Wayne Raney

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For the motorcycle racer, see Wayne Rainey.
Wayne Raney
Wayne Raney, Schaeffer Studio, Hollywood, California, 1950
Wayne Raney, Schaeffer Studio, Hollywood, California, 1950
Background information
Born(1921-08-17)August 17, 1921
Wolf Bayou, Arkansas, United States
DiedJanuary 23, 1993(1993-01-23) (aged 71)
Arkansas, United States
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)musician, singer
Instrument(s)Harmonica
Years active1934–1980s

Wayne Raney (August 17, 1921[1] – January 23, 1993)[2] was an American country singer and harmonica player.

Biography

Raney was born on a farm near Wolf Bayou,

Little Rock in 1938.[1] Later the pair worked for WCKY out of Cincinnati and played on syndicated radio.[1] They also established a harmonica mail order business which ended up being enormously successful; they sold millions of harmonicas and played a major role in turning the harmonica into a popular instrument.[1]

Raney played with the

DJ, record producer, and label owner, starting Rimrock Records.[1] He wrote the 1959 Christian revival song, "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (and a Lot Less Rock and Roll)", which has been covered by numerous artists in a variety of styles. These include People!, The Greenbriar Boys and Linda Ronstadt. He recorded country music into the early 1960s, including for his own label, but ceased the mail-order business in 1960.[2]

After returning to Arkansas, he recorded a gospel album called Don't Try to Be What You Ain't.[2] Eventually he went into semi-retirement, running his own chicken farm and performing only occasionally in the late 1960s and 1970s.[2] While he appeared sporadically on Hee Haw in the 1970s, he lost his voice in the 1980s and ceased performing; in 1990 he published an autobiography entitled Life Has Not Been a Bed of Roses.[2] He died of cancer in 1993.[2]

Raney was honored posthumously with the Arkansas Country Music Award for "Lifetime Achievement" on June 3, 2018, at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock.

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-726-6
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Manheim, James. "Wayne Raney". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  3. ^ Bledsoe, C.L. "Wayne Raney (1921–1993)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. CentralAtkansas LibrarySystem. Retrieved 24 January 2017.

External links

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