Layne Wrye Stuff

Born in Paris, TN, Layne was influenced by country music at a very early age. His father, a song leader for a local church, was an avid fan of names like Hank Williams Sr., Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. “I can remember Daddy singing and playing guitar in the house when we were growing up. My favorite is when he would pull out Grandaddy’s mandolin and play a tune. Daddy was influenced by his father who would play almost anything, but Grandaddy’s area of expertise was the fiddle.” By hearing those tunes, Layne became addicted to country at a very early age. His first record was a 45 of "Ring of Fire". He played that Johnny Cash tune until the 45 was unrecognizable. Layne began singing at the age of 14 as song leader at the church. “Our kind of church was non-instrumental. If you were going to lead the church in a song, or do a solo, you had better get it right. You couldn’t fake it, because you are up there all alone without the choir or instruments.” His love of music and singing carried over into college where through the encouragement of his friends Layne began to perform at local fraternity functions and college events. It was in college where he began to write his first songs. “At first the songs that I wrote were humorous to make fun of my friends and situations. But what I discovered is that I loved to ad-lib and make up tunes on the fly. This developed into something bigger.” It was during these times that artists like George Strait, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, and Tim McGraw began to influence Layne. These influences began to show in his first attempts at songwriting. “I remember my first song was only about two minutes long, but it was long enough to get a standing ovation at the Kentucky Opry. I was blown away.” Layne continues to write about his life experiences and love of music.