Biography

 

Austin singer/songwriter Ken Hamilton’s musical journey began with the gift of a guitar from his wife in the late ‘90’s. After teaching himself a few chords, Ken started playing and singing covers for friends and family in living rooms and neighborhood cul-de-sac parties and then progressed to performing at local bars and restaurants. Later the songwriting bug hit and he has been busy writing since. He has developed a style and sound that is uniquely Texan.

 

The culmination of this development was heard in his debut EP release, Gulf Breeze. Ken's newest single, Beaumont Debutante was written for his wife, Alice.  She's from Beaumont, Texas. She fishes, hunts, cooks, fixes the plumbing, etc. But, she also has a more refined side that comes out on occasion. It's that combination that makes her so special!

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Ken was born in Houston, raised in San Antonio (with a short stop in Memphis) and now resides with his family outside of Austin near Lake Travis. An attorney for over thirty years, Ken has represented a diverse group of Austin musicians during that time including, Malford Milligan, The Derailers, Will Taylor and Hedda Layne. The passion for music Ken witnessed over the years watching his clients perform eventually was the catalyst that led him to want to experience the same thing. “I guess it was always there inside of me”, he says, “just trying to find a way to get out.” From the gospel sounds at the Houston church where his Granddaddy preached, to San Antonio Tex-Mex, to the Austin cosmic cowboy/outlaw country scene of the ‘70’s, to the album rock played on his Memphis DJ brother’s radio station, to old school reggae.

 

Ken’s musical influences are many and varied. They include Doug Sahm, Willis Alan Ramsey, Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Earl Keen, Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffett, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Subdudes and Radney Foster.