Thomas Wayne Hancock III (born May 1, 1965, in Dallas, Texas) better known as Wayne "The Train" Hancock, is an American singer-songwriter. Hancock is known as "The King of Juke Joint Swing," because his sound is unique, as he incorporates

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

western swing Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which attracted huge crowds to dance ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

and

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...

, styles of music that he began listening to as a kid. His influences include

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...

, Glenn Miller,

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

, Hank Thompson, Hank Williams and

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian-American country music artist. Most popular in the 1950s, he had a career that spanned more than 50 years, he recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on ...

because they were all in his parents' record collection. Throughout his childhood, Hancock moved around seven times because his father was a

Design engineer A design engineer is an engineer focused on the engineering design process in any of the various engineering disciplines (including civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, textiles, aerospace, nuclear, manufacturing, systems, and structural ...

who worked at various engineering firms around the United States. Shortly after discovering

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

, Hancock began writing songs at the age of twelve. Hancock's vocal style was initially influenced by Hank Williams, and he has been compared to him throughout his career. At eighteen years old, Hancock won the Wrangler

Country Showdown The Country Showdown is an annual talent contest to find undiscovered country music singers across the United States. As many as 100,000 acts compete in the Country Showdown annually, which is considered to be the largest country music talent com ...

contest. The son of a

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

veteran, Hancock joined the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

immediately after winning the contest and was shipped to

recruit training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique deman ...

. Hancock served in the military for four years. During a six-month deployment at Camp Hansen in

Okinawa, Japan is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, he wrote one of his most well known songs, "Cold Lonesome Wind" from '' Thunderstorms and Neon Signs''. In 1990, Hancock moved to

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. In 1994, he met Lubbock, Texas native Joe Ely, a member of the Flatlanders at the

Continental Club Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (a ...

in, Austin, Texas. Shortly thereafter, Hancock landed a role in Terry Allen and Jo Harvey Allen's play, Chippy. Jimmie Dale Gilmore of the Flatlanders originally played Hancock's character Mr. Jukebox. When Gilmore was unable to do the second run of the play, Ely brought Hancock in, saying "This guy sounds just like Hank Williams, he'd be perfect." From there, Hancock joined the cast and went into the studio to record "Thunderstorms and Neon Signs," for the soundtrack. It was his first recording of the song. Hancock met

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

winning producer,

pedal steel The pedal steel guitar is a console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all steel guitars, it can ...

player, and Lubbock, Texas native,

Lloyd Maines Lloyd Wayne Maines (born June 28, 1951) is an American country music record producer, musician and songwriter. He was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame as one of the first three members, the other two being Willie Nelson and Stev ...

when Maines was running sound for Chippy. Maines has produced all of Hancock's albums, dating back to his 1995 debut, '' Thunderstorms and Neon Signs'', released on Deja Disc Records. The album sold 22,000 copies in the first year. The follow up was Hancock's sophomore 1997 album, '' That's What Daddy Wants'' released on Ark 21. Hancock gained the nickname The Train because of his marathon length shows, going on for 3, 4, even 5 hours long." On his debut 1999 album, '' Risin' Outlaw'',

Hank Williams III Shelton Hank Williams (born December 12, 1972), known as Hank Williams III, is an American musician, singer and multi-instrumentalist, known for his unique fusion of traditional country music, rockabilly, heavy metal and punk rock. He was the ...

, grandson of Hank Williams Sr., covered two songs from '' Thunderstorms and Neon Signs'', the title track, and "Why Don't You Leave Me Alone." He also recorded "87 Southbound," from '' That's What Daddy Wants''. In April 2014, Hancock was involved in a serious motorcycle accident, which left him with a fractured elbow and a collapsed lung. He was forced to cancel several months' worth of tour dates due to the wreck, but by the end of the year he was fully recovered and back on the road. In 2016, Hancock returned to the studio with producer

to cut his eighth studio album Slingin' Rhythm.

Discography

References

External links

*
Official Facebook

Official Twitter
* Wayne Hancock on Allmusic*
Wayne Hancock on rockabilly.net

Wayne Hancock collection
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

's live music archive * http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2014-05-09/playback-headhunters-closes/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock, Wayne 1965 births Living people American country singer-songwriters Musicians from Austin, Texas American rockabilly musicians Bloodshot Records artists Singer-songwriters from Texas Country musicians from Texas