Wayne was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and grew up in Warba, a small town of 125 on a busy day. Although northern Minnesota was accordion country, Rock & Roll was taking the country by storm and Wayne & his friends were the first to form a band without an accordian. "I had a radio that would pick up all the big stations and the new music. Elvis was my hero even then. I didn't know it but I was being influenced by Blues and Jazz and Rock & Roll along with Frank Sinatra and big band music. We played our first gig at the village hall with our new band and I don't believe there's been that many people in Warba since. None of us had the money to invest in a lot of music equipment so we'd have 3 people playing out of one amp. But we got by. It was enough for me to know what I wanted to do in life. Music!"

Wayne's first experience playing in a real nightclub was in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Encouraged by the band he once again discovered a whole new world. He wanted to make music a career immediately. ("I had this problem though. I was too shy to perform in a fancy setting like a nightclub. It made me too nervous!") He set out to solve that problem and spent the next 7 years entering talent shows and performing where-ever they'd let him. Today Wayne is a polished performer, comfortable with an audience of 20 or 20,000.

In 2005 he decided to write a song. Mainly because he couldn't remember the words to the one he was trying to do. This experience started a songwriting career. He wrote and recorded enough songs for 2 CD's and released them on his own label "Never Too Late Records." "Take Away the Music" became a best seller as well as "Take the Gospel to the World," a Country Gospel CD. In 2008 two more CD's were released, "Music from my Heroes" & "Be all you can be" a 10 song CD of originals.

At age 69 (March 21st) and 7 years after that first CD, Wayne is looking forward to the new year after an extremely successful summer of extensive travel in 2011. 3 more CD's of original songs are to be released in 2012 and a busy year is ahead.

"I've been a musician most of my life and don't regret any of it. It's a hard business and you have to be willing to accept the ups with the downs. I've worked hard labor jobs, rode freight trains, picked fruit and slept in my car a lot. All for the love of a life style that is ungiving in the end.

Update: Wayne recently celebrated his induction into the Traditional Country Music Hall of Fame September 2, 2009.