Jimmy Wayne, A True Survivor
By Deborah Evans Price, Senior Music Editor, GospelMusicChannel.com
Among the numerous premieres on Gospel Music Channel this month, country singer/songwriter and true survivor Jimmy Wayne tells his story on Faith & Fame. Not only does Jimmy have one of country music’s most soulful voices, he has an incredible gift for channeling his life experiences into memorable songs that resonate powerfully with audiences.
Jimmy is the portrait of a survivor, a young man who has overcome an abusive childhood, homelessness and turmoil, yet found the strength to pursue his dreams. I remember the first time I ever heard him sing. I was working at Billboard Nashville when reps from Dreamworks Records brought him into our conference room. When he finished the song, grown men were weeping. His music is that powerful and his story is truly touching.
The Kings Mountain, NC native got his first break in the music biz when he auditioned for a job in entertainment at a Nashville theme park and a publisher from Sony Music Publishing was impressed enough to sign him to a songwriting deal. He moved to Nashville and landed a recording contract with Dreamworks Records. His 2003 debut spawned four hit country singles – “I Love You This Much” “You Are,” “Paper Angels,” and “Stay Gone.”
Many of the album’s songs were written about his tumultuous childhood. Jimmy recalls visiting his mother in the hospital on Mother’s Day after his stepfather had stabbed her. On another occasion, his stepfather got into an argument with Jimmy’s older brother and shot his brother’s wife, who was paralyzed from the incident. The night before that shooting, he almost killed Jimmy.
“We were driving and he pulled over to the side of the road and he said, ‘Load this gun,’” recalls Jimmy. “I loaded it and he started mumbling and started punching me. He took the gun and stuck it up to my head and something told me to move. When I moved, he shot a hole in the window of the car. I got out and ran. The next night he ended up shooting my brother’s wife.”
His biological father never really acknowledged him and Jimmy chronicled his disappointing relationship with his father in the song titled “I Love You This Much.” The opening lines say, “He can’t remember the times that he thought ‘Does my daddy love me? Probably not. But that didn’t stop him from wishing that he did.”
In the third verse of the song, he’s sitting in a church and says: “‘Forgive me father’ when he realized he hadn’t been unloved or alone all his life. His arms were stretched out as far as they go, nailed to the cross for the whole world to know.”
Though he’s a mainstream country artist, Jimmy’s deep faith infuses much of his music. He credits Mr. and Mrs. Costner, an elderly couple who took him in off the streets, with showing him the love of Jesus. “The family I moved in with is definitely the reason I’m here. The Costners were good people. They walked the walk,” Jimmy says.
“I just really feel very, very, very blessed,” he continues. “I prayed a lot and I’m in such a better place now. It’s almost like I’ve lost that feeling, like I don’t feel that pain anymore. I disassociate myself from it and God has almost taken those feelings away, like it doesn’t hurt…Music has really been my therapy, my hobby, just everything to me. I’ve been able to write songs about what I’ve been through and sing for people that are going through the same thing.”
These days, after years of personal and professional upheaval, Jimmy has embarked on a happy new chapter in his life and career. He recently signed a record deal with The Valory Music Co. and just finished a new album. The title track, “Do You Believe Me Now,” is currently climbing the country charts.
“The record that I put together only has two ballads on it. Everything else is up-tempo,” says Jimmy of the new album as he settles comfortably into the living room of his beautiful Nashville home. He’s excited about the new record and graciously plays a few cuts, an impressive preview of the new project.
This album has been a long time coming. Like many artists, the upward trajectory of his career was cut short when the record label he recorded for went out of business. Luckily for Jimmy, Scott Borchetta, the record industry vet who had signed him to Dreamworks had started two new labels – Big Machine Records and the Valory Music Co. – and was anxious to have Jimmy back on his team. He wasted no time beginning the writing process. “I didn’t want to copy the first album, and I had a lot of time to think about it and write a lot of songs,” he says.
Jimmy has overcome tremendous obstacles to pursue his dreams. “It’s clear to me that what I’ve experienced, I’ve experienced for a reason,” he says. “Maybe that’s my calling is to tell that story. This is it. I don’t have a plan B.”
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About the Writer
Deborah Evans Price has covered Christian/Gospel music for Billboard magazine since 1994. She also contributes regularly to Country Weekly, CMA Close Up, Devo’Zine, Christian Single, HomeLife, BMI Music World, and other publications.
A Nashville resident since 1983, Deborah has held editorial posts at Radio & Records, Country News, American Songwriter and Billboard. Amy Grant, Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley, Charlie Daniels, 3 Doors Down, Third Day, Don Henley, Bon Jovi, Chris Rice, Sandra Bullock, Mercy Me, Alan Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Steven Curtis Chapman are among her many interviews. Additionally, she's a sought-after music industry analyst who has been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, TNN, The Today Show, and ABC PrimeTime Live, among other outlets.
Deborah is a member of the Gospel Music Association's board of directors and a graduate of Leadership Music. She resides south of Nashville with her husband, Gary, and 18-year-old son Trey.
