Hughes began his music career by playing in the 1960s Dublin band Ned Spoon.
After Ned Spoon split in the early '70s, he and his brother, Willie, formed Highway, an acoustic hippy duo.
Jim Corr simultaneously decided to audition with his three sisters, unbeknownst to Hughes at the time.
Hughes put his own music aside when taking over the Corrs but in 1999 went back into the studio to write and record new material.
Encouraged by her work, Hughes signed Blaise to his own label Spokes Records afterward, and co-wrote material with her for her debut album Dancing on Tables Barefoot.