Updates

• Added info on Jimmy Ford, thanks to Volker Houghton. • Extended and corrected the post on Happy Harold Thaxton (long overdue), thanks to everyone who sent in memories and information! • Added information to the Jim Murray post, provided by Mike Doyle, Dennis Rogers, and Marty Scarbrough. • Expanded the information on Charlie Dial found in the Little Shoe post.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Bobby Wayne on Bonita

Bobby Wayne and the Swing Trainers - Swing Train Twist (Bonita 1313), 1962

Bobby Wayne's "Swing Train Twist" is a wild, primitive and action-packed rock and roll record. However, it achieved fame to a much lesser extent than similar songs would do in collector circles. The growling singer Bobby Wayne is not to be confused with all the other singers of the same name, including Bobby Wayne who cut a slew of singles for California and Washington based labels. Virtually nothing was known about Wayne until I unearthed his story with the help of fellow collectors and some of Wayne's contemporaries. A detailed article about him was the result, published in 2012 in American Music Magazine.


"Swing Train Twist", backed by the equally raucous "Twistin' Swing Train" was possibly Wayne's only foray into the record business. The record was issued on Bonita Records (Bonita 45-1313), which was his own label. It was the year 1962 and rockabilly was dead - even rock'n'roll was vanishing. But Wayne didn't care, his "Swing Train Twist" is a wild rock'n'roll outing with a wild guitar break, a sax solo and outstanding vocals by Wayne. The rhythm section is working well, creating a stomping sound imitating a train. At the beginning of the song, Wayne is shouting several West Virginia cities like a conductor.

According to a short Billboard mention in the "Country Music Corner" segment from 1964, the Bonita label just signed C&W artist Bill McDowell, who was the organizer of the "Coonskin Folk Music Festival" in Charleston and a former Rena recording artist. Though, it's not known if this was the same label or a completely different one.

Also, there appeared another single on the House of Joan label in 1962 by band leader Wild Bill Graham. One side of this record featured the song "Roll Clean Out of Your Life", a vocal duet by Johnny Albert and Bobby Wayne, accompanied by Graham's band. If this record was made by "Swing Train" Bobby Wayne is still a mystery.



Advertising of Wayne's new record and a "Swing Train live show"
(Charleston Daily Mail, April 6, 1962)

Bobby Wayne was a popular DJ on several stations throughout the 1960s and his 1970s. He was born in 1942 and started out in the early 1960s in his home state West Virginia, where he had his own rock & roll show on WCAW in Charleston called "Bobby Wayne's Swing Train". By August 1962, he had switched to radio station WGKV. In the years of 1964 and 1965, Wayne was at WSAI in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his "Swing Train" show was with him. 1966 saw him at KDWB in Minneapolis, he then left and returned to Cincinnati in 1968 and found work at WUBE until 1969. Also there, he presented his "Swing Train" show which proved to be very popular on both WSAI and WUBE. Wayne also spun records on WWHY in Huntington, West Virginia, KCBQ in San Diego in 1967-1968, and from 1969 to 1972 as "The Wizard" or Bob "The Wizard" Wayne in New York City on WCBS-FM, WYNY, and WHN.

Wayne continued to work as a DJ throughout his life. Although he was an idol to many younger DJs that worked with him throughout his career, Wayne was also an alcoholic and could not escape his demons. Bobby Wayne died in September 1990 in Florida.


Bobby Wayne at WSAI, ca. 1964-1965
Source: cincinnatinews.net.
Bobby Wayne at WCBS-FM, ca. 1970. 
Source: NY Radio Archive.

See also
House of Joan


Sources
Rockin' Country Style entry
History of WCAV/WVAF
Reelradio
Find a Grave entry
• Picture sources see descriptions
• Thanks to everyone who commented on this post and shared their memories with me. I am especially thankful to Bobby Wayne's widow Pat and his daughter Laura for commenting!

22 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks a lot for posting. This is something useful to me and my friends in the school newsletter and this kind of news helps a lot in the production. I also need a lot of clips as references.

Unknown said...

i believe he make some recording in the 80's or 90's who were issued on a british cd.

Mellow said...

Salut,
that was possibly the other Bobby Wayne of "Sally Ann" fame you are referring to jean-pierre. He recorded an album in 1981 on Piccadilly entitled "Outlaw" (issued in the UK) and one for Wild Fire in 1996 called "Go Rockabilly".

hanst said...

It's the same Bobby Wayne of Sally Ann. See also discography
http://www.rocky-52.net/chanteursw/wayne_bo.htm
- see also You Tube for others records in Johnny Cash style.
-greatings Hanst from Holland

Mellow said...

