Wayne Dylan Music

06/30/2026

I don't think it's as difficult to admit at this point in my life that I'm on the downside of what has been an extremely eventful, successful and at times crazy enjoyable 20+ year music career. Its been the honor of my life to perform for an unimaginable amount of people with the attempt at sharing my love of music and entertainment with so many....most of whom I don't know and will never actually meet.

For me, as the skinny socially awkward kid with a stuttering problem that was bullied relentlessly, performing started as a way to gain acceptance and to be "noticed". Over the years it gradually turned into a true love and passion...and, unfortunately, at some point it turned into an obligation and another job. That's when I realized I was no longer taking the stage for the right reasons and I stepped back from a grueling travel schedule with the full band. I can look back and say those memories with my various bandmates, both on and off stage, are still some of my most cherished moments. Maintaining a 160+ yearly average of shows for the past 15 years has been an incredible journey to say the least.

I've never considered my fellow musicians as "competition"....we're all out here doing our versions of the same thing, some for the right reasons and others not so much, and there's plenty of room for all of us to do whatever it is that makes us keep getting out there to do it. As the next generation of performers come up through the ranks I'm encouraged to see them successfully navigating the music business, which has changed so much over the past few years, and some of these young men and women have extraordinary talent. I don't know either of this young men personally, but I caught a few recent videos of Chip Darby (who I can't tag in this post because he doesn't follow me....but hey, I'm just an OG that most of these young'uns have only heard of in old timer stories about the good ol' days)....that kid is real country and looks like he's doing it the right way....and Hunter Courts, who is a rare blend of talent and showmanship that we don't see a lot of anymore...and the few times I've run into him he's been extremely nice and authentic. It's incredible to see the passion that young performers bring and it reminds me when I had that same fire and was out there tearing up h***y tonk and festival stages from here to wherever.

Please keep supporting live music and especially these entertainers that are on the rise. Don't discourage them. And to the younger generation of performers that are out there working every weekend to make your own way...don't let this business tear you down and take away your passion. It can do that quick and fast if you let it.

There will be a time, much sooner than later, where I will begin to seriously discuss retiring from this business. I've been blessed and fortunate....it's been an amazing journey and the music business has been good to me but I've entered my next chapter in life and have other things I'm interested in accomplishing...and quite frankly I feel like it's time for me to move over and let the young guns have it. Some of y'all don't get too excited....it's not happening yet....but really soon.

Long live real country music and the people who love it.

~ WD

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06/05/2026

I'm aware that I haven't been posting my show dates on social media. Most dates have been fixed for a long time so people just kinda know where to find me but I do realize some don't. I will endeavor to start putting show dates back on the events page and posting them here.

Thank you all! - WD

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05/09/2026

Tonight's outdoor performance in Bridge City, TX at Low Tides is cancelled due to inclement weather. Thank y'all!

04/28/2026

A few of the same questions keep appearing in my inbox, so I'll address them publicly to the extent that I can.

1. Venues - I get asked frequently why some venues are no longer on my schedule when they seemed to be frequent performance destinations in the past. The honest answer is each venue is independent and have various factors that go into booking. Some I reached out to and they never responded after years of performing there....some perhaps didn't like me personally, didn't like my performance, didn't think I fit into their vibe or didn't like the way I do business. Some I made the decision to not return based on my own expectations and standards. I am sincerely thankful for the venues that do continue to book me and the few new ones I choose to add along the way. If you have a question about a specific venue you can message me and I'll be happy to share. I will not address specific venues publicly.

2. The Wayne Dylan Songbook - I've caught some heat from musicians for this. On the flip side, I've also received a lot of praise from folks who enjoy good storytelling in a song...something the industry as a whole lacks at times. I've apparently pi**ed some musicians off because it's not me singing and the songs are "fake". Let's set the record straight: the words and messages of my songs are written by me (unless co-written). I dictate the arrangement, composition and ultimately the finished product with a lot of creative input. I have chosen to not sing the songs myself because I'm no longer trying to promote myself as a performing artist. I've been one of those my entire life and that's a chapter that eventually will close. The truth is I'm getting older and so is my voice. Though I'm still holding my own, I'm not able to vocally punch out some of the stuff I once could 20 years ago. I've moved on to my next chapter and one I've always wanted to pursue and that's songwriting. This is allowing me to share my songs with the world, some of which I've never been able to produce due to cost constraints and time availability. I'm proud of the creativity and work that have gone into my songwriting ventures and I will continue to do so. A

I hate that I even have to address this but shame on anyone who tries to limit someone's creativity by tearing them down...especially those who are supposed to be supporters of those ideals and who themselves also want the support for what they create. The sad part is I recorded a full length album a view years ago, writing all of the songs, playing most of the instruments myself and doing all the vocals....and I didn't hear any of these people compliment the amount of work that went into that project with me doing the majority of the instrumentation myself. But they're quick to criticize this work. I get it...music, as with all art, is subjective and open to criticism as well as compliments....but we can be better than that.

As always, THANK YOU for the continued support. The venues that continue to book me, the people who show up and enjoy what I do and everyone who gives me a moment of their time to allow me sharing my gift and love of music.

- WD

04/23/2026

New country songs added!!

A collection of songs written and co-written by song writer and multi-instrumentalist Wayne Dylan

04/23/2026

The horn bands of the 70's played a huge role in my development as a musician, as the horn and orchestral harmony taught me a lot about music. I've had the privilege to be a member of 3 horn centric bands over the years with two of those focusing on Chicago.

Most know me as a country musician/writer so here's my attempt at writing horn centric rock/pop. Enjoy!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAZSiWbSf1nCmG2IsDD8_lfeuDGrkq_In&si=AiWVHqOaiW7GYVXw

04/10/2026

🔊 NEW SONGS ADDED 🔊

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04/09/2026

‼️•• UPDATED PLAYLIST LINK ••‼️

I never thought of myself as a songwriter...truth be told, for about the first 20 years of me trying to pen songs they all sucked....and each one got progressively worse. I thought "I'll just stick to performing".

For some reason in 2021 something just clicked and the songs I started putting together were actually good. I think I had finally learned to use lyrics and composition to paint a picture and allow each listener to put themselves in it, instead of trying to force my perspective upon them.

Technology for songwriters has come a long way in a short amount of time. I'm finally able to put my song ideas out there with full high quality studio writer demos. This is not me singing but these are my words, arrangements and compositions.

I'm excited to finally get to share these. There are a lot more in production right now and some I haven't even gotten to yet. Enjoy this playlist and the songs to come!

Introducing The Wayne Dylan Songbook

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