About Me
This profile was edited with MySpace Profile Editor MySpace Profile EditorRANEY, WAYNEGive Name: Wayne T. Raney
Date of Birth: August 17, 1921
Place of Birth: Wolf Bayou, Arkansas
Date of Death: January 23, 1993
Marital Status: Loys J. Sutherland
Children: Zydall, Norma, WandaMusical Syle: Instrumental
Talents: Harmonica, SingerRecommend Record Albums:
"Songs of the Hills" (King)(1958) "Wayne Raney and the Raney Family" (Starday)(1960) "Don’t Try to Be What You Ain’t" (Starday)(1964) "Pardon My Whiskers" (Rimrock)(1970) "Tear Down the Mountains" (Rimrock)(1970) "Gathering in the Sky" ( Rimrock)(1970) Lonnie Glosson & Wayne Raney: "The Living Legends" (Memory)Biography:
Wayne Raney gained a degree of immortality in Country music as a harmonica wizard. His hard-Country voice also turned out some good vocal work in the late 40’s and early 50’s, particularly his biggest hit, Why Don’t You Haul Off and Love Me. Born in rural Arkansas to a farm family, Wayne had a crippled foot from early childhood which prevented him from doing heavy work so he began hanging around town, where he heard a street musician "choke" a harmonica and became determined to learn it. About 1932, Wayne also came under the influence of Lonnie Glosson, then working at KMOX radio in St. Louis. Hitchhiking to various radio stations, Wayne and Lonnie eventually met and the two became life-long friends. In 1938, they teamed up to form a twin harmonica act on Little Rock radio for a year. Periodically they would work together again. After some radio work on various Mexican border stations, Wayne came to station WCKY Cincinnati, where he remained for several years in various capacities, eventually gaining fame for his mail-order harmonica sales. He also taped shows for other stations and for the five years from 1945 is alleged to have average sales of a million harmonicas annually. He also helped the Delmore Brothers on recording sessions in the King studios, which led to Raney’s securing his own contract with Syd Nathan’s company. Two of his hillbilly boogie numbers, Lost John Boogie and Jack and Jill Boogie, became Top 15 hits in 1948. On May 6, 1949, with Lonnie Glosson playing a second French harp, Wayne Raney recorded his own Why Don’t You Haul Off and Love Me, which spent three weeks at No.1 and five months on the chart. It even went to the Top 25 on the Pop listings, which could be considered something of a surprise considering that Wayne’s unabashed Country style and Arkansas twang seemed unlikely to hit in the crossover market. Raney remained with King until 1955, but never had another song that could match his big hit. There were some fine novelty and boogie numbers among them such as Pardon My Whiskers, I Love My Little Yo Yo, Catfish Baby, and Undertakin’ Daddy. He also spent a year at the Grand Ole Opry and in 1953 toured for several months with Lefty Frizzell, but eventually returned to WCKY, where he did deejay work and his transcribed harmonica sales programs until 1960, when he returned permanently to Arkansas. He had recorded a few sides for Decca in the late 50’s, but they had limited success in spite of their high quality (40th and Plum is a Country humor classic). Although harmonica sales during the 50’s had dropped, it remained a significant sideline until 1960, when Wayne could no longer buy them in the quantity and at a price low enough to turn a profit. From Arkansas, Raney recorded initially for Starday, turning out a family Gospel album that contained We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (and a Lot Less Rock and Roll), as well as a later Country effort, Don’t Try to Be What You Ain’t. He operated a chicken farm near Concord and also started Rimrock Records, which included not only a studio but also a pressing plant. Rimrock not only recorded material themselves, but also did custom pressings. Artists on Rimrock included Red Smiley, the Stanley Brothers, Carl Story, Lonnie Glosson, and of course the Raneys. As he grew older and his health declined, Raney sold his operations and moved to Drasco. He was living there when he and Glosson cut an album together. Not long afterward, his health took another downturn with the resulting loss of his voice box. In 1990, he published an autobiographical booklet, Life Has Not Been A Bed of Roses. Raney died in January 1993.
Ivan M. Tribe
