|
James Douglas Wayne (March 3, 1920,〔 or April 17, 1924 – possibly March 31, 1978),〔 who recorded in the 1950s and early 1960s as James Waynes, James Wayne, and Wee Willie Wayne, was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter and musician. He recorded " a fine blend of Texas blues and New Orleans R&B".〔 He had a no.2 hit on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in 1951 with the song "Tend To Your Business", and that year also recorded one of the earliest versions of the widely-performed song "Junco Partner". ==Biography== Details of his life are obscure. According to his own account, he was born in Houston, Texas, in 1920,〔(''The People Versus James Douglas Wayne'', at Borenstein's Law, 13 August 2006 ). Retrieved 5 April 2013〕 although some sources state his birthplace as New Orleans,〔(Biography by Rovi at Allmusic.com ). Retrieved 4 April 2013〕 and others give it as Jefferson County, Texas with a date of birth in 1924.〔 He claimed to have undertaken training as a commando, and spent time in jail around 1950 for burglary, before becoming a musician.〔 He sang, played guitar,〔 and reportedly also played drums.〔 He is believed to have first recorded in Houston, for the "Sittin' in with" record label started by Bob Shad. His recording of "Tend To Your Business" became a hit in 1951, and stayed on the R&B chart for 14 weeks. He followed it up with "Junco Partner (Worthless Man)" in 1952, recorded by Shad in Atlanta, Georgia.〔( Profile of James "Wee Willie" Wayne at Black Cat Rockabilly ). Retrieved 4 April 2013〕 According to musician Mac Rebennack (Dr. John), Waynes' version made the song popular, although it was already widely known among musicians in New Orleans and elsewhere, as: "the anthem of the dopers, the whores, the pimps, the cons. It was a song they sang in Angola, the state prison farm, and the rhythm was even known as the 'jailbird beat'."〔(Liner notes to Dr. John's ''Gumbo'', reprinted at barewires blog ). Retrieved 4 April 2013〕 In all, he recorded five singles for the "Sittin' in with" label, the first three credited to James Waynes, with a final "s".〔( Sittin' In With Records discography ). Retrieved 4 April 2013〕 Wayne then recorded with Lee Allen and other musicians for Imperial Records in New Orleans, before moving to the Aladdin label in Los Angeles, and then Old Town Records. He returned to Imperial in 1955, when he began to record as Wee Willie Wayne. One of his recordings there was "Travelin' Mood", which became another R&B standard recorded by Dr. John and others; the B-side was "I Remember", another classic recording.〔( ''The Forgotten Wee Willie Wayne'' at I Write The Songs ). Retrieved 5 April 2013〕 He also recorded for the Peacock and Angletone labels, before, in 1961, returning again to Imperial where he recorded an updated version of "Tend To Your Business", as part of an album, ''Travelin' Mood'', mostly made up of earlier recordings.〔〔〔(John Broven, ''Rhythm and blues in New Orleans'', Pelican Publishing, 1988, p.177 )〕 He did not record after 1961. In February 1967, he was arrested after setting fire to a motel in South Central Los Angeles following an argument with its manager, and was charged on three felony counts. He was found to have had a history of alcoholism, and to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, and was committed to a mental health institution. His claims of having been a successful musician were initially discounted by the authorities. He spent several years in the Atascadero State Mental Hospital in the early 1970s, before being released.〔 In 1975 he was reportedly living in Los Angeles.〔 According to one source, he died in Los Angeles in 1978.〔 A compilation LP, ''Travelin' From Texas To New Orleans'', was issued by Sundown Records in about 1980.〔( Sundown Records Discography ). Retrieved 7 April 2013〕 A CD compilation of the same title was issued in 2002. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「James Wayne (R&B musician)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|