Jimmy Wayne Garrett is an engaging performer who will grab your attention and move you, both with his original song lyrics and with his blues-inspired solos on the guitar. Born and raised in the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas, JWG grew up playing a variety of instruments, including the piano, recorder, trumpet, and guitar. At the age of 14, he started actively playing guitar in his church band. Several years later, he began writing his first songs and then put together his first band. Since then, JWG has been assembling bands and performing in the Northwest Arkansas area, until he made the leap to Middle Tennessee in April of 2022 to connect with additional skilled musicians and songwriters.
When leading a band, Jimmy Wayne Garrett turns up the volume with electrifying guitar solos
reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmy Page, and Gary Clark Jr. In 2014, JWG won the Ozark Blues Society Blues Challenge as a member of the West Street Blues Band, and they went on to perform at the 2015 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. His 2017 album, "Confession Blues", recorded live at The Auditorium in Eureka Springs, AR, showcases his energetic guitar playing and was considered for Best Self-Produced Blues Album by The International Blues Challenge.
As a solo acoustic artist, Jimmy Wayne Garrett's sound lies somewhere between Tyler Childers and Howlin' Wolf. In 2015, JWG won the Ozark Blues Society Blues Challenge, this time in the solo artist category, and again advanced to the International Blues Challenge in 2016. When on stage with just an acoustic guitar, his storytelling ability and dynamic guitar playing create a live experience that connects people, as music should.
Jimmy Wayne Garrett's latest album, "Town on the Mountain", recorded in 2020 at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville with fellow award-winning musicians Melissa Carper and Rebecca Patek, demonstrates his versatility across genres and song subject matter. Whether he is telling a story about the struggles of leaving a dying town "Down This Road" or longing for the carefree nature of the life of a Joshua tree "The Joshua Tree", JWG impresses the feeling of the song onto his listeners and brings his audience together in the emotions of shared humanity. Since moving to Middle Tennessee, JWG has performed at a variety of local venues and his music has been played on the legendary WMOT Roots Radio.