PAT HAMILTON
Biography
Pat Hamilton is a singer-songwriter-guitarist, living in the Rocky Mountains near Vail,
Colorado, with her husband David and her daughter Hilary. She was born and raised in a
small town in northwestern Minnesota, in the Red River Valley. She began singing at the top
of her lungs while sailing through the air upon her swing, wrote her first song in first grade,
and formed her first singing trio the same year, giving a unique performance of an Elvis
Presley song to the second graders. In high school, she bought her first guitar, and after few
instructions from a friend who played in a local band, she began playing, singing and
composing folk-oriented songs.
Pat attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where she majored in English
and French, and sang and entertained on an informal basis, solo as well as in a female duo.
After she graduated, she taught school in Minnesota, then moved to Colorado and worked as
a reporter. Her music remained a hobby until she moved to Vail, Colorado and began
performing in its bars, restaurants and lodges to earn her living.
In 1989, Pat made her first album, a Christmas album of familiar and not so familiar songs
entitled "Christmas in Vail, with Pat Hamilton and Peter Vavra". The album features an
original song by Hamilton, "The Christmas Infant", a new Christmas classic which has become
a Vail favorite.
The birth of her daughter, Hilary, inspired Pat to compose children's songs, which led to
her second album, "Lullabyes and Other Songs", a gentle collection of original and cover
songs loved by children and adults alike. This album has become a favorite in preschools
across the country and was selected as the children's album of the summer by the Tattered
Cover Bookstore in Denver. Pat has given numerous children's concerts throughout the Vail
Valley and in Denver, singing songs from her album to her youngest fans.
In 1991, Hamilton put together "Pat Hamilton, Pure and Simple", a very personal, moving
collection of her original folk songs. One of the album's outstanding songs, "Lost in Time", is
dedicated to Pat's father and follows her childhood memories of him, entwined with an
account of his battle with Alzheimer's Disease.
Pat's fourth album "Sweet Memories" is a country folk album comprised of originals as
well as covers of Patsy Cline, John Prine, and others. Her originals shine on this album and
range from the poignant "Little Boy Blue" about a child living within an abusive family
situation, to the feisty "Everybody Says", a comeback to Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your
Man."
Each Christmas, Pat gives a Christmas Concert benefit for the Salvation Army, raising
more than $60,000 over the past several years. This standing -room-only event inspired her to
write several new Christmas songs and led to her fifth album, You Are My Christmas. Again,
her originals are the standouts on this CD, ranging from romantic to gospel to Celtic to soft
jazz.
Pat performs in Vail at the Vail Cascade Hotel and Spa, other bars and lounges in the area,
and for weddings and private functions. Within the valley she has opened shows for Doc
Watson, Lyle Lovett , Commander Cody, and The Dixie Chicks. For two years she organized
and performed at a Women's Folk Concert, a benefit for the Women's Resource Center for
abused women and children. When she's not performing or composing, Pat spends her time
gardening, hiking, and practicing yoga. She can be reached at hawkeyevail@centurytel.net, and at
www.cdbaby.com/pathamilton.
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