Dallas Wayne – Singer, songwriter, artist, popular radio DJ heard on Outlaw Country and Willie’s Roadhouse on SiriusXM, and so much more! With his newest album Coldwater, TN  about to release in just a few weeks (April 22, 2022), we had the incredible opportunity to chat with the classic country veteran about his newest single “He Even Brought Her Flowers,” working with legendary Hall of Famers Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon, what to expect from the album as a whole, his work on radio, and so much.

(Interview by: Jeffrey Kurtis) 

https://www.dallaswayne.com

1) Tell us a little bit about your newest single, “He Even Brought Her Flowers.”

“He Even Brought Her Flowers” is a song that I wrote with Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon.

I started it quite a few years ago and had it completely in form but wasn’t really all that pleased with it, so being the intelligent man that I am (laughs) I turned to two Hall of Fame songwriters and said, can y’all fix this? And they did and that’s what you hear now.

2) You mentioned that you co-wrote the song with Whisperin’ Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon and that you sat on it for a few years because it was missing something. What did Anderson and Cannon bring to the song that filled in that missing piece?

They reshowed me the #1 songwriting lesson that all of us should learn and practice daily, the economy of words.  They took two verses that I had originally written and condensed them down into two great ideas into the verse that I already had. It was a great editing job and upheld that old idea to say as much as you can with as little as possible

Bill did the recitation on the last verse completely adlibbed. It wasn’t written down on paper the way that he did it and he did it in that way that only Bill could.

3) Speaking of that recitation, what dynamic did Bill’s voice bring to the song that might not have otherwise been there?

I owe everything on that to Buddy. He had originally suggested that I do a recitation during the last verse because of my years on radio and people already knowing that I do talking like that. I said, “Why not have one of the greatest at doing recitations, not to mention the co-writer on the song, do it?” And Bill ran with it and does what he does.

We’re actually going to be singing this song together on the Grand Ole Opry on May 7, 2022, and I think Buddy may even be joining us on backups that night. It’ll be fun.

4) This single is lifted from your upcoming Coldwater, TN album (due 4/22/22). Why did you feel that “He Even Brought Her Flowers” was a great follow-up to “I Hit the Road (And The Road Hit Back)”?

They’re two pretty different songs. This album is a collection of stuff out of my songwriting collection, and so it doesn’t really have much of a set theme to it other than that it’s all original stuff.

My previous two albums – Songs the Jukebox Taught Me Vol 1. and Vol 2. – songs of country covers to pay tribute to those great classic country songs.

5) Speaking of “I Hit the Road (And The Road Hit Back),” even though there’s no overall theme to the album, what about that song did you feel made it the perfect first impression of the album as a whole?

I love how it jumps with that cold start like that. Hopefully gets the listeners attention. It’s a tongue and cheek song about a dumb, young kid who thinks the music business is one way and it takes him years to realize it’s not. I wrote that song with Robbie Fulks who I played many years with together in a bluegrass band called The Special Consensus.

6) What can we expect to hear from the album that the singles don’t offer?

I love a couple of the songs on there because they are fun for me. The title track, “Coldwater, Tennessee,” which I also wrote with Robbie…and a song called “I’m Your Biggest Fan,” it’s my stalker song and has always been one of my favorites.

There are some country shuffles on the album as well, and some straight-ahead country ballads which is what I feel like I do best.

7) Working with Buddy Cannon on the production side of things. How did his expertise and ideas help challenge you the most while also shaping the overall sound of the new album and bringing out new things from you that you’ve never done before?

I owe everything with this record to Buddy. It was his idea to make the album in the first place.

I was on the phone talking with him one night and he asked me, “What do you got planned? I think the country is about to open back up.” And I told him that I wanted to make one more album before I get too old to do it.

Being a songwriter is all I’ve ever wanted to do. I didn’t want to be an artist, or and actor, DJ, whatever…

Buddy said that he always loved my songs and would be honored if I would let him produce it, and you don’t turn down those friends. You’ve got your friends, and then you have your “Holey Moley” friends like Buddy.

He’s just a kind, gifted, and gentle man that oozes goodness and calmness in the studio. He really let’s the singers and musicians do what they do. He told me that he hires the recording team he uses because of their great ideas and that he doesn’t really have to say too much because he hires them to do what they do. 

These sessions were hands down the most fun that I’ve ever had after recording 13 albums. This was a labor of love for both of us.

8) Is there one song on the album that you absolutely cannot wait for your fans to hear? If so, which song and why that one in particular?

“That Should Be Me and You.”

When I wrote it, I felt like it was something really special because I could see the mental picture of entire song in head. I’ve recorded a version of it in past, but this version came out exactly how I thought it should. It’s not brain surgery, it’s just hillbilly country music but I love it!

9) Switching gears for a question. For 17 years, you’ve been an iconic DJ on SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse and Outlaw Country. What do you love most about being in the radio booth?

Nobody in right mind stays on same radio station for 17 years and I’ve got to be the luckiest guy to be able to say I have.

I sort of backed into it. SiriusXM wanted musicians to come in for their stations and not DJ’s and I think that’s what really makes the programming so great all across board on SiriusXM.

What I love most about it really entered the front of my mind during COVID-19. This type of classic country music that we play at Willie’s Roadhouse is something that you can’t hear as often as we’d like you to. It’s the type of music that the mainstream has drifted away from a lot, so if you’re looking for classic country there are very few places to find it anymore.

During the COVID-19 stuff, I thought oh boy, a lot of people are going to have to tighten their belts and maybe cancel SiriusXM. The opposite actually became true. People were at home and listening more. It because more important to them and more important to us because it was a means of communication when were locked down in the house.

10) What is the best piece of advice that you can offer an aspiring songwriter/artist just trying to break into the music business?

Be aware of your surroundings.

Be aware of who you are. 

Be aware of, and able to, take advantage of opportunities when they come along.

Work your butt off! If you start out by working your butt off, have the talent, and just be yourself then you’ll get where you’re supposed to be. I don’t know that the world needs another Garth Brooks, George Strait, Merle Haggard, or Willie Nelson – we already have them, and they are the best at being them. Just be yourself.

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