Don Wayne

"Some of the happiest times of my childhood were spent listening to country music on the radio or playing records on an old wind up victrola. Some of my favorite singers then were Eddie Arnold, Ernest Tubb, and Roy Acuff. One summer day when I was about eleven years old I was on my front porch pretending to play an old guitar someone had gave me. The lady next door called me over and asked me if I knew "Rainbow at Midnight" by Ernest Tubb. I said yes but I don't know if I can remember all the words. She went in the house and came out with an Ernest Tubb Song Folio, and we sat there having a great time singing a lot of those old Ernest Tubb hits. I suppose that was the beginning of my dream of someday doing something in country music. I think 'Country Bumpkin' is by far my best song and it will always be special cause "it" came along and picked me up at a very low point in my songwriting career. I love all my songs but I also feel a special affection for those recorded by the heroes I idolized as a youngster, among those are 'Don't Water Down the Bad News' by Ernest Tubb, 'What in Her World Did I Do' by Eddy Arnold and 'MacArthurs Hand' by Tex Ritter."

Birth Name: Donald William Choate
Induction Year: 1978
Date of Birth: 5/30/1933
Place of Birth: Nashville, TN

Former Occupations:
tool and diemaker

Education:
Grade School--Elliot - Buena Vista (from 09/1939 to 05/1945)
High School--Nort Nashville - William James High (White Bluff, TN) (from 1946 to 1948)--did not graduate

Career Milestones:

1953--first song recorded on major label, "Lonesome Waltz" (co-written with Vic McAlpin); recorded by George Morgan on Columbia Records

Summer 1959--first recording as an artist, "Poor Little Jimmy" on Look Records (owned by Hillous Butrum); song did not chart well but was later recorded by Hank Snow and Burl Ives

Autumn 1963--signed exclusive writer agreement with Tree Publishing Co.

3/1964 to 4/1964--first #1 song, "Saginaw, Michigan" recorded by Lefty Frizzell; was #1 for 5 weeks

1971--first and only appearance on the Grand Ole Opry

1974-75--made numerous appearances on the Ernest Tubb "Midnight Jamboree"

Awards:

1974--CMA\Song of the Year\Country Bumpkin

1974--ACM\Song of the Year\Country Bumpkin

1974--NSAI\Song of the Year\Country Bumpkin

1974--NSAI\Songwriter of the Year

Catalog Highlights

Saginaw Michigan

  • Co-writer: Bill Anderson

  • Artists: Lefty Frizzell (1964)

Country Bumpkin

  • Artists: Cal Smith (1974)

Belles of Southern Bell

  • Artists: Del Reeves (1966)

Birmingham Blues

  • Artists: Jack Barlow (1969)

It's Time to Pay the Fiddler

  • Artists: Cal Smith (1975)

She Talked A Lot About Texas

  • Artists: Cal Smith (1975)

Mac Arthur's Hand

  • Artists: Cal Smith (1976), Tex Ritter

What In Her World Did I Do

  • Co-writer: Bobby Fischer

  • Artists: Eddy Arnold (1978)

Hank

  • Artists: Don Wayne (1971), Hank Williams Jr. (1972)

Nashville

  • Artists: David Houston (1970)

If Teardrops Were Silver

  • Artists: Jean Shepard (1967)

Marriage Bit

  • Artists: Lefty Frizzell (1968)

Comments:

Awarded 3 BMI performance awards and 1 ASCAP performance award