Introduction
Benjamin Cas Haley (born December 27, 1980; Paris, Texas) is an American singer/guitarist who was the runner-up on Season 2 of America's Got Talent in 2007.
Career
His self-titled album charted as the #8 Best selling reggae album of 2008 on the Billboard Charts.
In June 2009, it was announced that Haley & former Jah Roots lead singer, Josh Heinrichs, would release Favorites, a collection of modern and classic reggae favorites redone by Haley and Heinrichs. Announced to be released in late summer 2009 by Big Karma Records, the album was postponed due to producer Jim Slaton's unexpected death from a heart attack in August 2009. The album was mastered by Rob Fraboni.
In December 2009, Haley joined the Jamaican reggae artist Tanya Stephens to sing on a cover of "Wolfman's Brother" for the Phish reggae tribute album Dub Like An Antelope - Legends of reggae celebrate Phish. The album was released December 14, 2009.
In June 2010, Haley toured Hawaii with Josh Heinrichs playing shows on Oahu & The Big Island. While on tour they appeared on several local radio programs and the television morning news portion of Hawaii News Now.
On June 3, 2010, Easy Star Records announced that they would be releasing Haley's follow up album, Connection, on September 14, 2010. "Connection" was released as scheduled and debuted at #2 on Billboard's Top 200 Best Selling Reggae Albums.
In October, Haley toured the US west coast and Europe with the Easy Star All-Stars, in support of Connection.
Personal life
Haley is married to Cassie Black and has a son named Eben and a daughter named Nolah. He lived in Arlington, Texas previously, but has moved back to a small community outside of Paris, Texas.
Video
America's Got Talent
After his audition, judge Piers Morgan said that Haley sang "Walking on the Moon" better than Sting.
Performances/Results
| Week | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Chicago | "Walking on the Moon" | The Police | Advanced |
| Vegas Verdicts | N/A | "Living for the City" | Stevie Wonder | Advanced |
| Top 20 | Group 2 | "Higher and Higher" | Jackie Wilson | Advanced |
| Top 10 | N/A | "Bring it on Home to Me" | Sam Cooke | Advanced |
| Top 8 | Heroes | "Easy" | Lionel Richie | Advanced |
| Top 4 | Judges' Choice Contestant's Choice | "Can't Help Falling in Love" "Sir Duke" | Elvis Presley Stevie Wonder | N/A |
| Finale | Duets | "Red Red Wine" | Neil Diamond | Runner Up |
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak | Certifications (sales threshold) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Reggae | Year End Reggae | ||||||
| 2008 | Cas Haley
| — | 2 | 8 |
| |||
| 2010 | Connection
| — | 2 | — | ||||
| 2013 | La Si Dah
| — | — | — | ||||
| 2015 | More Music More Family
| — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes the album did not chart. | ||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | ||||||||
| 2010 | "Better" | — | Connection | |||||
| "—" denotes the single did not chart. | ||||||||