From the time he was a four-years-old with a toy guitar standing in front of the television and playing along with Lee Mason’s Ozark Opry to his current status as guitarist and co-lead singer with the Williams & Clark Expedition, Wayne Southards simply has wanted to be a member of the band. He’s been a frontman and a sideman, but he prefers his present role as an equal partner in a bluegrass quartet.

Southards’ bluegrass expedition began in his hometown of Salem, Missouri, where he grew up in a musical family with gospel and traditional country music. Ironically, television (The Andy Griffith Show) introduced him to Salem’s superstars – the Dillards. He eventually met the Dillards and even jammed with them on occasion. When Dillards’ bassist Mitch Jane retired and returned to Salem, he hosted a radio show. Wayne often hung out with him and listened to his stories about the band and their music.

Wayne’s bluegrass calling came several years earlier, however. When he was 11 years old...

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