@Hanst, he's not the same. Rocky hasn't even listed "Swing Train Twist" in his discography.

Richard Alden Peterson said...

I worked with Bobby Wayne at KCBQ from 1967 to 1968 while I was in high school. The station was based in Santee, east of San Diego, and I met him while shopping for my mom in the local supermarket. He made me the high school news-reporter for the station, and the backstage photographer for rock concerts sponsored by the station, so I have several vintage photos of him and the rock legends he introduced me to.

Mellow said...

@Richard, that sounds interesting. I did an article on Bobby in 2012 and I sure would like to see those photos. Any possibility to seem them?

Richard Alden Peterson said...

Hi @Mellow, I have a few pictures scanned, and I plan to scan more in the very near future.Would love to see the article you did, too. There's too little about him on the internet, and I'm afraid he'll be forgotten in history. I've been researching things from my past, and writing about the interesting people that changed my life in different ways, and he was a huge inspiration to my creative life. My email address is rp (at) richardpetersonphoto.com Send me an email and I'll send you some images! Thank you for the reply!

Anonymous said...

Kevin Barrett

Listened to him as a kid in San Diego, one of the most talented radio talents ever. Wiz
did numerous voices and characters, probably one of the first Top 40 jocks to countdown
an underground Top 5 every night at 11 pm. He later went to NY, never knew he was a recording
artist. RIP Mr. Wayne.

Annicka said...


So, the guy in the last photo with the cigarillo- I am certain is Robert Wayne Satterfield. See: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=55189194. I am confused; Is this this same Bobby Wayne who was signed by Columbia Records? http://www.rockabillyhall.com/bobbywayne.html. Sorry for my ignorance. I'm doing genealogy research and Robert Wayne Satterfield from the findgrave link provided is my late uncle. Thanks.

Annicka said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mellow said...

Hello Annicka,

Robert Wayne Satterfield, your uncle, is the featured artist in this post. He started his DJ career in the early 1960s as "Bobby Wayne." He is however not the same Bobby Wayne who recorded for Mercury and Columbia.

If you want more info, sent me an email. (simply look at my profile page)

Anonymous said...

Hello, I am Bobby "Wizard" Wayne's widow. This record was a wonderful memory of his. He died too young, but lived his life to its fullest. I was Pat Satterfield for many years until remarrying. Bobby worked in NYC for many years. We worked together at WHN, then moved on to other stations. Yes, this was his record from his home state of West Virginia from the early 60's.
Pat Maxwell (formerly Satterfield).

Anonymous said...

Hi, This is Bobby Satterfield's daughter, Laura. It's lovely to read all of the fond memories of my father. He wasn't in my life much so to hear stories are wonderful. I would love to see any photographs of him back in the day. And yes, he did die too young. I was 21 when he passed away.

Thank you all for keeping his memory alive.

Laura Satterfield

Gary Kerns said...

I'm from Fairmont, West Virginia, and will be 57 next June 10. I would call him at Long Island's WHLI. I learned of him in a book about country music. He was one time at my all-time favorite radio station, NYC's 1050 WHN. I've lived in Fairmont all my life, and it's about 8 miles east of his hometown of Farmington. He seemed to immensely enjoy hearing from me.

Mellow said...

Thanks for all the comments.

@Laura and Pat: if you want to have some more material, you can send me an e-mail (see my profile page) or tell me yours and I'll contact you!

Patrick Rynn said...

He was indeed the best dj . I am 75 but remember the 70s like yesterday. On WCBS 101.1 He once said Rod Sterling is amazing. on the Twilight zone . Never moves his upper lip!!! Very true .Very great D. J. and funny and New York D. J. cool. Bobby, you are missed R.I.P. Pat

Anonymous said...

When he was at WHN, he introduced a Freddy Fender song, he said "Here's Freddy Fender. I knew his brother, Ronnie Runningboard." This was on his first day there, and he was made to understand that neither the artists nor their music were to be made the objects of humor.

Gary Kerns said...

He died September 27, 1990. He's buried in Mansion Memorial Park in Ellenton, Florida, which is in Manatee County.

Mellow said...

Gary, thanks. It is mentioned in the post, also. I have to admit it's not quite up to date. Several years ago, I did a magazine article about Bobby Wayne that is much more detailed and extensive.

Anonymous said...

A million years ago...well, ok, 57 years ago...I ran tape on an hour of Bobby Wayne's show on KDWB/St. Paul Minnesota. Feast your ears here: https://archive.org/details/bobby-wayne-9.28.66

Mellow said...

This is an incredible find! Will listen to it immediately!