Pamela V. Brown

Write Path, an L.L.C.  

Photo by Ron Kosen / Photo-Spectrum

   Maui Entertainment Guide, January 2006

Rockin' Willy Wainwright puts a Spin on Fiddle-Playing

By Pamela V. Brown

A violinist since he was nine years old, Wainwright had studied mostly classical music but really preferred to rock out to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. When electric violins were conceived and could be plugged into amplifiers, he was literally turned on.

"All my friends were jamming in the basement and you can't do that on an acoustic instrument," he said. "Once I could plug into an amplifier, I was included and it was really fun."

Photo by Pam Brown

No one would think of calling the violin a sissy instrument when listening to Wainwright play foot-tapping bluegrass, country rock and Irish music. He does play classical music for weddings and with string quartets and other special engagements, but it's really more rhythmic music that gets his juices flowing.

The beat wasn't the only thing that moved Wainwright, 51, from classical to more innovative violin. It was the chance to be creative with the music.

"Classical musicians can read music but usually can't improvise. When I realized that, it changed the way I looked at playing," he said. "There wasn't violin music written for rock and blues. I had to do it myself by listening to records and imitating."

Maui audiences can catch Wainwright playing electrified violin "gypsy jazz" with Gypsy Pacific, a group he co-founded with guitarist Tom Conway, country rock at Lulu's Maui with musical partner Dave Pszyk in a group called The Willys and lively Irish music with the Celtic Tigers.

Arriving on Maui nearly 4 years ago, Wainwright quickly jumped into the local music scene, co-founding Gypsy Pacific with Conway, bringing the unique sound of gypsy jazz to the island. Hard to define, it's a combination of jazz and slack key guitar with a country, travelin' down the road flair for which an electric violin seems perfectly suited.

Gypsy jazz began as acoustic swing jazz in France 70 years ago and several songwriters are still writing tunes specifically for the style. Wainwright's group has even adapted several Hawaiian songs to the genre including Hanalei Moon and Little Grass Shack, much to the delight of local audiences. Guitarist Phil Benoit and bassist Marcus Johnson round out the band.

"We get a lot of people who don't really think they like jazz but they like Gypsy Pacific," Wainwright said. "It's very upbeat, very happy music. It's toe-tapping. It makes people happy."

So does the Celtic Tigers' Irish music. A recent addition to the Tigers band, Wainwright has added a new dimension to the group's sound, complementing the tin whistle, guitar, drums and bass. He likes the band's rock and roll edge and watching audience members dance every style from traditional Irish dances to pogo dances by the younger set.

Like many in the business, Wainwright always knew he wanted to be a musician. "That was a real blessing for me," he said. "I always had that drive that I wanted to play music. Good thing because it's all I can do."

It's not all he's done over the years. He's had a number of his own businesses, including a flagpole painting business in Chicago. He says he also made a good delivery man "because I could be on my own listing to music."

Music became the saving grace for Wainwright following the near-fatal car crash he suffered in 1999 in Nashville, resulting in a complete set of broken ribs, one of which punctured his aorta requiring open heart surgery. During his 18-day coma, Wainwright went to the other side.

"When I came back to this side, the only thing that took my pain away was listening to music," he said. "That's when I realized how powerful music really is. Morphine IVs and Vicodin wouldn't take the pain away."

Wainwright's wife, country music singer Jennifer Weatherly, brought his mandolin to the hospital for him. "I couldn't move my arms well enough to play the violin but I could lay the mandolin on my stomach and chest and strum it. Just laying in bed needing to express music, it showed me how much it's a part of me."

Out of his coma and still emaciated, Wainwright was back on stage within six weeks. He needed to be on the road and performing. "It was the best therapy for me."

Before and after his car accident, Wainwright accumulated an impressive list of credits. He toured with Country Music Association's male vocalist of the year, Ricky Van Shelton, the same association's female vocalist of the year, Patty Loveless and appeared four times on the Tonight Show.

In 1994, he and his wife moved to Switzerland where Weatherly was named Swiss Country Music Association Vocalist of the Year. Together they toured Western Europe with her band for eight years.

Wainwright has played at Cannes, in Monaco for Prince Albert and performed at three Farm Aid concerts. When he played with Shelton, he toured the whole country in three tour buses and two semi-trailers. "It was like a family circus. It was great fun and I absolutely miss it," he said. "But I don't know if I would want to go back to it. You're gone a lot and not every place you go is beautiful. You play a lot of state fairs, a lot of dust and corn dogs and cotton candy."

Yet, he loves the life. "Music can take you to great places and introduce you to wonderful people," he said.

In 2002, the music brought Wainwright and Weatherly to Maui where Wainwright has been impressed with the caliber of musician's he's met. "The quality of musicians is so high and they're such down to earth people. It's something I really treasure here."

How long this electric violinist will remain on Maui is anyone's guess, but for now he's happy here.

"I'll go wherever the music leads me. I'll stay here until the music leads me somewhere else," he said. "But for the time being, I'm totally content." 

Contact Information:

Pamela V. Brown

(808) 651-3533 cell

(808) 821-1027 fax

pam@writepath.net

"Individuality of expression is the beginning and end of all art."             --- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Proverbs in Prose

Copyright © 2006 Write Path, an L.L.C. and Pamela V. Brown  

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