Hank Williams Museum Remembers Wayne Mills in Exhibit
Slain Outlaw country music artist Wayne Mills will be remembered in a new exhibit at The Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery, Alabama called “Alabama Outlaws” to be unveiled in special ceremony on Sunday, February 9th, 2014. The ceremony is free and open to the public, and will transpire between 1 PM and 4 PM. It will be attended by Wayne’s widow, Carol Mills, and his young son Jack.
The exhibit will feature many personal items from Wayne Mills, including Wayne’s signature hat, his cowboy boots, and his Alabama football jersey. Mills was from the small town of Arab in northern Alabama, and aside from being a noted musician and performer, played football for the University of Alabama.
The artifacts to be put on display at the Hank Williams Museum were personally collected from the stage display at Wayne’s funeral on December 8th, 2013 by another Alabama country music artist, Jamey Johnson. The Montgomery native personally delivered the items to the Hank Williams museum, and the performer has also offered space in his display at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville to showcase Wayne’s legacy. Wayne Mills and Jamey Johnson were close friends, and had played shows together the week of Wayne’s killing.
Wayne Mills was gunned down on November 23rd, 2013 at the Pit & Barrel bar in Nashville while attending an after hours gathering. Chris Ferrell—the owner of the Pit & Barrel—faces 2nd Degree Murder charges in the case. The 44-year-old singer and songwriter was once a mentor to Jamey Johnson, as well as to CMA Entertainer of the Year Blake Shelton, and American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, and had over 15-plus years of touring experience. Mills received the Guardian Award from the Outlaw Music Hall of Fame a month before his death to recognize his “hard work and unwavering commitment to their music and their fans and best exemplify the tradition of those who came before.”
On March 2nd, The Outlaw Music Association will be holding a Wayne Mills Benefit at The Limelight in Nashville.
February 1, 2014 @ 9:25 am
Jamey Johnson was covering Last Honky Tonk as part of his set when I saw him back in late December. It sounded great hearing him sing it. I hope it’s on his next album. Also, I’m not sure if this was the venue or him, but Last Honky Tonk was also including in the mix of classic country songs before the show. By the time it was over people around me were either asking who that was or looking it up on their phones.
February 1, 2014 @ 6:59 pm
Really cool of Jamey. Jamey Johnson is such a fantastic individual.
February 4, 2014 @ 12:55 am
Only heard about Wayne Mills from Neil Hamilton’s book. He was definitely an awesome outlaw musician. Seems like the south has a stronger movement there than Texas sometimes. Glad yall covering him.
February 4, 2014 @ 1:12 am
As everyone knows, Hank and Wayne were both from Alabama. That’s explains everything, but it’s good too hear that the outlaw country artist is honoured in such a great place in the hardest times for country music. Another good news.
February 4, 2014 @ 1:22 am
“Respects”, to Wayne Mills and Jamey Johnson as well as The Hank Williams Museum!
February 5, 2014 @ 9:08 am
I tell you folks… Jamey Johnson is a living ghost of country past. Now, sadly, Wayne Mills legacy will channel through him.
Wayne deserves this memoriam. Nice to see it happen.
February 7, 2014 @ 1:01 pm
So basically.. it took Chris Ferrell to make Wayne Mills famous.
February 7, 2014 @ 3:11 pm
What kind of a sick, sadistic son-of-a-bitch comes to an article like this just to post this type of polarizing rubbish? I was going to delete your comments, but they are so stupid and vitriolic, I’ve decided to leave them up here for the rest of the world to judge them, and then use that judgement to then reflect other comments you’ve left on this site.
Somewhere between deciding to post these comments and then liking them yourself, you forgot to take notice that a man is dead. You may love to proselytize your conspiracy theories of how we should all believe Chris Ferrell is innocent because of the words of an anonymous commenter, but the type of mean spirited rhetoric you just posted proves that you are an asshole with a vendetta, and your words are meaningless.
Even if Wayne Mills was killed in self defense, HE’S DEAD. So have some respect to him and his family.
And by the way, I knew who Wayne Mills was before his death, had written about him before, and he played a show with Jamey Johnson only a few nights before the murder. Blake Shelton remorsed his passing on Twitter. Maybe you had never heard of him before, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t mean a lot to a lot of people. Of course his death has raised awareness in his music, but to rub that in a dead man’s face is callous, and a sign of bereft character. Also, the name of this exhibit is “Alabama Outlaws” not “Wayne Mills.” Wayne just happens to be a part of it. Sorry if nobody asked the permission of an anonymous commenter if it was okay to include him.
February 8, 2014 @ 11:58 am
Thank you Trigger for taking that stand. Curious though if you have an update. Chris was due in court this week correct?
Thanks.
February 8, 2014 @ 2:51 pm
I am still running down information on this week’s court date. I will post an update as soon as I have all of the info.
February 12, 2014 @ 3:25 pm
Respect for his family? Are you kidding me? You people had no respect for CHRIS’S family when you psychos published his family’s address all over the internet. Don’t play bullshit games with me. You all have an agenda and if Chris is wrong that is between him and God and the court system.
Threatening his life so you can all feel like big boys instead of the illiterate rednecks you actually are running around.. “God and Country” when you have no respect for Gods laws, nor do you respect the justice system is, in my opinion, intellectually dishonest. Like a bunch of whiny ass liberals.
What any of you say, just like what I say… in the grand scheme of things, means nothing.
February 15, 2014 @ 11:48 pm
“Are you kidding me? You people had no respect for CHRIS”™S family when you psychos published his family”™s address all over the internet.
Who did? Did Saving Country Music? I haven’t seen Chris Ferrell’s address posted anywhere on this site. And if it was, I would immediately delete it. Furthermore, I have spoken out adamantly condemning people making death threats towards Chris Ferrell numerous times, and for people to give the justice system a chance to work. I’m not saying there aren’t people out there making death threats or posting addresses, but this seems an extremely strange place to complain about that, and smacks of spite. Go take it up with the individual parties, not here.
“Like a bunch of whiny ass liberals.”
Huh.
April 7, 2014 @ 6:13 pm
we will be forever changed from the passing of Wayne Mills.
i loved him like a brother(and would fight with him like a brother sometimes.)
Thank you, for remembering and loving him so much.
Wayne was never about drama, but would love the fact that ya’ll are keeping his memory alive!
God Bless the families of ALL parties.
…..and I believe in the Justice system (for the most part.)
Thank You, SavingCountryMusic.com, for your hardwork and Truth in Journalism!
curt brewer
February 8, 2014 @ 7:56 am
Jerk!
February 7, 2014 @ 1:03 pm
Wait a minute.. do these artifacts include the guitar with all the signatures on it? If so.. Chris Ferrell signed it.. Ohhhh the irony.
February 7, 2014 @ 9:44 pm
And I’m sure it had been taken off Wayne’s guitar. If not I’ll make sure it is. Chris will get what’s coming to him if not here on earth but the after life. Oh! that is if Chris Ferrell believe’s in the after life. Most not he killed a man for no reason.