Album review: BOB WAYNE – Hits The Hits

BOB WAYNE - Hits The Hits

People Like You Records [Release date 01.06.15]

Hits The Hits is outlaw county singer Bob Wayne’s irreverent take on some of the world’s biggest hits.

Inspired by Johnny Cash’s ‘American Recordings’ Wayne side-stepped the ‘acoustic’ reinterpretation route and deployed a full band to deconstruct numbers as diverse as ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ and ‘Skyfall’.

For the most part, they’re virtually unidentifiable from the originals – Zeppelin’s ‘Rock And Roll’ delivered honky tonk style replete with Bob’s country drawl, a banjo/fiddle driven narrated ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ re-invented as a how down, the Chili Pepper’s ‘Under The Bridge’ as a country ballad with sympathetic female backing vocals, and ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ as another banjo/fiddle fuelled wig out.

It all started with a bet and Bob being challenged to ‘cover’ Megan Trainor’s ‘All About That Bass’.  While Bob thought his tongue in cheek cover, complete with inspired tijuana brass style chorus, might get him into serious trouble the record company saw the potential and offered him a deal to cut a complete album of covers.

Recorded in Nashville in January 2015, Hits The Hits really shouldn’t work, but it’s quite brilliantly executed and can’t help but put a smile on your face, in much the same way as The Jolly Boys did with their reggae reinventions on Great Expectation (2010).

Bob Wayne doesn’t so much ‘hit the hits’ but smashes them.  The ‘good time’ album of 2015.  Marvellous fun.  ****1/2

Review by Pete Whalley

Bob Wayne plays the Ramblin’ Man Fair, Maidstone, Kent on Saturday 25 July.


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

Next session: Sunday 19 January


Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio



David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)



Popular (last 10 days)


This entry was posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply