AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hedley

Artist:Hedley

Song:For the Nights I Can't Remember

Album:Famous Last Words

Typical of Canadian bands, Hedley had success at home but were unable to break through in the US. They were on three different labels in the US and never charted. Hedley was formed in 2003 in Abbotsford, BC. They were named after a local town. Jacob Hoggard was lead singer and pianist. After the band formed, Hoggard auditioned for the 2004 season of Canadian Idol where he finished third. When he returned home, he formed an all new Hedley with guitarist Dave Rosin, bassist Tommy Mac and drummer Chris Crippin. They were in the band Everything After. After appearing at a 2005 Canadian Music Week showcase, Hedley signed with Universal Canada. Their debut single On My Own topped the Canadian Singles chart. The album Hedley was certified 2XPlatinum and they were nominated for a couple of Juno awards. Then Hedley signed a US record deal with Capitol and the album was released in 2006. It didn't sell and Capitol dropped them. Hedley continued to have success in Canada. For the Nights I Can't Remember is from the 2007 album Famous Last Words. It reached #6 on the Canadian Singles chart. So again, the album did well in Canada. In the US, Universal's Fontana label restructured the album and retitled it Never Too Late. It was released in 2009 and the album went nowhere. This pattern continued with the 2009 album The Show Must Go. Again it was successful in Canada. Hedley signed with Island in the US. The album was released in 2010 and again went nowhere. I guess it's three strikes and you're out because that was Hedley's final US release until they signed again with Capitol for the 2013 album Wild Life. That didn't sell either. Then after the 2017 album Cageless, Crippin was fired. Though Hoggard was a control freak, his behavior was getting worse. Then sexual assault allegations surfaced. Hedley went on hiatus, Canadian radio stopped playing their music and Hedley was dropped by their management. In 2018, an Ottawa woman accused Hoggard of sexual assault. He was charged and was found guilty. Hoggard was sentenced to five years in prison. So that's the end of Hedley. I probably shouldn't even be writing about them. Their success was mostly due to CRTC CanCon regulations propping them up. That's why they were played on radio. Their lack of success elsewhere tells the real story. Hedley was an OK band but nothing special. Here's the video for For the Nights I Can't remember by Hedley.