Wayne Willingham - Stayed In Love Too Long (2017)

After 26 years as a full-time entertainer, Wayne Willingham walked away. The years had taken their toll; He was disillusioned, bored, jaded, aimless. He changed careers - completely shifting gears, and achieved more than he ever thought possible.
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While listening to a friend's band in Fort Worth in late 2014, he was inspired enough to pick up his guitar and try to knock off some of the rust. By his own admission, those first few weeks were pretty rough. But like in his earliest days as a teen, he fought through it,

In April 2015, Wayne performed in front of an audience for the first time in 19 years, It was only three original songs, but it was day one of the return. It's not for the money, nor the applause, but for expression and fulfillment. This time, it's personal.

No longer interested in night clubs and cover songs, Wayne returned to his roots. Like his singer/songwriter heroes Paul Simon, Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver, Joni Mitchell and others, he rediscovered his own creative voice, writing his own songs and telling his own stories.
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​Since his return, he has penned a couple dozen new songs. Older compositions have been re-tooled. An accomplished fingerstyle guitarist, Wayne has also composed a few instrumentals. An all-original album "Stayed in Love Too Long" was released September 2017. Wayne is finally having the musical career he first intended.
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The voice is still there - perhaps clearer and more expressive. The hands are back - ask other guitarists, or just listen for yourself. The stage presence is that of a seasoned veteran. And there is that one thing that was missing before his sabbatical: The sheer joy.