On this day (October 23) in 1972, Jimmy Wayne Barber was born in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Known professionally as Jimmy Wayne, country music fans may recognize him from his top 10 hits “Stay Gone”, “I Love You This Much”, and the 2008 chart-topper “Do You Believe Me Now”. A former foster kid and homeless teenager, Wayne rose above every hardship to make a name for himself in Nashville. He has since used his hard-earned platform to advocate for children in similar situations. In honor of his 54th birthday, we’re revisiting his life and career.
Jimmy Wayne Overcame Early Tragedies
Abandoned by his biological father and raised by a troubled mother, Jimmy Wayne spent his childhood drifting in and out of foster homes in Bessemer City, North Carolina.
As a teenager, his stepfather held a gun to his head. Not long after that, his mother abandoned him at a bus station. By 16, Wayne found himself living on the streets, taking on various odd jobs to pay for food.
While riding his bike one day, he stopped by an elderly couple’s woodshop and asked for work. Initially agreeing to allow the teen to mow their lawn once a week, the couple offered up their spare bedroom when they learned he was homeless. He stayed for six years.
The structure of a permanent living situation allowed Wayne to explore his musical interests for the first time. And they were diverse, ranging from Alan Jackson to Hall & Oates to Judas Priest. Wayne also played guitar and sang in a band with friends.
“I fell in love with it,” he said. “Music is in my genes — my mom always loved to sing, and my dad plays a number of instruments.”
His Journey to Nashville
After graduating from high school in June 1992, Jimmy Wayne took a job as a prison guard at the Gaston Correctional Facility. But music was always his true passion, and after earning an associate’s degree in criminal justice from a local community college, he set out for Nashville.
At first, Wayne worked as a songwriter for Acuff-Rose, writing alongside Dean Dillon, Sanger D. Shafer and others. In late 1999, Tracy Byrd released Wayne’s song “Put Your Hand in Mine” as the lead single from his sixth studio album It’s About Time.
Wayne signed his own recording contract with DreamWorks Nashville in 2001. Two years later, he released his self-titled debut album, which yielded the top 10 singes “Stay Gone” (number three) and “I Love You This Much” (number six).
“[The] grain of truth that’s in his voice outstrips any image or sonic trappings that may be placed upon him from outside,” wrote AllMusic critic Thom Jurek. “Keep your ears open; this young man is no flash in the pan.”
Five years later, Wayne released his sophomore album, Do You Believe Me Now. It climbed to number four on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, and its title track gave Wayne his first number-one single.
The following year, Wayne released his third album, Sara Smile, featuring a cover of Hall & Oates’ 1976 single of the same name.
Non-Musical Ventures
While Jimmy Wayne hasn’t released a full-length album since 2009, the country music hitmaker has kept plenty busy.
On January 1, 2010, he embarked on a 1,660-mile trek from Nashville to Phoenix, Arizona, to raise awareness for kids aging out of the foster care system. While walking, he wrote the Christmas novel Paper Angels, about a child who receives help from the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program.
In 2012, Wayne lobbied to pass legislative bills extending the age of foster care from 18 to 21 in California and Tennessee.
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Two years later, he released his New York Times best-selling autobiography Walk to Beautiful: The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way.
Featured image by Jason Davis/Getty Images for Bandtwango
The post Born 54 Years Ago Today in North Carolina, the Former Foster Kid Who Went From Living on the Streets to Country Music Stardom appeared first on American Songwriter.