Wayne Raney

Artist

Wayne Raney

About

American country music harmonica player and singer/songwriter, born August 17, 1921, in Wolf Bayou, Arkansas, USA; died January 23, 1993, in Drasco, Arkansas, USA. Spouse of Loys Southerland (married November 21, 1941, in Cleburne, Arkansas).
As a boy, Raney became interested in playing the harmonica. In 1938, he teamed up with Lonnie Glosson, another harmonica player, and they worked together off and on for many years. They put together a short transcribed radio show that ran on 200 radio stations around the country, including WCKY in Cincinnati, Ohio, where they reportedly sold 5 million harmonicas in the late 1940s. He also recorded for King Records (3) in Cincinnati, where he had a #1 country hit with "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me."
Raney also worked with the Delmore Brothers; the moody harmonicas of Wayne and Lonnie Glosson and the great guitar riff of Zeke Turner helped make "Blues Stay Away From Me" a big record for the Delmores. He worked also with Lefty Frizzell. In 1956, he started working as a deejay at WCKY in Cincinnati and stayed there for around five years. It was during this time that he became involved in starting a couple of Indiana record companies: Poor Boy and American. On Poor Boy, he cut "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (and a Lot Less Rock and Roll)," which also came out on Starday. Charlie Moore and Bill Napier cut a single on American.
Raney apparently also had a record company called King Records (3), based in Oxford, Ohio, which issued several EPs using leased King masters and were probably sold as a special offer over the radio. Later, moved back to Arkansas and founded King Records (3) with his son Zyndall Raney.
Raney possibly used his wife's name "Loys Southerland" as a songwriting pseudonym. There is conflicting evidence pointing to Wayne as the writer and evidence that his wife Loys (Southerland) Raney was the writer.

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Top Tracks

Most popular songs on Last.fm

1

Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me

Wayne Raney

2

Shake Baby Shake

Wayne Raney

3

Lost John Boogie

Wayne Raney

4

Pan American Boogie

Wayne Raney

5

Jack and Jill Boogie

Wayne Raney

6

Gone With The Wind

Wayne Raney

7

Real Hot Boogie

Wayne Raney

8

Jack & Jill Boogie

Wayne Raney

9

Sand Mountain Blues

Wayne Raney

10

You Better Treat You're Man Right

Wayne Raney

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Some of Wayne Raney's most popular tracks include Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me, Shake Baby Shake, Lost John Boogie, Pan American Boogie, Jack and Jill Boogie. Listen to these songs and discover more from their extensive catalog.

American country music harmonica player and singer/songwriter, born August 17, 1921, in Wolf Bayou, Arkansas, USA; died January 23, 1993, in Drasco, Arkansas, USA. Spouse of Loys Southerland (married... Read the full biography on this page.

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