Howie Day Biography

Howie Day was born in 1981 and raised in Brewer, Maine. As a young child, he showed an early aptitude for music; at only the age of five he began playing the piano by ear. His mother enrolled him in piano lessons, and at the age of thirteen, Howie began to play guitar as well. He began playing in local venues and with a local band, until a booking agent spotted him and took over as his manager.

Howie Day’s first demo contained a selection of cover songs, coupled with two original tracks, "Lick My Lips" and "Buzzing." Day followed up in 1988 with another demo that nixed the cover songs and focused only on his original music. Howie’s first release, Australia (2000), was launched independently, although the lack of support from a major label never hindered Day’s ability to secure performing gigs; he opened up for everyone from Tori Amos to David Gray to Remy Zero for a number of years, and build a solid fan base largely through word of mouth.

Eventually, Sony signed Howie Day and re-released Australia in 2002. The album did well commercially, on the strength of hits such as " Ghost" and "Sorry, So Sorry." Stop All the World Now followed in 2003, and was an even bigger hit. The single "Collide," in particular, expanded Howie Day’s exposure significantly, when it was featured in a number of television shows, including One Tree Hill and Grey’s Anatomy, and used in the promotional trailer for Pride and Prejudice in 2005. An exhaustive touring schedule to further support the album began as well.

With Stop All the World Now rising on the charts, Howie Day released Live From… in 2005, featuring Day’s cover of "Don’t Dream It’s Over" (originally by Crowded House.) Sound the Alarm followed in 2009, and so did additional tour dates. Having toured for nearly five years prior to his album releases, and then for another three years after, Howie Day decided it was time to take a break before releasing Ceasefire in 2011, which features outtakes from Sound the Alarm. Day has plans for additional studio albums and tours in the future.