After 26 years as a full-time entertainer, in 1996, Wayne Willingham walked away.
The years had taken their toll; He was disillusioned, bored, jaded, aimless. He changed careers - completely shifting gears, and achieved more than he thought possible. He'd left music behind, as a mostly fond memory. He wasn't looking back.
Then nineteen years years later, somebody handed him a guitar...
This time, it's personal
No longer interested in night clubs and cover songs, Wayne returned to his roots. Like his singer/songwriter heroes Paul Simon, Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver, Joni Mitchell and others, he rediscovered his creative voice, writing his own songs and telling his own stories. The lockdown just gave him more time to write. He's not slowing down.
His fifth album, "Temptation Row" released in March 2022.
The voice is perhaps clearer and more expressive than in his previous life. The hands are back - just listen. The stage presence is that of a seasoned veteran. And there is that one thing that was missing before his sabbatical:
The sheer joy.