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Wayne Jackson Handy was had a successful but short-lived career as a rockabilly performer in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Contents
* 1 Biography
o 1.1 Early life
o 1.2 Music career
* 2 Style
* 3 Discography
1.0 Biography
1.1 Early life
Wayne Handy was born in what is now Eden, North Caroilna on May 14,
1935. He grew up in neighboring Reidsville, North Carolina, a once
thriving tobacco town and home to the American Tobacco Company. Wayne's
father was a farmer and letter carrier, and his mother a housewife. The
last of five children, Wayne was charismatic, with a melodic, soothing
voice and a skilled ear for music and melody. He and his sister Frances
enjoyed singing popular church songs together at home, and in 1956 he
joined a Reidsville swing dance band called The Blue Flames for which
he provided the vocals.
1.2 Music career
In 1957 he was scouted by a local man to come down to Durham, North
Carolina and sing on the local show Saturday Night Country Style with
Jim Thornton. Watching the performance that night on the radio was
Howard Rambeau, the owner of a small Durham, North Carolina label
called Renown Records. Howard called the TV station that night before
Wayne left to ask if he wanted to record for Renown. Wayne signed with
Renown and released his first single "Say Yeah" in 1957. Authored by
Handy, "Say Yeah" climbed to the top ten on the weekly Billboard charts
in New Orleans and Orlando, Florida, and was later recorded by
rockabilly artist Sammy Salvo. After his initial success, the company
BMI struck a deal with Renown Records to license and promote Handy's
music.
Wayne recorded with some well-known musicians at the time such the
Melody masters, the King Sisters, and Boots Randolph (insert link to
Boots Randolph). In 1957 he was asked to appear in Philadelphia on the
television show Bandstand (insert link to Bandstand). After his
performance he was driven back to the airport by a representative from
the show. The representative informed Handy that if he wanted Bandstand
to keep playing his songs on the show, he or Renown Records would have
to pay for the priviledge. "Pay to play", also called "payola", is a
form of corruption in the music business where those who control the
media channels demand money for playing an artist's music. Neither
Handy nor Renown Records would cooperate, and consequently Handy's
songs were not played on Bandstand or anywhere else other than in North
Carolina. Handy joined the US Army in 1958 and was stationed in Alsaka.
After his Army enlistment, he returned to North Carolina to enroll at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and pursue a degree in
Business. Disillusioned by the music business,he did not extend his
contract with Renown Records and lost touch with Rambeau . He never
played music professionally again, but in the 1970s collaborated
briefly with a friend, Harold Langdon, to entertain with original
songs at social events as Handy and Landy. Wayne Handy currently
resides in Greensboro, North Carolina with his wife of over 50 years,
Marjorie. He works as a mortgage broker. His music is still appreciated
by American fans of vintage rock n' roll and rockabilly, and his singles
are played on the radio in eastern Europe and South America.
2.0 Style
Wayne Handy was influenced by the artist Little Richard and was part of
the original rockabilly (insert link to wikipedia rockabilly page)
movement, a blend of country and rock and roll. All of the songs
released on his singles were original material authored by Handy.
3.0 Discography
Wayne Handy released five singles with Renown Records, for a total of
ten published songs. All of his songs were authored by him and vary
from raucous rockablliy to crooning ballads. His biggest hit was "Say
Yeah". Today his songs can be found on compilations of rockabilly music
from the 1950s. The complete list of his published songs:
Betcha' Didn't Know So Much to Remember I'll Never Be the Same Say Yeah You'll Never Be Mine Seminole Rock n' Roll Problem Child I Think You Oughta' Look Again Could It Be Don't Be Unfair