music in Canada with an astounding SEVENTEEN videos aired on CMT Canada.

The singer says he is “motivated by the satisfaction of tapping into a song idea, finding its true spirit, carving out its continuity and creating a song that reaches people with its story as well as its sheer emotion.” He has tapped into that vein more than once with such songs as Angeline, Catalina Sunrise, Centered, A Cowboy’s Heart, Tired of Leavin’, I’d Rather Have You, Sure Fire Love, Dream Vacation and Silver Lining Girl, just to name a few.

Hijacked, Hogan’s second album, along with his third Canadian CD Late Last Night, won two consecutive West Coast Music Awards in 2001 and 2002, each for Best Country Album. In 2003, Hogan won C.C.M.A.’s Roots Artist of The Year, the first Independent artist to win this prestigious award. Hogan’s self-released U.S. Americana album debut, Ruled by Mercury, went Top 30, making it to #24 on the AMA Americana Chart in January during Hogan’s self-organized debut tour in Australia.

The following year, Hogan personally planned and launched the Canadian Country Christmas Concert tour, which he affectionately calls “my baby.” In conjunction with Country radio, the event assists communities across Canada with funding for food banks, hospital foundations and other essentials for those in need. The first tour was inspired by one of Sean’s songs which ponders the question, “Why not live the whole year through like it’s Christmastime?” The inaugural 2004 tour was so well-received that it has become an annual event. To-date, the effort has raised over $40,000 for non-sponsored charities throughout Canada, and his philanthropy earned Hogan the S.C.M.A.’s 2005 Humanitarian Award.

In 2005, Hogan toured 8 provinces in Canada and shot his 17th music video, A Cowboy’s Heart, which was filmed on location in the Arizona desert. The release and promotion of Hogan’s album Catalina Sunrise also found him performing live at Nashville’s Bluebird Café. In addition, Hogan was accompanied by his full band as part of the Western Beat program of Billy Block’s live-for-concert radio program in Nashville at 12th & Porter. During the year, Hogan was nominated for 6 awards, 3 of which he won, including the Saskatchewan Country Music Award for Male Artist of The Year and Video of The Year. He also earned award nominations for Best Independent Male Artist and Independent Song of the Year for his album’s title track Catalina Sunrise. Arguably his best yet, the album won 2nd place position in the January review of The Best Albums of 2005 with the internationally distributed Country Music News. Another track off the album, Conspiracy Radio, began raising attention in the U.S. on the late night talk radio show, Coast-to-Coast Arm.

Hogan spent a good part of 2006 Stateside in Nashville recording his 5th album, The Southern Sessions, which came out in June 2007 and from which he had had several singles air in Canada from that album throughout 2007-2008. Meantime while juggling several live performances in Nashville and his native Canada in that time frame and writing and recording in 2009 and 2010 for his next album first slated for a 2010 release and then moved to 2011 release. Sean released Southern Session in the U.S. in 2009 and charted two singles so far from that album on two major U.S. national charts. In 2010 Hogan released his single "Something Beautiful", in Canada which is on his 2011 release. While down in the U.S. his song Suck It Up,from the the U.S. album The Southern Sessions, charted nicely. His current single in Canada TRAVEL PLANS is now top 40 in Canada (week of Feb. 14th, 2011) this week at #34 on Media base Country chart. Hogan will be filming music video number 18 in California weekend of March 10th in Malibu and Sanata Monica with his director friend Colin Cunningham at the helm again. Hogan continues to prepare for the release of new album (yet untitled) tentatively called Phoenix, and tour Canada while working towards a U.S. tour too in 2011

Learn more about Sean Hogan at www.seanhogan.net.