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Known for his long gestation periods between albums, His new project
“What Lines?” is already getting worldly attention.
It’s been a few years since Wayne Warner “Turbo Twanged”
radio. And what a “few years” it’s been. The forced
time off for the “hermetic” artist allowed time for
recovery from health issues as well as lessons in becoming a single
dad and to mourn the loss of one of his best friends. The “messy
with elegance” singer looks at the time as a “growing”
period on all fronts. “You can get lost out there on the road
in more ways then just geographically,” says Warner. The time
off in “artistic hiding” allowed me to refocus on myself,
my faith, my music and my children. It also allowed me a lot of
time to work with my associated Melodical Hearts Foundation and
to record an album I have wanted to make void of committee. As such,
the album is title “WHAT LINES ?” is the obvious title
for the new album. It’s Wayne, but even better. Today, his
voice is stronger, confident and seasoned with more of life. His
catch phrases still hold hidden but strong transmissions with unbelievable
hooks. Wayne’s one time producer, the legendary Harold Shedd,
once stated, "with Wayne Warner, you don’t just hear
the songs, you feel them”. One listen to “Unbroken”
and you will find that there is no speaker covering fabrics in existence
that can hold back the emotion with breathless authority yet with
some vulnerability. “Sung with the emotion of a thousand men
crying” professed Fox News's Joey Salvia. The album is a ride,
a journey that only seems to last seconds but leaves you refreshed
with its own sound, fun beats, ballads, feelings and thoughts. It
still has his signature sound but a bit more in your face. It’s
an “Artists Album” that colors and paints many moods
and audio art that asks - “What Line’s”?
The album includes many of his friends and artists for whom Warner
is “such a fan.” The Duet with Bonnie Tyler “SOMETHING
GOING ON” was a great honor for Wayne. “Singing with
Bonnie was a WOW in caps” says Warner. “She is as amazing,
tuff and sweet as her voice is.” When the studio musicians
knew this was a record with Bonnie an energy filled the air and
made its way to digital format. She is an “artist’s
artist” and I will always view the experience and the song
as a career highlight.” “Bonnie has always been ahead
of her time and is perfect for this song. When you listen to “Total
Eclipse of The Heart” or “Its a Heartache”, they
sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday. She is timeless
and sounds fantastic.” The song is a fun back and forth up-beat
tune with Warner and Tyler play off each other in a rhythmic way
that only such pros could do.
Wayne Warner doesn’t fit the mold.” Says Music City
News: “Which mold, you ask? Doesn’t matter pick any
mold you like Warner doesn’t conform to its expectations.
He is, for example, a rebel by appearance, from the tattoo on his
arm to his careless coiffure. Yet in his conversation he is the
soul of gentility, deferentially polite, not to mention urbane and
imaginative; he speaks the way many musicians wish they could write,
in a flow of witty twists and metaphors that suggest a rare verbal
virtuosity.” From a musical family in Northern VT., He made
several trips to Nashville aligned himself with famed producer Harold
Shedd and joined the Atlantic Records roster until their closing.
Now on B-venturous Records, the intensely private artist has many
ascending projects in the works with his music and with “The
Melodical Hearts foundation”. An organization he founded to
use the power of music to make a difference. www/melodicalhearts.org
“for me“ states Warner, "its not about how high
you can get on a chart, it's about what you can do with however
high you get”.
While he embraces his hermetic nature, he sure has gotten a lot
done and has called on his friends to help. His song/video project
for his Melodical Hearts Foundation, “God Bless The Children”,
which he produced for foster care/adoption awareness included such
superstars and legends as Taylor Swift, Jimmy Fortune of The Statler
Brothers and Elvis Presley's Jordanaires became one of the Dave
Thomas Foundations most successful PSA campaigns. Wayne, a dad of
adopted children says “to be able to make my work matter with
projects like this will always be the Everest of my career.”
Himself, eighteen years clean and sober, he is also proud of the
new project video “Black And White Rainbows.” This project
is a powerful song and video raising the awareness of drugs and
alcohol abuse, in a manner not previously displayed. The foundation
is working on national campaign to get this video in schools nationwide.
“What Lines?” Warner says, “is an album that I
have, in a sense, been forced to take time with. I don’t write
just to write but approach the process a bit more organically. I
like to have a beat with substance in it. I allowed time for writing,
time to live with the tracks and my home studio was upgraded so
I could do all final vocals at home. This allowed me to take chances,
to experiment. While I knew I was dancing with the boundaries, I
would run cuts by radio friends once in a while to be sure I was
still on track”.
A Little Background
Getting to this point in his career has certainly been an interesting
journey. His music career began at a very young age in rural Vermont
where he grew up listening to the music of country legends Merle
Haggard, Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris. Wayne Warner was immersed
in the traditional country music of his father’s successful
family band, known simply as the “Warner Band.” At the
age of six, he became an official member of the band. “I performed
for the first time with my father’s band at Buzzy’s
Barn Dance in VT. It was a real barn, the silo was the stairway
and the cows were under the stage. Then in 1972, the Warner family
constructed Warner's Dance Hall, the largest dance club in the state
of Vermont seating 500 people. Wayne loved performing in the band,
packing the Dance Hall each weekend.
His dreams also included making a record, and at the age of 15 he
made his first recording at a local studio. The tape made its way
into the hands of a Plattsburg, NY disc jockey who called and asked
permission to forward the tape to a record producer in Nashville.
A few short weeks later, Wayne found himself in a Nashville studio
surrounded by musicians he heard on the radio every day on records
by his heroes. The album was completed and the first single released
on an independent label. Wayne heard himself on the radio for the
first time on his 16th birthday. His career grew quickly and Wayne
got a quick taste of the demands of the business of the record industry.
He readily admits that he was not prepared for the demands and pressures
of the business. “At sixteen years old, I wasn't mature enough
or artistically prepared for it, so I opted out of the business
so that I could lead a somewhat normal lifestyle," he shares.
A short time later Wayne took over management of the Dance Hall,
a job that gave him invaluable business experience.
(Wayne with sons Keenan and Kyle)
Wayne’s face lights up when he talks about one of his most
life changing decisions during that time with their decision to
adopt three boys. “Adoption is something I had always wanted
to do, there are just so many children out there looking for a home.
I was fortunate to grow up with such a strong sense of family and
everyone should have that feeling.” With his business and
family life on track, he realized it was time to grow up and to
get his music career back on track as well. His sister, business
partner, and sometimes collaborator, Juanita, witnessed the changes
and began to prod Wayne to get back to making his music professionally.
Wayne, always wanting creative control, created B-Venturous Records
where his long awaited self-titled album was released in the winter
of 2002, and the music industry sat up and took notice. With Hits
such as “Turbo Twang”, “My Piece of Heaven on
Earth” and the star studded song video “God Bless the
Children”. With Wayne Warner, He seems to have his life's
lines in great order.
Management and booking:
Juanita Lee
Juanitalee@bvrecords.com
B-Venturous Records
Lowell, VT / Nashville, TN
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