Member Since: 11/26/2006
Band Website: www.garagepunk.com/forums
Band Members: Wendell Austin
The Country Swings
Influences: People who "attempt" to use LSD
Sounds Like: Wendell Austin was born on April 29th., 1935, at home, in a one room cabin, with no central heat, no plumbing and not much of anything else. Wendell nearly died at birth. But God had other plans.
Wendell’s mother Geraldine played guitar, harmonica and loved to sing. She encouraged Wendell to sing with her. She never played out in public. She loved singing in the local church choir and an occasional solo.
She and his dad took 9 year old Wendell down to Auto Rest Park, in Carmel, ME, to see and hear some Country musicians and singers. In the 1940’s the park was well known park for Country music. All of the major Maine bands played there. Young Wendell Jr. was invited to sing there that day. He was bitten by the music bug. The music bug continues to bite and infect him to this very day
In 1954 Wendell enlisted in the USAF for 4 years. In boot camp, at Sampson AFB in NY, Wendell would jam with other musicians and singers. After 4 years in the USAF Wendell was Honorably discharged. Wendell moved back to Maine for a brief period of time. He then moved to VA where he worked for an R&D firm. While there he teamed up with some local musicians for back porch music jams and parties.
In 1967, ‘68 & ‘69 Wendell recorded more homegrown songs with modest airplay and sales. Then in 1970 Wendell wrote and recorded a Jim Reeves type ballad, titled, “Talk Of The Townâ€. The release got great regional airtime. Wendell also got to talk with record companies and publishers in Nashville, TN. Some of which were: Hank Williams Jr.’s publishing company where Wendell leased two of his songs. And at another Nashville, TN publishing company owned by major recording artists Faron Young and Web Pierce, where he leased another song.
Wendell signed contracts, as an artist, with Avenue South Records (located on Music Row) and he signed on with River Boat Music as a songwriter. In 1980, Wendell, a Born Again Christian, started writing Country Gospel songs. He recorded ten of those songs. They were released to Country radio stations and Gospel radio stations like Bangor, Maine’s giant all Gospel station WHCF-FM, a 100,000 watt station. Soon Wendell was doing Gospel concerts in churches, on radio and guest shots on TV, like on his long time friend’s show, Curley O’Brien with Jackie King and The Top Hands
Wendell also wrote and recorded some media jingles for radio and TV. He wrote a song for the national CBA Basketball Association, for The Jacks who were located in Bangor, ME at the time.
Record Label: wreck records