PhotosBiographyFacebookTwitter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Wayne
Born(1940-07-22)July 22, 1940
Batesville, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedAugust 15, 1971(1971-08-15) (aged 31)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres Rockabilly, rock and roll, R&B, pop
Years active1958–1964
LabelsFernwood, Mercury
Phillips International

Thomas Wayne Perkins (July 22, 1940 – August 15, 1971) [1] was an American singer. He is best remembered as a one-hit wonder for " Tragedy".

Career

Wayne was the brother of Johnny Cash's guitarist, Luther Perkins. [2] He released several singles between 1958 and 1964, primarily on the labels Fernwood and Mercury, including " This Time", which would later become a hit for Troy Shondell. He scored a major U.S. hit with the song "Tragedy" (credited to Thomas Wayne with the DeLons), which peaked at #20 on the R&B Singles chart and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. [3] It sold over one million copies, earning gold disc status. [4]

The song proved to be his only hit, however. Later, Wayne worked as a sound engineer, before he died in a car accident, at the age of 31, in Memphis in 1971. [4]

References

  1. ^ Thomas Wayne at Allmusic
  2. ^ Discography Archived 2012-07-20 at archive.today, Emory University
  3. ^ Billboard, Allmusic
  4. ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p.  120. ISBN  0-214-20512-6.

External links