Aaron Hendra
Australian-born singer, songwriter and guitarist Aaron Hendra has spent three decades chasing the song. From a demo tape that landed on John Farnham’s desk, to record deals in Los Angeles, to more than 2,000 solo acoustic shows across Dallas–Fort Worth, his story is one of persistence, great collaborators and a deep belief in the power of a well-written song.
Aaron’s songwriting career began in 1996, when he dropped off a demo at the record label office of Australian superstar John Farnham. Six weeks later, Farnham called him personally to say he loved the song and planned to record it. “Don’t Let It End” went on to feature on Farnham’s multi-platinum album Romeo’s Heart (BMG Australia).
In 1999 Aaron co-wrote “Somebody Like You” with Mushroom Records artist Jimmy Christo, which became the end-title song for the Australian feature film The Wog Boy (2000).
Soon after, Aaron headed to the US with his brother Russell, guitarist Ben Carey (Savage Garden) and drummer Jason Heerah. They caught the attention of Hollywood Records’ head of A&R, Rob Cavallo, who signed them on the spot, and the band moved to Los Angeles to spend 2001 in production. But without the right producer to guide the album, and amid major staff changes at the label, the year ended with an unfinished record and no deal.
Aaron and Ben regrouped, signing a development deal with Warner Bros. in 2002–03. Under the name Ocianic, the band gigged around LA and released a limited indie CD, U, before eventually going their separate ways – Russell back to Australia, and Ben to tour with Lifehouse.
In February 2004 Aaron married TV host and actress Tiffany Bolton, and kept writing as a solo artist while working construction to pay the bills. “Whenever having a career in music looked impossible, a new door would open,” he says. “From an early age, I truly believed I could write hit songs and was determined to forge a path doing that.”
That door opened in 2007, when a mutual friend introduced Aaron to entrepreneur Rick St George. “Rick believed in me,” Aaron says. “He believed my music deserved a chance to be heard by the world, and together we created Give Records.” With St George’s backing, Aaron could finally finish the album he had started years earlier.
He reconnected with Gigi Gonaway, the veteran drummer who spent sixteen years touring with Mariah Carey and has recorded with Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Steve Winwood. “I was floored and touched by the emotion,” Gonaway recalls of first hearing Aaron’s songs. Together they formed The Aaron Hendra Project.
St George found a secluded estate in Beverly Hills, just off the Sunset Strip, and the team – joined by engineer Dave Ahlert – turned it into a world-class studio. Rob Hill (Korn, Cypress Hill) shared production duties, Grammy-winning engineer Tom Lord-Alge (U2, Coldplay) mixed the record in Miami, and Ted Jensen mastered it at Sterling Sound in New York. Guests included Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers), Marcus Brown (Seal, Madonna), Jamie Muhoberac, bassists Paul Bushnell and Dorian Heartsong, and a 24-piece string section of LA Philharmonic players arranged and conducted by David Campbell.
On May 7, 2014, Octobersong was released worldwide on Give Records – eleven original songs written by Aaron Hendra. “For two years we lived, ate and breathed this album,” says Gonaway. “From my entire career so far, this is the work of which I am most proud.”
In 2010, Sam Childers – the man known as the “Machine Gun Preacher” – visited Give Studios to meet Aaron. Childers’ organization, Angels of East Africa, shelters children rescued from violence in South Sudan and Northern Uganda. “I was so blown away by his story, I woke up that night dreaming the words to ‘One Man’s War,’” Aaron says.
Months later, Aaron and Gigi travelled to Nimule, South Sudan, to record some 300 children from Childers’ Children’s Village singing the song’s final chorus. Aaron later returned to install the first LED light in the village’s mud-brick church – the start of his Light Up Tomorrow project to bring off-grid solar power to the organization’s facilities.
Aaron and Tiffany moved to Dallas to be closer to family and friends, and viewers got a glimpse of their life there when Tiffany starred in Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Dallas in 2016.
Since settling in Texas, Aaron has become one of the most familiar faces on the DFW live scene, performing more than 2,000 solo acoustic shows. His sets mix originals with songs by artists like John Mayer, U2, Sting, Van Morrison and the Eagles – delivered with the same passion that has driven him since that first demo tape.