Wayne the Train at Shank Hall

(Preface: I'm trying to switch over to Amazon for my audio links. We'll see how it goes. The music links should open in new windows.)

If you have an appreciation for the craft of music and the craft of heartfelt songwriting and true talent, then you would have no problem enjoying a Wayne Hancock show. This is real Honky Tonk, Juke Joint Swing. Not that boring crap you remember on the radio in the 70's. He's been covered numerous times, and has had a long, successful music career on his own terms instead of looking for his 15 minutes.

The first time I heard Wayne's music was when Hank III (Hank Williams III) covered "Thunderstorms and Neon Signs". Wayne's been here many times in the past few years, but unfortunately I've waited to find someone to go see him with. Heck with that...as you can see.

I met Wayne on his way in to Shank Hall for the show on Friday night He asked me what I'd like to hear. I was totally starstruck of course, and I said, "I'd love it if you could play "No Lovin' Tonight." He played it right after the opening song. Wayne is just a little shorter than me, slightly shy, and smiles a lot. He has a very thick Texas drawl. He came over to talk with me at the break too, to see how I was enjoying the show. I really like southern manners and charm, and Wayne brings that with him.

Wayne played a little over two hours. He has a very strong three piece band in Eddie Biebel on guitar and the young but legendary Jake Erwin on standup bass. It's hard for me to put exactly how good Wayne's show is into words. He's funny, he's humble, he talks to the audience, and he takes you along for a Honky Tonk, Western Swing ride that nobody else can.

Here are samples of two really great songs from his new album.

Going back to Texas when I'm through

Shooting Star From Texas (one of my favorite songs, wish I could find a better sample with the beautiful lyrics)

I took some live footage, but YouTube of course, has some of better quality:

Here is the title track from his new album, Tulsa


And another high quality clip: Gonna Be Flyin' Tonight


Humor of the night...emphasis mine..

"Talked sh*t about mahself one time. Almost got my aaass whuuped."

After the show I told him I couldn't wait for him to come back and play again, and that I would see him next time. That's how good his show is, and how close you can get to him.

On Myspace