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Aug 1969 - Wayne Patrick Deadder Jr. is born in Oakville, Ontario. My grandmother said I was the only baby she'd ever seen who could touch the top of his head, thanks to my abnormal, freakish limbs |
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Early 1970s - Grew up listening to pop radio, Elvis, Buddy Holly and country music, mostly from the back seat of the car-develop early love for country |
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Mid 1970s - Parents buy me “The Osmonds Live” record, which I proceed to wear out over the course of a year |
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1977 - Disco takes hold in North America and a young and overly impressionable Wayne discovers “Saturday Night Fever” album. Why? Also listening to “Grease” soundtrack and “Johnny Rivers Live at the Whiskey A Go Go” a lot |
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Oct 1978 - The family moves from crime-riddled west Toronto to suburban Oakville. I have a hard time sleeping for first year without the sound of sirens lulling me to sleep |
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Late 1978 - My uncle Vince teaches me simplified versions of C and G chords on the guitar…I'm hooked |
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1979 - Discover “The Beatles White Album” and becoming interested in pursuing guitar thanks to my dad and all of my guitar-playing uncles |
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1980 - My uncle Roger, my biggest musical influence, was already playing guitar. Being only 5 years older than me, he became like a big brother. Turns me on to “AC/DC's Back In Black” and countless other new wave and classic rock music. I go to my grandparent's house after school one day, open a music book with guitar chord graphics, and learn “On Top Of Old Smokey” and play it for my unsuspecting grandmother…68 times!! Sorry Nanny. |
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Dec 1980 - John Lennon is killed and is the catalyst for my musical yearning. I start buying Beatles records like a boy obsessed and set about learning every Beatles song ever written |
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1981 - While playing along with a live version of a blues tune by rock band “Heart”, Roger discovers the minor blues scale and string bending. It feels like the world opens up in a split second for us |
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1982 - Roger starts a band with high school friends without asking me to join. I'm devastated, mostly because I'm stuck playing the role of “Guitar Man” in my school's Grade 8 production of “Bye Bye Birdie”. Decide I want to be a rock star, and skip any Broadway aspirations |
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Spring 1982 - Roger gives in and asks me to join his band just in time to play Blakelock High School's Battle Of The Bands. We lose…. big time. Small wonder - we had no bass player |
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Summer 1982 - I play my first paying gig with Roger and the band, calling ourselves “Turning Point”, at “Monahan's” in Oakville. We get $75 for the whole band and buy Traynor PA speakers with the money. The price indicated the quality (both of the band and the speakers) |
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1983 - After replacing our original drummer, we quickly realize that we need a bass player. I begin pleading my case, saying I will never, under any circumstances, pick up a bass guitar. I can't stand the instrument, and will only play it over my own dead body. The band persists and I tell them there is no way I will play bass. I feel good about putting my foot down |
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1984 - I begin playing bass with the band (with a pick) |
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1986 - Turning Point implodes |
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1987 - Still no band. I begin going crazy. I quit my job as an apprentice diesel mechanic because I don't want to loose any fingers like 3 other guys on my shift had done. I still had musical aspirations |
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1988 - A bass player friend, Bob Sears invites me to sit in with his band, “The Ali Katz”. They ask me to join shortly after. Finally playing guitar again |
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1989-90 - “Ali Katz” is the house band at “The Carlana” in Burlington. We play 6 nights a week. Between that and my full time job delivering car parts, I sleep a total of 10 hours in one year, often waking up in a booth at the bar |
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1991 - “The Carlana” closes and “The Ali Katz” fold (the drummer, Eric Dougherty, and guitar player, Jimmy McCarty, owned the bar). I start a band with Ali Katz bassist Bob Sears called “The Fact” |
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1992 - The Fact peters out. Jimmy McCarty asks me to join the reformed Ali Katz |
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1992-1996 - The Ali Katz crank out all our favourites by Little Feat, The Allman Brothers and such. I get the itch to move on…and do |
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1994 - I meet my hero, Neil Young, at a hockey game and draw some serious mojo from the handshake |
