About Us

Hired Hands knows how to have fun!  After all, they first started making music during their college days at UGA!  

Mark Haddon, Hal Pate, and David Ray formed friendships that would last a lifetime. Frat parties, Athens beer joints, professional groups … Hired Hands had a ball each and every time they tuned up.  Soon the group was named runner-up in the Atlanta Battle of the Bands. About that same time, fellow UGA Bulldog Michelle Phillips Mayfield joined the fun and friendship. Adding Suzanne Pate on vocals was a no-brainer; she’s also a UGA alum and has been along for the ride from the beginning.

Fast forward “a few” years, and Hired Hands is still at it, entertaining at corporate events, private parties and other get-togethers large and small. If your musical tastes have an eclectic bent, Hired Hands really will be the best time you ever heard! You will hear lots of familiar music, but be prepared for it to sound a little different than you remembered. Banjo on a Beatles song?  YES!  From Springsteen and Prince to Flatt and Scruggs, Hired Hands will make sure you have a great time!