Jody Hale was born in Too Good Arm, Newfoundland & Labrador, in the early 1970s.  The second youngest of five kids, he spent his entire childhood growing up in the tiny fishing village located on Newfoundland's northeast coast.  His father was a fisherman and his mother owned and operated a grocery store.  His family traveled a lot, visiting Florida, Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco over a nine year period, which Jody says was instrumental in building within him a deep appreciation for his own cultural background.  Life was great in Too Good Arm - "it was a paradise to grow-up in", says Hale.

In 1990 Jody graduated from high school and went on to study History and English at Memorial university.  By 1992 turmoil in the fishery led to its closing and during this period Jody wrote many songs about his community and the industry from which his father was forced to retire.  It was a rough couple of years at college and by April 1994 he had dropped out, returning home to work at a local wholesale firm in Lewisporte as a labourer.  By this time Jody had picked-up the fiddle and was honing his craft.

That same year, Jody met April Stuckey and after a two-year courtship the two were married.  First settling in Pike's Arm, Jody was hired to work as a performer and manager for The Fisher Players, a local dinner theatre troupe that operated out of the historic town of Twillingate.  For four years he entertained audiences from around the world as they came to bathe themselves in local, Newfoundland culture.  It was a period of great learning for Jody as he found his place on stage.

In 1999, after a brief stint working as a sales representative for The Pilot, a local newspaper, Jody joined the band, Rough Waters, a local  rock/country group out of Summerford.  First hired as a lead guitar player, Jody went on to take on a singing role as well.  The band toured central Newfoundland for a year before disbanding in 2000.  In 2001 he returned to university to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree. During the next three years Jody worked in Labrador, teaching under a special license.  It was a great introduction into the teaching profession and in 2004 he enrolled in the education program at Memorial University.  In 2005 he graduated  with a Bachelor of Education from Memorial. 

In August 2005 Jody moved to Grand Falls-Windsor where he met Richard Reeves.  The two started a group called The River Ramblers and during the next three years went on to enlist the help of bass player, Jason Woodford, and drummer, John Thompson.  Today the group has changed it's name to The Killicks, and can be found playing all over central Newfoundland, bringing Newfoundland and Irish music to locals and visitors alike. During the same period Jody began playing with another local band, Boom Landing, a three piece traditional group also based out of Grand Falls-Windsor and he continues to perform with them on a regular basis.  

Outside of his on-stage work as a singer/musician, Jody has also been invited to play fiddle on a number of albums crossing all genres of music including folk, rock, country, and gospel.  He is a regular performer with the Queen Street Dinner Theatre in Grand Falls-Windsor and he continues to perform solo throughout the province.  Recently Jody entered the studio to cut his debut album, Dreams & Photo Albums. 

Jody is a registered member of SOCAN, MUSICNL and AFM (Local 820).

© 2009 Jody Hale