Carl Wayne 1943-2004
It is with deep regret that I post this sad news about Carl Wayne who passed away on August 31, 2004 after a courageous battle with cancer. Carl was a founding member of Birmingham's legendary pop group The Move and was lead singer for the world famous Hollies since 2000.
Carl Wayne was one of the leading figures in the Brum Beat music scene during the early 1960s, fronting his own band as Carl Wayne and The Vikings who were very well known locally. He became lead vocalist of The Move in 1965 after helping to form the group along with Roy Wood, Trevor Burton, Ace Kefford and Bev Bevan. Carl sang the main vocal on many of the band's records including 'I Can Hear The Grass Grow' and 'Flowers In The Rain' that were both big hits in the UK and abroad.
After leaving the Move in 1970, Carl Wayne embarked on a solo career that also included work on television and radio. In the 1990s he played the leading role in the critically acclaimed London West End theatrical production of Blood Brothers. The year 2000 saw Carl join Manchester's world-famous band The Hollies with whom he has toured and performed up to this time.
Carl Wayne made many friends during his long career in the music business and was a very highly rated vocalist renowned for his high musical standards and professionalism. Carl was also very active physically - amongst other things he was a regular participant in the annual London Marathon run in which he raised money for Leukaemia research.
My sincere condolence goes out to Carl Wayne's family and friends - he will be missed. Personal tributes to Carl can be made at his official website at: www.carlwayne.co.uk , and the official website for The Hollies at: www.hollies.co.uk.
CARL WAYNE on the BBC
Well known Birmingham vocalist Carl Wayne was recently featured as guest DJ and host on BBC WM Radio which was broadcast live on July 2nd to 5th, 2002. Carl had previously hosted a show in May which proved so successful that the BBC invited him back in July to fill in for regular host Malcolm Boyden. The best part was that Carl was allowed to invite and interview his own guests which included many well-known personalities from the 1960s local music scene (check out www.carlwayne.co.uk for the details)
Carl Wayne is probably best known as lead singer and front-man of the legendary hit group The Move - one of the most significant bands to come out of Birmingham in the 1960s. Since that time, he has enjoyed a successful solo career as both a singer and recording artist as well as acting on television and the London stage. Two years ago, Carl joined Manchester's world famous group The Hollies as replacement for founding member Allan Clarke and as such, continues to perform and tour regularly with that group. The picture below shows the original Move line-up of (from left to right): Trevor Burton, "Ace" Kefford, Bev Bevan, Roy Wood, and Carl Wayne.
Carl, who is no stranger to radio appearances, became part of British radio history in 1967 when his vocal performance was featured on the first record to be played on the BBC's influential and then-new "Radio One" pop music station. The record was the Move's Flowers In The Rain, a Roy Wood composition that reached No. 2 in the charts and was one of several hit records by the group that Carl appeared on.
After leaving The Move in 1970, Carl initially went into cabaret but his love for the stage soon led him into acting on both television and in theatre. Some people will remember seeing Carl as one of the characters in the long-running TV series "Crossroads" and he has since appeared on various other British TV shows. In 1990, Carl Wayne was chosen to perform the lead role of "The Narrator" in the London West End production of Blood Brothers. The show was successfully performed to critical acclaim and received many awards with Carl performing the role for six years.
As well as having several solo singles, Carl Wayne recorded his own album in 1972 which provided a perfect showcase for his amazing vocal range. Carl's talent and professionalism as a singer has made him much-in-demand by advertising agencies who have employed him on many occasions over the years to record the vocal tracks heard on numerous radio and TV commercials.
To find out much more about Carl Wayne's long and varied career, you can visit his own official website maintained by Helen Macdonald at: www.carlwayne.co.uk which has exclusive photos and all the latest news about Carl. The website also has tour dates for The Hollies as well as instructions on how to join the "Carl Wayne Internet Mailing List" which is a free service designed to promote discussion on all Carl-related subjects.