Tyler James Hilton
(born November 22, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Hilton began his professional career in music in 2000. Rolling Stone Magazine
compared him to his contemporary, Howie Day, while others have compared Hilton to Elton John, both vocally and instrumentally. Since the release of his debut album, Hilton has ventured into acting, guest starring on The CW's television show One Tree Hill
as the talented but somewhat pompous Chris Keller, and playing the role of Elvis Presley in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line
. He also appeared in Taylor Swift's music video "Teardrops on My Guitar".
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TYLER HILTON TICKETS
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Early years and Personal Life
Hilton was born in
Palm Springs, California, the son of Kristy and Robert Hilton. Raised in
Bermuda Dunes, California, Hilton grew up around music and began teaching himself
Elvis Presley songs at an early age. After a brief stint in Northern California, his family moved back to the
Palm Springs area, where he wrote his first song about a girl named Rhian with whom he attended school. Hilton's family made another move back to
Coachella Valley for high school, where, at
La Quinta High School, he started a band with some of his classmates. The band didn't go anywhere, so Hilton began to enter open mic nights and went to local coffee shops to play his own music. He is
not
related to socialite Paris Hilton. He keeps his personal life rather private but he is dating
Megan Park, his co-star in
Charlie Bartlett. Tyler currently lives in LA and is working on his upcoming album due out sometime in 2009.
Establishment
Hilton heard a local radio station was giving away
Jonny Lang concert tickets and called into the Mark & Brian radio show on KLOS in Los Angeles at the age of 16. While on the phone, he sang an
a cappella version of
Jonny Lang’s song "Breakin' Me." Mark & Brian were so impressed with Hilton's performance that they gave him a spot at the station's
Christmas concert. Word of Hilton caught the ear of
Maverick Records, who signed him up with a record deal shortly after. Work started on Hilton's debut major label record,
The Tracks of Tyler Hilton
, and the songs were recorded quickly. The album was released on
September 28,
2004. After the release of his album, Hilton joined the likes of
Avril Lavigne,
Jet,
50 Cent, and
Josh Groban as an artist chosen by
AOL Breaker for his star potential.
Filmography
- One Tree Hill
as Chris Keller 16 episodes (2004-2007)
- Charlie Bartlett
as Murphey Bivens (2007)
- Walk the Line
as Elvis Presley (2005)
- American Dreams
as Folk Singer 1 episode (2004)
Acting
After his stint as
Chris Keller on
One Tree Hill
, Hilton went on to appear in the
Academy Award-winning film
Walk the Line
as a young version of
Elvis Presley. For the part, Hilton was given the opportunity to cover two Elvis songs for the film, "Milk Cow Blues" and "
That's All Right." Both songs are featured on the film's
award-winning soundtrack.
Hilton appeared in the 2008 film
Charlie Bartlett
and played the love interest in country music artist
Taylor Swift's music video for her song "
Teardrops on My Guitar".
When the creator of
One Tree Hill (TV series) asked Hilton to reprise his role as Chris Keller in 2008, Tyler replied, "Sorry, but Chris Keller needs to focus on his music."
His One Tree Hill Co-Star Bevin Prince is a fan of Tyler and enjoys his music.
Additional Television Appearances
Hilton also performed in a Season 4 episode of
My Super Sweet Sixteen
() during a young girl's sweet 16 party.
Music
In addition to these solo albums, Hilton has also appeared on each of the three different
One Tree Hill (TV series) soundtrack albums, some with formerly unreleased material that cannot be found anywhere else. Most notably, the cover of the
Ryan Adams song "When the Stars Go Blue," which was arranged into a duet with One Tree Hill star
Bethany Joy Galeotti for the show; also, a cover of "Missing You" by
John Waite and the original track "You'll Ask For Me."
Hilton released a self-titled EP on
April 6,
2004. All four songs were included on his first album The Tracks of Tyler Hilton released on
September 28,
2004.
Charity
Tyler has started his own charity, "TH Books For Kids," in which he donates books to children in need. He often organizes charity concerts to raise money, and many of his fans participate in these events.
Discography
Albums
Tyler Hilton
(2000)
#"Not Getting Your Name" 5:01
#"Nora Marie" 6:15
#"I Believe We Can Do It" 4:49
#"Someone Like You" 4:05
#"Up Late Again" 2:08
#"It's Always the Same" 5:12
#"Shy Girl" 4:29
#"It's Only Love" 2:37
#"If I'm Not Right" 3:52
#"New York Can Wait" 3:07
#"Last Promise" 3:53
#"Don't Blame Me" 3:39
#"Meant Something to Me" 2:50
The Tracks of Tyler Hilton
(2004)
#When It Comes
#The Letter Song
#Glad
#Rolling Home
#Pink and Black
#Our Time
#Kiss On
#Slide
#You, My Love
#Insomnia
#Picture Perfect
EPs
Better On Beachwood
(2009)
#"Tore the Line" 3:31
#"Don't Forget All Your Clothes" 5:04
#"I Believe In You (Acoustic)" 4:09
Music videos
Year
| Title
| Director
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2004
| "When It Comes"
| Nick Spanos
|
Adam Pollina
|
Charles Mehling
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2005
| "How Love Should Be"
| Tyler Hilton
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2007
| "You'll Ask for Me"
| Brad Belanger
|