Toby Hay

115 fans
Folk music often seems to emerge from the ground, a necessary outgrowth of a particular place or time. This is true of Toby Hay, who has lived all his life on the edge of the mid-Wales town of Rhayader, a place of dark skies and wild weather where, as Hay says, ‘everything moves at a slower pace, and the air is fresh in the true sense of the word.’ It is a place that Hay carries with him and which permeates his music.

Hay’s debut, The Gathering, was an earthy gem of 2017. As nature writer Robert Macfarlane, who penned the liner notes for that album, observed: ‘the world’s dew gleams on this music, but the world’s dust swirls though it too.’ Now Hay returns with The Longest Day, recorded live over four days in Giant Wafer studios in Wales and mixed by Toby’s brother Tim. Its release coincides with the summer solstice, and it is another bright offering, both more celebratory and more urgent than its predecessor.

For Hay’s 2019 project, New Music for the 12 String Guitar, he signed to The state51 Conspiracy, who contacted legendary luthier Roger Bucknall of Fylde Guitars to ask if he would make a bespoke 12 string for the album. The final ‘Red Kite’ guitar, named after the bird of prey local to Hay’s home, was set up to play in alternate tunings. Hay then went to Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios to record the album’s 12 tracks. With no additional musicians, and no overdubs, edits or effects, the recordings fully demonstrate Toby’s exceptional playing and composition skills.
  • Facebook page
  • Twitter account

