A Chat With Legendary Keys Player Reese Wynans
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While the name may be unfamiliar, I’d bet the music is not. Reese Wynans is renowned worldwide as an iconic keyboardist who has played with many legends throughout his career. He’s likely best recognized for playing keys with Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble from 1985 to 1990. He toured extensively with guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa for 11 years and has appeared on numerous records as a session player. He’s worked with the likes of Boz Scaggs, Hank Williams, Jr., Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Brooks & Dunn, Carole King, Delbert McClinton, Lee Roy Parnell, Trisha Yearwood, Buddy Guy and Martina McBride.
Wynans has earned three Grammy Awards, is an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Austin City Limits Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame. Since 1992 he’s been a Nashville resident and a musical fixture who has collaborated with top songwriters, musicians and performers. In addition to being one of the most sought-after keyboard and organ side players in the world, he’s released projects of his own, including Reese Wynans and Friends. The album features his incredible talents along with some of music’s most incredible artists.
It was a great honor to speak with Reese Wynans on a beautiful Friday afternoon in July. With all of his career success, I feared I’d be talking with someone way over my head, but in reality, it was the exact opposite. He couldn’t have been more humble, interesting and engaging.
We started by checking off some of his collaborators. He truly enjoyed his years of touring with Joe Bonamassa, but left the band after 11 years, hoping to greatly reduce his time on the road. Bonamassa had an intense touring schedule and Wynans was ready to take it down a notch. He called Carole King “the best songwriter ever,” and thought Jerry Jeff Walker was, perhaps, his favorite collaborator of all.
I learned quickly that Reese Wynans is an excellent storyteller, a person you wish you had a couple of hours with, just to hear him tell tales of a lifetime in the throes of some of the greatest music ever made. He asked if I was interested in hearing how he got the Stevie Ray Vaughn gig. Who wouldn’t be? Living in Austin, Texas in 1985, Wynans had a stroke of being in the right place at the right time when he was asked to fill in for Double Trouble’s keyboard player. Vaughn was impressed with what he saw and long story short, Wynans was asked to join the band. That led to him appearing on the Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble album Soul to Soul which was recorded in Dallas and Austin. It should be noted that all of this happened in a whirlwind. One minute he was playing his last gig with Delbert McClinton and the next he was playing and recording with Double Trouble. The Soul to Soul album was certified Gold by December 1985 and eventually went Platinum.
“We were doing the cut ‘Look At Little Sister’ and we had a total road rig in the studio, full-on concert volume,” shared Wynans. “Joe (Sublett) played great sax and I played Hammond B3 and they had two keeper master tracks. We did three more songs the next night. I don’t get many chances like this and I thought that was it, but Stevie said, ‘Oh no, you’re in the band,’ so I ended up joining them on their first show in Dallas. From there we played the Chicago Blues Festival to 175,000 people, Montreux Jazz Festival, Saturday Night Live and toured in Europe. We were all on the same page musically.”
Sadly, the good days wouldn’t last forever, and on August 27, 1990, Stevie Ray Vaughn was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in East Troy, Wisconsin. He was only 35. Everyone on board died instantly. They were pilot Jeff Brown, Eric Clapton’s agent Bobby Brooks, assistant tour manager Colin Smythe and bodyguard Nigel Browne. “It was the worst day of my life,” said Reese Wynans. To make matters even worse, the press initially made a gross error in reporting the incident, stating Vaughn’s entire band perished. This resulted in Wynans having to make “a selfish phone call” to his family, telling them he was not on the helicopter and was still very much alive.
“After Stevie died, Austin felt a little weird,” related Wynans. “I got the opportunity to record in Nashville with Joe Ely and studio work kind of appealed to me and I moved to Nashville in 1992.” The move proved to be a solid decision, with Wynans able to continue playing music while staying in one place the majority of the time. Eventually he found a home base of sorts at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley, one of the city’s most iconic live music venues. “Ron Brice, the owner, has been very good to me,” said Wynans.
It’s not a surprise that 3rd & Lindsley will be hosting Reese Wynans’ show on Friday, August 21st. He won’t be flying solo, however, because the lineup will feature several good friends of his. Joining Wynans on stage will be Kenny Greenberg (guitar, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Josh Turner), Alison Prestwood (bass guitar, Peter Frampton, Rodney Crowell, the Eagles), Lynn Williams (drums, Delbert McClinton, The Wallflowers, Steve Wariner) and Kevin McKendree (keys, Lee Roy Parnell, Delbert McClinton, John Oates). Who are the special guests? Well, you’ll just have to go to the show to find out! Tickets are available at 3rd & Lindsley now. Wynans assured me that it will be a fantastic way to spend an evening.
Our time ran short quickly, so I asked my final question. What, so far, in Reese Wynans’ life has been his most memorable “Center Stage” moment? I knew a musician of his caliber had many, but it didn’t take long for him to pick one out. “In March of 2020, I was fortunate to play a sold-out Allman Brothers tribute called The Brothers at Madison Square Garden. Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks played it, and it was really special for me, because I knew Duane Allman and Dickey Betts. The crowd was wild, and to play all those great Allman Brothers songs in Madison Square Garden, I was so honored.” Ironically, that show happened right before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the players and the fans were able to face the lockdown knowing they had experienced something really memorabloe before live music all but stopped for quite some time.
It isn’t every day you are able to have a chat with someone as entertaining as Reese Wynans, and I am so thankful I had the opportunity. I’d love to have more time to speak with him again because as far as telling a good story goes, he’s one of the best I’ve heard. I’m sure we only touched the tip of the iceberg. Be sure to check him out online. His work is featured on many YouTube channels and is easily found there by searching him by name.
About Patti McClintic
JournalistI’m a pop culture and history nerd. I love my family, friends, random trivia and animals. I found out early I had a natural knack for creating stories and finding my way around the English language. Writing came easy for me. If I was going to write about anything, pop culture seemed like a good choice.
I spent 10 years writing for UK-based Think Country. I’ve interviewed countless artists and reviewed many shows and records. I’ve written show reviews on Charlie Daniels, Florida Georgia Line, Merle Haggard, The Cadillac Three, Randy Travis and multiple CMA Fests. Artists I’ve interviewed include Brett Eldredge, Carly Pierce, Ashley McBryde, Lonestar, Lainey Wilson and Jeannie Seely, to name just a few.
I also had a three year stint working in public relations in Nashville. I learned so much more by seeing the music business from the other side. I am forever grateful to have been given that opportunity at B Noticed PR, a highly-respected PR firm, whose clients have included Exile, Jeannie Seely, Allie Colleen, Brady Seals and Adam Hood.
When I’m not involved in the music industry, you can find me hanging out with my husband, playing cornhole or fishing. I’m a genealogy addict and I love perusing very old newspapers and cemeteries. I’m a proud mom and grandma, so family matters a lot to me, even my cat family members. I’m thrilled to be a part of Center Stage Magazine and looking forward to whatever comes my way while I’m here. There’s really nothing else like it.
