Fort Worth Songwriters Association: Membership Profiles

Wayne Warden and I have been together for about fours years now writing and co-writing original Texas folk rock music. We were introduced by my old friend RJ Hartlep (deceased) in late 2003 after I had moved to Fort Worth on a work transfer. A friend of theirs was hosting a jam session every other Friday night where several musicians gathered to perform original and cover tunes. The frequency of the jam sessions was increased when Wayne decided to host a session on a weekly basis. He and I were the only ones of the initial group that were genuinely interested in pursuing the original tunes and their arrangements. Mike Chambers, a neighbor of Wayne’s and fellow singer/songwriter, joined the sessions and brought the bass guitar into the mix. We eventually formed The Brett Mussey Band (the name was Wayne’s idea, not mine) and the studio began to take shape at my house. We enlisted John Chandler to mix the sound and integrate percussion sounds into some of the songs such as Out of Touch. In 2006 we cut our first CD that was comprised of six original tunes, hence The Six Pack CD emerged. We are currently working on a new CD and creating new material that will be included in the song list. We are happy to announce that John McClain of Tyler, TX will be joining the group as our virtual drummer and that Mike Walters has agreed to be our new bass player as Mike Chambers has taken to the road (literally) to drive an 18-wheeler. Wayne has been writing and performing his songs for 25 years, from Seattle, WA to Fort Worth, TX and most states in between. Wayne has worked with small bands in Denver, Seattle, and Fort Worth. In 1978 Wayne traveled the United States for 10 months singing his songs in camp grounds and national parks where ever he happened to stop. He sang for people he met along the way in the best tradition of the American Folk Singer. He played lead guitar and wrote songs for the Frank Waters band in Seattle. When in Denver he did the same for the Dan Wallis band. These small bands played private parties and small venues in both cities. While in Fort Worth Wayne wrote songs for Tim Wooley and the Phantom Rockers. Wayne won an award for lyrics in the American Song Festival contest. I have been writing and performing my own material for almost three decades. I have appeared at venues in Los Angeles, CA, San Antonio, TX, and Fort Worth, TX. Being a member of the Fort Worth Songwriters Association has afforded me the opportunity to perform at singer/songwriter showcases at the Neon Moon Saloon and my song, Panhandle Ways, won Song of the Month award at The Rig. I hope you enjoy the songs we have posted and come back periodically since we will post new material as it becomes ready for “prime time”. Thanks for the visit. Sincerely, Brett Mussey