Jimmy Wayne: Sara Smile (2009), Hall and Oates (1976)

An amazing story here, so pay attention...Jimmy Wayne (Barber) was born on October 23, 1972 in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. His father abandoned Jimmy and his sister who were in and out of foster care or sometimes in the streets when their mother would disappear or do time. Jimmy would eventually move in with an elderly couple down the street from where he lived after mowing their lawn. He would complete high school and get an associates in criminology while working as a prison guard. He learned some of his songwriting skills from an inmate. Years later he would try his luck and moved to Nashville.

His songwriting caught on and the DreamWorks label signed him up with a debut album in 2003 that made it to #7 on the country charts. The album featured "Stay Gone" which was inspired by his sister Patricia who, according to a Wikipedia entry said: " Everything would be better if her husband would just stay gone." 

His next album would do even better, reaching #4 on the country charts.

In 2009, Jimmy Wayne released Sara Smile which was the title song and cover. Daryl Hall and John Oates originally did the song (reaching #4 on the charts in the U.S.) and provided backing vocals for Jimmy on the song.

The song  was written about Hall's girlfriend, flight attendant and future songwriting collaborator Sara Allen.

"Sara Smile" as a single would reach as high as #31. Many country critics panned it for not being a country song. One wonders why it did not cross over to other charts.

The song is exceptional for a cover, and Jimmy's vocals absolutely nail the sentiment conveyed in the lyrics:

Baby hair, with a woman's eyes,
I can feel you watching in the night,
All alone with me, and we're waiting for the sunlight,
When I feel cold, you warm me,
And when I feel I can't go on, you come and hold me,
It's you, and me, forever...

According to the Great American Country (GAC) Blog:

“I’ve had a lot of friends who… I lived in group homes with that ended up dead,” Jimmy said during a press conference at Monroe Harding, a Music City facility for at-risk kids. “When I worked in prison as an officer, I had a lot of friends come in as convicts. I had a foster brother who I spent half of my life with come in as a convict. It was a very hard experience seein’ that stuff.”

In 2010, Jimmy completed a 1600 mile walk between Nashville and Phoenix called "Meet Me Halfway" to promote awareness of homeless youth. He broke an ankle but made the trek. He continues to champion foster care issues.

Three versions to peruse here. The first is the official video of Sarah Smile by Jimmy Wayne. The second is a banjo free gem that doesn't pander as much to country with Daryl Hall sitting in. The third is the original cut by Hall and Oates off of their first self titled album.

Special thanks to Trish Norton Lindsay for the suggestion.