Biography

b. 31 August, Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, Eire. After completing his education, Hogan worked as a supervisor in a peat briquette factory in Croghan, County Offaly. Inspired by Jim Reeves and Hank Williams, he dreamed of a singing career. Early in 1988, using the money scheduled as the next instalment on his mortgage to finance the project in a local studio, he recorded a demo tape of an old song that his mother had sung as a child, called ‘Brown Eyes’. Air play on local radio provoked considerable interest and led to him quitting his job to concentrate on a singing career. He formed a band and with the help of appearances on some major television shows and a great deal of hard work, he gradually built his reputation and gained successes in the Irish charts. He also began to write songs such as ‘My Feelings For You’ and ‘Turn Back The Years’ and made his first recordings for K-Tel Records. His appearances extended to the UK, where he became very popular around the country club circuit. In 1990, Hogan joined the Ritz label and early in 1993, he achieved an ambition when the label decided that he should record an album in Nashville. He has also released an in-concert video, My Kind Of Country, which helped increase his popularity, not only in his native Ireland, where he lives in County Offaly (near to the factory where he used to work), but also in the UK. He continues to write some of his own material, such as the semi-autobiographical ‘My Guitar’ and ‘Stepping Stone’, while Foster And Allen recorded his song ‘My Christmas’.