Quick Facts
Biography
Tor Hyams is a songwriter and Grammy nominated music producer.
History
Hyam's roster of artists include Joan Osborne, Vivian Campbell, Billy Gibbons, Lou Rawls, Rachel York, Lisa Loeb, Perry Farrell and Deborah Harry. Most recently, Hyams produced the Edwin McCain album Nobody's Fault But Mine.
Hyams now works as a musical theatre composer. His first musical, Greenwood, which was written with Adam LeBow, debuted at the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF). His second musical, Stealing Time, written with Lisa Rothauser, is now being developed for Broadway and has appeared at the Emerging Artists Theatre and the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival. Accolades in this field include the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and the Johnny Mercer Writer's Colony at Goodspeed Opera House.
Hyams has also worked on children's music, writing and producing the CD A World of Happiness for Disney's Buena Vista Records featuring performances from Samuel L. Jackson, Magic Johnson, Lou Rawls, Isaac Hayes, Deborah Harry, Gary Oldman, Perry Farrell, Lisa Loeb, Michael McKean, Annette O'Toole, Brad Whitford, and Jane Kaczmarek. He also co-produced the music video for one of the tracks "The Patience Bossa", directed by Gary Oldman and featuring a duet by Perry Farrell and Deborah Harry.
In 2005, Hyams developed and presented the children's music festival, Kidzapalooza, with Perry Farrell at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago. In 2009 Kidzapalooza was a stand-alone festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, again produced by Hyams and Farrell. Kidzapalooza has run for six years with Hyams as producer and emcee. It will continue to at least 2015 and has spawned Kidzapalooza Radio on Sirius/XM and a compilation album. Hyams also produces the children's festival Austin Kiddie Limits as part of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. He now produces the Recess Family Music Festival in Detroit, Michigan and was a founding member of the now defunct KindieFest, the first ever family music conference.
Another of his projects is Chutzpah (the world's first Jewish Hip Hop Super Group). Their reality-based comedy short film, Chutzpah, This Is? (The Official Hip-Hop-U-Mentary), stars George Segal, Gary Oldman, Debi Mazar and Vivian Campbell. It received accolades from the HBO Comedy Festival and the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival Audience Award and received official selection at 16 film festivals, both in the USA and overseas. The group has since made several TV and radio appearances, including Fox TV LA and Good Day New York. Their second album Hip Hop Fantasy was released in July 2009.
Hyams was the co-author of Greenwood, a musical theater project in which old camp friends reunite to revive a musical they performed as children at a performing arts camp. He is also the co-author of Stealing Time, a musical about two married individuals who, through finding each other ultimately discover who they really are.
Discography
- 2015 Howie D, Howie Do
- 2014 Dyllan Murray, No Lies
- 2014 Sam Cieri, self-titled
- 2013 Morning Wish Garden, The Ohmies
- 2013 Jambo, Hootenanny
- 2012 Stealing Time Musical Soundtrack
- 2012 Hullabaloo, Raise A Ruckus
- 2010 Frances England, Mind of My Own
- 2007 Joan Osborne, Breakfast in Bed
- 2011 Tor Hyams, Rock the Cradle
- 2011 Recess Monkey, Flying
- 2010 Greenwood Soundtrack
- 2010 Take it Outside, The Okie Dokie Brothers
- 2010 Lunch Money, Original Friend
- 2010 Jim Cosgrove, Swimming in Noodles
- 2009 Anacron, Delicious Vinyl Kids
- 2009 Various Artists, Kidzapalooza, Volume 1
- 2009 Milkshake, Great Day
- 2008 Edwin McCain, Nobody's Fault But Mine
- 2008 Transylvannian Orchestra, Music of the Night
- 2007 Jambo, Lucy's Parade
- 2007 Various Artists, A Chanukah Celebration
- 2007 Tor Hyams, This is Chanukah
- 2006 Tor Hyams, Lilah Tov
- 2005 Vivian Campbell, Two Sides of If
- 2005 Rachel York, Let's Fall in Love
- 2009 Chutzpah, Hip Hop Fantasy
- 2008 Julie Silver, It's Chanukah Time
- 2007 Joan Osborne, Christmas Means Love
- 2006 Lou Rawls, Christmas
- 2005 Chutzpah, Eponymous
- 2004 Various Artists, A World of Happiness
- 2002 Gretchen Parlato, self-titled debut album
- 2000 Tor Hyams, Eye To Eye
- 1998 Tor Hyams, Vultures
- 1994 Tor Hyams, Zoom Ba Da Bing
- 1995 Various Artists, Underground Music Series Vol. 3
- 1996 Various Artists, Underground Music Series Vol. 4
Contributed To:
- 2013 Songs for a Healthier America, wrote "Change The Game" featuring Nawledge
- 2012 Science Fair with Renee & Jeremy, co-wrote "(I Wanna Be Like) Madam Curie"
- 2010 Disco Biscuits, Planet Anthem
- 2010 23 SKidoo, Underground Playground, co-wrote "Secret Handshake"
- 2009 Terraplane Sun, Keyboard player
- 2009 We're Not Kidding, A Tribute to Barry Louis Polisar, performed "Hey Jack, What's in the Sack" and "Go and Hush the Baby"
- 2003 Tricky, Back To Mine, wrote "Little Bit"