Jimmy Wayne
A picture is worth a thousand words, so as the saying goes, but the context of such saying can also apply in appreciation of music artist’s and their compositions. More often than not, musicians connect through the audience with the emotions embedded in their music. Country singer/musician Jimmy Wing is no exception as his music shares the misfortunes he had during his youth and serves as a beacon of hope for individuals who had put up with similar or identical ordeals in life.
A first glance at the life and experiences of Jimmy Wayne would drive a person to a life of misdeed and utmost hatred for humanity. Born in King’s Mountain North Carolina on 23 October 1972, Wayne faced a hard life at an early age as his father left the family to the care of a disturbed mother who constantly returned to and from jail (Jurek). At the age of 15, Wayne experienced one of the most shaking tragedies of his life as he personally witnessed his step sister shot by his step father, and survived a similar murder attempt from the same individual (Jurek).
After moving from one foster home to another, Jimmy wandered off alone; battered, bruised, and confused by the series of appalling events that face him. During his formative teenage years, Wayne strayed off the streets of North Carolina, homeless and in search of enlightenment, particularly to seek for the ultimate answer to the reason behind his seemingly unyielding misery. Given his current state of affairs at the time, Jimmy did everything and showed willingness to do anything to withdraw himself from the unbearable torments of what most people called everyday life.
Tides would soon turn as Jimmy found the comfort and familial compassion from local couple Russell and Beatrice Costner (Jurek). Finally being granted a stable source of income as a household help and a place he can call home, Jimmy recuperated and bounced back from all the misfortunes he experienced. He fulfilled his love and passion for music by listening to established artists such as Hall & Oates, Lionel Richie, Alan Jackson, Judas Priest, Queensryche, Iron Maiden, and Ronnie Milsap. During this time, Jimmy did not limit himself to listening and looking at album covers as he set forth the long path of a music career with his first band Fantasyche (Jurek).
Following the demise of his foster mother, Wayne graduated from high-school and found a job as a Prison Guard at the Gaston Correctional Facility. While enduring the painful loss of his foster mother, Jimmy was highly influenced by a detainee who created an anti-drug presentation with the guitar as his only weapon. Thom Jurek notes that Wayne paid the individual a visit regularly to seek for advice in composing and arranging songs, while sprucing up his musical skills and studying Criminal Justice at a community college.
After acquiring a college degree, Wayne took his dreams of sharing his life through music a step further as he left Carolina and went to Nashville to pursue a musical career. Still in the process of harnessing his singing, songwriting, and instrument playing ability, Wayne worked his way in the Nashville music circuit working with other musicians like Dean Dillion and Whitey Shafer; Wayne finally signed a contract with DreamWorks’ Nashville arm in 2001 (Jurek). With the aid of producers Chris Lindsay and James Stroud, Wayne eventually saw the release of his self-titled major label debut in 2003 (Jurek).
Unlike most success stories that catapult individuals to the glitz and glamour of show business, Jimmy Wayne’s road to fame is brought about by sheer talent and passion for making music and expressing himself to every person within his reach. As Jimmy once said “I’ve always wanted to sing, write, and play, played at cookouts and everything I could around my hometown. It didn’t matter what it was or if it was for two or three people, I would play anywhere and everywhere (Jimmy Wayne’s Official Website).”
Given the severe amount of suffering Jimmy experienced, he had enough inspiration to write songs that would reflect the drama and the severe conditions of human life without the sensation of mass media. Jimmy Wayne’s music relates to me and the way I think, feel, and express myself, considering that his lyrics possess two distinct qualities: heat-felt passion and down-to-earth honesty. Wayne draws his music from the struggles he experienced growing up.
Although my experiences are different from that of Jimmy’s, the hardships I faced life do have a striking resemblance, what Wayne’s music offers is not merely limited to serving the purpose of entertainment or relaxation. Jimmy Wayne’s songs give out a naked simplicity of human life as experienced by actual people who endure every ounce of torment and treat it as an obstacle to conquer and overcome.
The biographical entry on Wayne’s official website denotes that character, creativity, and passion for life are the driving forces behind his music. This is, in large part brought about by the aforementioned fact that Wayne draws inspiration for writing his music on the circumstances of his life. Likewise, as a human person who experiences different struggles and hardships, I also re-channel the emotional trauma of my share of adversities to more constructive endeavors engaging on physical activities to promote the concept of sportsmanship.
Despite the large attention show business magazines shows give to the North Carolina native, Jimmy Wayne remains unmoved by the spectacle the media makes out of him and remains focused on his musical journey and his passion for music. While the media, People Magazine to be exact, emphasized on Jimmy’s looks by including him in their Sexiest Singers list, Jimmy’s focus remained on creating songs close meant to connect with his listeners instead of simply exploiting his perceived to attract audiences.
Instead of expressing ruthless aggression and downright resentment toward the world which was everything but kind to him, Jimmy Wayne’s music makes a change in people’s lives and taps into the very core of the human soul as powerful, moving songs leave indelible marks on people’s emotions. Similarly, being a person who aims to make a difference in the world, I also tend to propagate my talents not to attain recognition or popularity, but to simply be a beacon of hope for people who aspire in the similar endeavor I pursue.
As much as Jimmy Wayne’s music strikingly makes a difference in my life, the song from his self-titled debut album Blue and Brown connects the most to me. (Kindly insert insight of the song).
References
Jimmy Wayne Official Website. (2008, December 3). Bio. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from http://www.jimmywayne.com/
Jurek, T. Yahoo Music. (2008, December 3). Jimmy Wayne Biography. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from http://music.yahoo.com/ar-298435-bio–Jimmy-Wayne
Sexiest Singers. (2003). People Magazine, 60, 161-172. Retrieved December 3, 2008 from People Magazine Online Archives.
Wayne, J., and Stover, J. (2003). Blue and Brown [Recorded by Jimmy Wayne]. On Jimmy Wayne. Nashville: DreamWorks Records.
