Thomas Wayne
Thomas Wayne (born July 22, 1940 in Batesville , Mississippi , as Thomas Wayne Perkins , † August 15, 1971 in Memphis , Tennessee ) was an American rockabilly and pop singer. His biggest hit was Tragedy .
Life
Childhood and youth
Thomas Wayne's brother twelve years older was Luther Perkins , who moved to Memphis in the early 1950s, where he met Johnny Cash and became his guitarist . Thomas Wayne attended Humes High School in Memphis and formed a quartet with fellow students Nancy Reed, Sandra Brown and Carol Moss.
Career
With this group and the young guitarist Chips Moman he performed at school events. He also came to Scotty Moore's house as a newsboy and one day sang to him. Moore was impressed: “Thomas was my paper boy […]. But he always wanted to sing. So finally, we took Thomas and cut a couple of sides on him. He had a good voice. ” Wayne recorded You're the One That Done It / This Time with Moore, Bill Black ( bass ) and Jimmy Van Eaton ( drums ) , which was released on Fernwood Records . The record showed good airplay and was re-released by Mercury Records in March 1958 .
For his Wayne single, Scotty Moore chose the ballad Tragedy , written by Gerald Nelson Fred Burch. Wayne brought the De-Lons with him and together with musicians like Joe Lee ( saxophone ) the song was recorded in Hi Studio. Nothing happened to the single for about three months until a Buffalo promoter ordered 60,000 copies and sent Fernwood Wayne to tour the east coast. The song went on to become a hit, reaching gold status with over a million copies sold, number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the R&B charts.
Wayne never repeated his success, however. His next singles with Fernwood were unsuccessful and in 1961 his record was released there. After one appearance each at Phillips International and Santo Records , also based in Memphis, Wayne finally gave up his career as a musician. " Thomas wasn't the most handsome guy in the world; I thought maybe that was part of it, "Moore later recalled. Wayne then worked as a sound engineer for Moore with Joe Simon and Ringo Starr in a studio in Nashville. On August 5, 1968, his brother Luther died as a result of a fire.
In 1971 Thomas Wayne died in a car accident in Memphis.
Discography
| year | title | Label # |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | You're the One That Done It / This Time | Fernwood 106 |
| 1958 | You're the One That Done It / This Time | Mercury 71287X45 |
| 1958 | Tragedy / Saturday Night | Fernwood 109 |
| 1959 | Scandalizing My Name / Eternally | Fernwood 111 |
| 1959 | You're the One That Done It / This Time | Mercury 71454X45 |
| 1959 | Gonna Be Waitin '/ Just Beyond | Fernwood 113 |
| 1960 | Guilty of Love / Pancho Villa | Fernwood 120 |
| 1960 | Girl Next Door / Because of You | Fernwood 122 |
| 1961 | Tragedy / No More, No More | Fernwood 128 |
| 1961 | Tragedy / No More, No More | Capehart 5009 |
| 1962 | I've Got It Made / The Quiet Look | Phillips Int. 3577 |
| 1964 | Stop the River / 8th Wonder of the World | Santo 9053 |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ken Burke, Dan Griffin: The Blue Moon Boys: The Story of Elvis Presley's Band . Chicago Review Press, 2006, ISBN 1-55652-614-8 , p. 124
- ↑ Ken Burke, Dan Griffin: The Blue Moon Boys: The Story of Elvis Presley's Band . Chicago Review Press, 2006, ISBN 1-55652-614-8 , p. 126
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wayne, Thomas |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Perkins, Thomas Wayne (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rockabilly and pop singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 22, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Batesville, Mississippi |
| DATE OF DEATH | 15th August 1971 |
| Place of death | Memphis (Tennessee) |