Most people would consider a Southern Indiana farm a great place for raising corn, soy beans, wheat and livestock, but few would ever consider it as being a great place for raising a country music entertainer, singer/songwriter. For DeWayne Spaw, it was the perfect place. "My Grandpa was my best buddy and when I was a kid we were together nearly every waking hour. “I loved helping him on his farm," says DeWayne. "Grandpa and I loved to sing and recite poetry so I learned from one of the best. My Mom was a great singer and an excellent piano player as well and she played at church every Sunday so I quickly learned what good music was and I was raised to love it. I also remember riding with my Dad in his Jeep, listening to Mel Tillis, Charley Pride, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard on the radio. Dad loved country music and he had it dialed to his favorite station 24 hours a day in that CJ-5."
After high school, DeWayne decided to pursue a music career and attended Indiana State University on a talent scholarship he had received in vocal performance. After college, he decided that classical music was not where his heart was, and went back home and started a classic rock and country band, playing in clubs and entertaining for private parties until the opportunity came to move to Nashville in 1990. "I was lucky because I had a job there before I ever moved, so the cash flow was pretty good and I was able to record my first project within the first year." That first project landed him a deal with an independent label and the release of a single and music video that received airplay on TNN and CMT.
In 1998, while at a local rodeo, DeWayne got the idea of asking the stock contractor if he could perform for the crowd while they waited for the event to start. After hearing DeWayne's CD, the contractor gladly agreed and a nine-year career had begun. From that point on, he started booking his act at professional rodeos, bull ridings, fairs and festivals. Since then he has played an average of 40-60 shows a summer and has been performing full time since 2000. "I have finally found a nitch that no one else is doing and it has created a great way to make a living while pursuing my recording career. "
In the fall of 2006, DeWayne happened across the web site of renowned songwriter, producer, entertainer and former lead man of the Gibson/Miller Band, Dave Gibson. On a long shot, he sent an e-mail to Dave inquiring about prices for recording a new CD project in his studio. After going to DeWayne's web site, listening to some song samples, and meeting him in person, Dave agreed to produce his new project. They immediately started working on the album, Money, Gun & the Bible. "It's an honor for me to be working with Dave," says DeWayne. "He has written so many of my favorite songs and I was always a big fan of the Gibson/Miller Band. I even had the opportunity to record one of my favorite GMB songs, Texas Tattoo, as a duet with him. Money, Gun & The Bible could easily be called my best project to date and I think that has been apparent by the response from my fans over the past two years on my summer tours."
Now, 2009 has brought the recording of a new project, "Latest & Greatest II". "A few years back, I released a project named "Latest & Greatest" that featured the best songs from projects past," says DeWayne, "but since then, there have been even more requests for songs from my recent projects so I have decided to record 5 ALL NEW songs, plus include favorites from the past projects that have been requested by my fans at my live summer performances. This will give my fans the best of both worlds so to speak with new material and some of the old stuff they love!" Keep watching here for more tour updates and the Spring 2009 release of "Latest & Greatest II"!
This site was created by Sarah Rambaud