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1995 - While subbing on bass with local band “Chuck and the Cookies”, I meet Toronto guitarist Michael Keith who begins hiring me for gigs in spite of the fact that I still play bass with a pick. Michael quickly becomes my mentor and urges me to “learn the major scale” |
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1995-1998 - Quit my job as a parts manager, move to Toronto, and pursue a full time music career. I quickly amass a huge amount of debt that belies my lack of talent. However, I'm not discouraged. Just stupid. Run a jam night with old friends Mike Branton on guitar and Scott Apted on drums in an Oakville bar |
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1997-1998 - Still playing guitar on occasion with a band called “Big Sister Laura” that includes Scott Apted and bass player Mike Montgomery. Scott phones me to ask if I'd be interested in playing a gig on Long Island with former Much Music VJ Dan Gallagher, Mike Montgomery and himself. The band is called Dan Gallagher's Beat Heathens. I say yes. We do the gig and begin a year long stint of Wednesdays at The Peel Pub in Toronto with Dan |
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1998 - While hanging out at “Encore Music Store” with Michael Keith, the in-house amp tech, Tortoise Blue, tells Michael he is doing some gigs with a new blues band called Big Daddy G and asks if he knows any bass players that would be interested. Michael, perhaps hoping to get rid of me, says, “Wayne plays bass. Hire him” |
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July 1998 - First gig with Big Daddy G. I reference the charts I wrote all night. Little did I know I'd be doing these songs for many years to follow |
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1999 - Big Daddy G begins recording second CD, Topless. I'm still playing with Mike, Scott and Dan Gallagher, although we have begun doing gigs without Dan and call the band “3lbs” or Three Pounds. I go back to working at a dealership and begin hammering away at my massive debts |
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2000-2001 - “Topless” nominated for a JUNO award (which we lose handily). We continue to play festivals. After talk show host Mike Bullard comes into the dealership where I work and gets accosted by my co-workers, he agrees to book Big Daddy G on the show, where we perform a song of mine. I buy sushi for the band with the proceeds of doing my song on national TV |
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2001 - Dan Gallagher dies suddenly in his sleep at 42, a few weeks after we played a cancer benefit with him in Toronto. I asked Dan to come and sing a few songs and he ended up hosting, drawing for prizes and playing with us. Thanks Dan, I'll never forget you for that. Scott, Mike and I adopt the Beat Heathens name to honour Dan's memory. Big Daddy G records a live CD in Fredericton, New Brunswick mere days after 9/11. Got a first-hand look at airport mayhem flying in for the gig |
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2002 - Big Daddy G opens for BB King twice. I get to meet an idol of mine and watch him up close in awe |
2003 - present - Heathens release “You Only Live Twice”, a live CD recorded at the Slye Fox in Burlington. I leave Big Daddy G to persue other projects and work on my first solo CD. Begin playing bass with the Jimmy Bowskill Band
Some of the folks I've done it with
Richard "Hock" Walsh-Original vocalist-Downchild Blues Band (passed away in 1999)
Tony Flaim-Former Downchild Blues Band vocalist (passed away in 2000)
Jack de Keyzer-Blues guitarist
Dawn Tyler Watson-Montreal blues singer
Chuck Jackson-Current Downchild vocalist
Pat Carey-Downchild Blues Band
Jim Casson-Downchild/Sparkjiver drummer
Gene Hardy-Saxman extraodinare (Big Sugar, Barenaked Ladies, Sparkjiver)
Miche Pouliot-Drummer (k.d. lang, Jann Arden, Bruce Cockburn, Colin Linden, Natalie MacMaster)
Teddy Leonard-"Fathead" guitarist
Carlos del Junco-World renowned harmonica whiz
Tony D-Ottawa blues guitarist
Dutch Mason-Canada's "Prime Minister Of The Blues"
Bruce Brooker-Mike Mekenna, Buddy Guy
Michael Pickett-Multi-award winning harp player
Richard Bell-Keyboardist (The Band, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt)
Dan Gallagher-Television personality, vocalist, founder of The Beat Heathens (passed away in 2001)
Jerome Godboo-Nutty harp player (The Phantoms)
Michael Keith-Jazz guitarist and certified suitcase
Dee Brown-Pop singer/songwriter
Mike Branton-Blues guitarist
Jeff Healey-Guitar legend
Jimmy Bowskill-Guitarist, singer
Look what I did
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JUNO Award Nomination-"Best Blues Album-2000"- Big Daddy G "Topless" |
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Television Appearance-"Breakfast Television"-CITY-TV, Toronto-9 appearances-Big Daddy G |
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Television Appearance-"Daytime"-Roger's Television, Toronto-3 appearances-Big Daddy G |
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Television Appearance-"Open Mike With Mike Bullard"-CTV and The Comedy Network-Big Daddy G |
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Numerous gigs all over North America (including Canadian and US east and west coasts) |
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Extensive recording experience on demos, radio jingles and 4 officially released CDs (see Discography) |
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