Australian Steel Guitar Hall of Fame
Born in the state of Tasmania, the island state of Australia, Wayne Appleby began playing as a musician in the mid-1950s, when Rock 'n' Roll burst onto the scene, making his first trip to Nashville, TN in 1983…Nashville being the home of Country Music. He graduated at the Jeffran College of Steel Guitar Music in Nashville Tennessee USA in 1983. In 1991, he was made an ‘Honorary Citizen of the State of Tennessee USA’ by the Governor for his contributions to Country Music.
Wayne spent 40 years as a professional musician, live touring, show production and management, and television recording, in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. He has recorded over 600 albums as a session player. He worked as an assistant director and producer of music video clips, appeared as a musician in the movie ‘Flying Chips’ in 1975, and was one of the musicians that recorded the score of the Australian film ‘Burning Fields’ in the late 1980s. In 1982 Wayne was awarded a Life Membership in the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame, Australia. Wayne toured with many artists: Jean Stafford, Slim Whitman, Charley Pride, Frank Ifield, Daniel O'Donnell, Reg Lindsay, Kitty Wells, Dr Hook, Jim Ed Brown, and many more.
About Wayne Appleby
Recorded as a session player on over 600 recording artists’ CDs and custom albums across Australia including Jean Stafford, Jimmy Little, Cam Fletcher, Smoky Dawson, Judy Stone, and Anne Kirkpatrick, including Evelyn Bury’s Golden Guitar winning track Stronger than I Look 1988 and Deniese Morrison Golden Guitar winning CD in 1987.
Appeared on most major TV shows in Australia in the 80s and 90s including 48 appearances with Australia’s Queen of Country Music Ms Jean Stafford on the Ray Martin Midday Show, The Bert Newton Show, The Ernie Sigley Show, some 10 episodes with the backing band ‘ It’s Country Today ‘, The Bert Newton Show, Ernie Sigley Show, and a voiceover for ‘ Down Home Down Under ‘ a television segment recorded and telecast in Nashville Tennessee. Performed in front of large crowds – The Centenary at Parramatta 1988 in Sydney to a crowd of over 200,000, World Expo’88 in Brisbane over 20,000, and at the State Fair in Parsons Tennessee to over 20,000.
Toured every state in Australia except Northern Territory many times with artists, Jean Stafford also in USA and New Zealand; Slim Whitman, Charley Pride, Frank Ifield, Daniel O'Donnell, Reg Lindsay, Kitty Wells, Dr Hook and many more.
In the last ten years, Wayne commenced work on writing a new steel guitar album likely to be recorded in Nashville next year; and co-writing a country music themed movie, on which he is also co-writing the music score with Jean.