Top tracks

01
The Longest Day
Toby Hay
The Longest Day
05:01
Composers: Toby Hay

Playlists

Similar artists

Ramsay Midwood
Ramsay Midwood
Parchman Prison Prayer
Parchman Prison Prayer
Mick Strauss
Mick Strauss
The Imagined Village
The Imagined Village
Stef Kamil Carlens
Stef Kamil Carlens
Les Hurleurs
Les Hurleurs
  • Discography
Albums
2025 Toby Hay under exclusive licence to The state51 Conspiracy Ltd
06-06-2025
New Music For The 6 String Guitar
01
Timbuktu
Toby Hay
New Music For The 6 String Guitar
04:19
Composers: Toby Hay
02
Celyn
Toby Hay
New Music For The 6 String Guitar
02:10
Composers: Toby Hay
03
Another Song For Bear
Toby Hay
New Music For The 6 String Guitar
03:24
Composers: Toby Hay
04
In The Long Grass
Toby Hay
New Music For The 6 String Guitar
04:14
Composers: Toby Hay
05
Davenport Avenue
Toby Hay
New Music For The 6 String Guitar
03:23
Composers: Toby Hay
06
Bwrw Glaw Blues
Toby Hay
New Music For The 6 String Guitar
01:48
Composers: Toby Hay
07
Driving With The Person You Love
Toby Hay
New Music For The 6 String Guitar
02:31
Composers: Toby Hay
Access the complete album info (12 songs)
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay under exclusive license to Proper Records Ltd
26-05-2023
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay
01
Bright Edge Deep
Jim Ghedi
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay
02:44
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
02
Moss Flower
Jim Ghedi
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay
03:03
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
03
Bog Cotton Jig
Jim Ghedi
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay
03:03
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
04
Bridget Cruise 3rd Air
Jim Ghedi
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay
02:13
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay - Trad Arr
05
Swale Song
Jim Ghedi
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay
04:09
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
06
With the Morning Hills Behind You
Jim Ghedi
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay
05:21
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
07
A Year and a Day
Jim Ghedi
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay
02:58
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
Access the complete album info (12 songs)
2019 Toby Hay under exclusive licence to The state51 Conspiracy Ltd
01-11-2019
New Music For The 12 String Guitar
01
Morning Song
Toby Hay
New Music For The 12 String Guitar
03:27
Composers: Toby Hay
02
Now in a Minute
Toby Hay
New Music For The 12 String Guitar
02:35
Composers: Toby Hay
03
Merlod Mynydd
Toby Hay
New Music For The 12 String Guitar
01:50
Composers: Toby Hay
04
The Bird and the Waterfall
Toby Hay
New Music For The 12 String Guitar
01:53
Composers: Toby Hay
05
The Summer the Sky Cried for Rain
Toby Hay
New Music For The 12 String Guitar
05:56
Composers: Toby Hay
06
Cynefin
Toby Hay
New Music For The 12 String Guitar
03:59
Composers: Toby Hay
07
Sugarloaf Blues
Toby Hay
New Music For The 12 String Guitar
02:52
Composers: Toby Hay
Access the complete album info (12 songs)
2018 Toby Hay under exclusive licence to The state51 Conspiracy Ltd
21-06-2018
The Longest Day
01
The Longest Day
Toby Hay
The Longest Day
05:01
Composers: Toby Hay
02
Bears Dance
Toby Hay
The Longest Day
02:10
Composers: Toby Hay
03
Leaving Chicago
Toby Hay
The Longest Day
06:24
Composers: Toby Hay
04
Marvin the Mustang from Montana
Toby Hay
The Longest Day
05:44
Composers: Toby Hay
05
Late Summer in Boscastle
Toby Hay
The Longest Day
07:25
Composers: Toby Hay
06
Curlew (Part I)
Toby Hay
The Longest Day
05:24
Composers: Toby Hay
07
Curlew (Part II)
Toby Hay
The Longest Day
03:00
Composers: Toby Hay
Access the complete album info (8 songs)
2016 Toby Hay
29-03-2017
The Gathering
01
Mayfair at Rhayader 1927
Toby Hay
The Gathering
03:51
Composers: Toby Hay
02
A Thief's Tale
Toby Hay
The Gathering
04:00
Composers: Toby Hay
03
The Fly Fisherman and the Trout
Toby Hay
The Gathering
06:56
Composers: Toby Hay
04
Sketches of a Roman Fort
Toby Hay
The Gathering
05:07
Composers: Toby Hay
05
Claerwen
Toby Hay
The Gathering
05:04
Composers: Toby Hay
06
Starlings
Toby Hay
The Gathering
04:31
Composers: Toby Hay
07
Black Brook
Toby Hay
The Gathering
02:14
Composers: Toby Hay
Access the complete album info (8 songs)
2016 Jim Ghedi|Toby Hay
01-01-2016
The Hawksworth Grove Sessions
01
The Earls of Errol
Jim Ghedi
The Hawksworth Grove Sessions
04:46
Writer: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay / Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
02
Night, Moon, Dance
Jim Ghedi
The Hawksworth Grove Sessions
04:17
Writer: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay / Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
03
Interlude I
Jim Ghedi
The Hawksworth Grove Sessions
01:01
Writer: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay / Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
04
Goat Fell
Jim Ghedi
The Hawksworth Grove Sessions
03:58
Writer: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay / Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
05
The Marcher Lords
Jim Ghedi
The Hawksworth Grove Sessions
04:16
Writer: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay / Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
06
The Huntsman and the Horse
Jim Ghedi
The Hawksworth Grove Sessions
03:33
Writer: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay / Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
07
Wesleyan
Jim Ghedi
The Hawksworth Grove Sessions
03:25
Writer: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay / Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
Access the complete album info (10 songs)
Singles
2025 Toby Hay under exclusive licence to The state51 Conspiracy Ltd
27-05-2025
Another Song For Bear
01
Another Song For Bear
Toby Hay
Another Song For Bear
03:24
Composers: Toby Hay
2025 Toby Hay under exclusive licence to The state51 Conspiracy Ltd
30-04-2025
Celyn
01
Celyn
Toby Hay
Celyn
02:10
Composers: Toby Hay
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay under exclusive license to Proper Records Ltd
28-04-2023
Gylfinir
01
Gylfinir
Jim Ghedi
Gylfinir
06:09
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
02
Swale Song
Jim Ghedi
Gylfinir
04:09
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
03
Bright Edge Deep
Jim Ghedi
Gylfinir
02:44
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay under exclusive license to Proper Records Ltd
24-03-2023
Swale Song
01
Swale Song
Jim Ghedi
Swale Song
04:09
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
02
Bright Edge Deep
Jim Ghedi
Swale Song
02:44
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay under exclusive license to Proper Records Ltd
24-02-2023
Bright Edge Deep
01
Bright Edge Deep
Jim Ghedi
Bright Edge Deep
02:44
Composers: Jim Ghedi - Toby Hay
2019 Toby Hay under exclusive licence to The state51 Conspiracy Ltd
05-03-2020
Cynefin
01
Cynefin
Toby Hay
Cynefin
03:59
Composers: Toby Hay
2019 Toby Hay under exclusive licence to The state51 Conspiracy Ltd
20-02-2020
Dead Horse Point
01
Dead Horse Point
Toby Hay
Dead Horse Point
05:12
Composers: Toby Hay
2019 Toby Hay under exclusive licence to The state51 Conspiracy Ltd
06-02-2020
The Falconer's Knot
01
The Falconer's Knot
Toby Hay
The Falconer's Knot
03:29
Composers: Toby Hay
2019 Toby Hay under exclusive licence to The state51 Conspiracy Ltd
23-01-2020
The Last Mountain Hare
01
The Last Mountain Hare
Toby Hay
The Last Mountain Hare
02:48
Composers: Toby Hay