Born in Faizabad, India, on August 16, 1948, Barry Hay relocated to the Netherlands at the age of ten. He serves as lead vocalist for Golden Earring, a Dutch rock band from The Hague that ranks among the most popular in the Netherlands during the twentieth century. Alongside his long tenure with the group, Hay periodically issued solo albums. He entered the lineup in 1967, at which point the ensemble—originally formed in 1961 and first recorded in 1965—still performed under the name the Golden Earrings. The configuration fronted by Hay enjoyed sustained international success across multiple decades. Stylistically the band adapted to shifting musical climates, moving most prominently from psychedelic rock in the late 1960s toward hard rock throughout the 1970s. In the United States the group became best recognized for the 1973 radio staple “Radar Love” and the 1982 MTV favorite “Twilight Zone.” As one of the earliest European rock acts to reach American audiences, Golden Earring returned repeatedly for tours. Although their profile remained modest outside the Netherlands, they secured multiple number-one singles domestically, including “Dong Dong Diki Diki Dong” in 1968, “Back Home” in 1970, “Radar Love” in 1973, “Twilight Zone” in 1982, and “When the Lady Smiles” in 1984. On his own, Hay issued the albums Only Parrots, Frogs & Angels in 1972, Victory of Bad Taste in 1987, and The Big Band Theory in 2008. The middle of these yielded the minor hit “Draggin’ the Line,” while the 2008 release, recorded with the Metropole Big Band, proved the strongest commercially by peaking at number two on the Dutch albums chart.
