Tony Wade Hayes was born on April 20, 1969 in Bethel Acres, Oklahoma. He stands 6'2" and has blue/grey eyes. He plays the guitar and mandolin. His likes and hobbies include the color red, Ford trucks, the actor John Wayne, fishing, reading, roping and riding horses. He is divorced from Danni Boatwright, having been married from 1999-2003. Wade was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer which had spread to his liver. He underwent 8 hours of surgery in December 2011. Six months of intense chemotherapy followed. In January 2013, cancer cells were again found in a small group of lymph nodes. After six more months of chemotherapy and another surgery, Wade is now cancer free.

Wade is noted for such songs as “Old Enough to Know Better”, “Don’t Make Me Come to Tulsa”, “Steady As She Goes”, and “Family Reunion”.