Jack Mills, Son Of Wayne Mills, Carrying On the Family Legacy

When beloved country artist Wayne Mills was murdered on November 23rd, 2013, it didn’t just leave a gaping hole in the country music scene. It also meant a wife lost a husband, and a son lost a father. Jack Mills was only seven years old at the time of his father’s death. But the music community wasn’t going to allow Jack to grow up without father figures in his life.

Jamey Johnson had been close friends with Wayne Mills, and made sure to help fill that role. When Brent Cobb released a tribute song to Wayne Mills called “King of Alabama” on his 2018 album Providence Canyon, he gave Jack Mills a writing credit on the track. And perhaps most significantly, guitar player Jason “Rowdy” Cope became a mentor to Jack Mills, both on a personal and musical level.

Rowdy played in the band of Jamey Johnson before forming the Southern Rock band The Steel Woods. Rowdy passed away tragically himself in 2021 due to diabetes complications.

Jack Mills turned 18 in June, and is currently a freshman at the University of Alabama where his dad also attended college and played football. “I definitely came out of the womb saying, ‘Roll Tide.’ It was here or nowhere,” Jack says.

Over the last summer, Jack Mills has been playing guitar and singing harmony with another performer named Myles Morgan. Their dads knew each other in college, and they met at the famous singer/songwriter beach bar right on the Florida/Alabama state lines called Flora-Bama.

“Ever since I started playing music, it’s been the only thing I want to pursue,” Jack Mills tells Saving Country Music. “With my dad and Rowdy and everything, I just feel like that’s the path that God has put me on. I have such a passion for it. I can’t see myself doing anything else. It’s my Plan A and my Plan B. Whether it’s singing or playing guitar, I want to be a musician and be involved in music.”

Over this last summer Jack Mills and Myles Morgan played a lot of gigs at the Flora-Bama, and are currently playing clubs in Tuscaloosa as they both attend college, including places like Rhythm & Brews and the Copper Top that Wayne Mills became famous for playing in his day. Jack has also appeared on stage with Jamey Johnson and The Steel Woods, and happens to be a killer guitar player.

On November 23rd, there will be special show at the Flora-Bama where former members of the Wayne Mills Band will back Jack in a performance. This includes lead guitar players Kyle Wilson and Adam Guthrie, Trey Evans on keys, Will Hudson on drums, and Jason Parker on bass. Myles Morgan, Kyle Wilson, and others will also perform.

“My goal is to be like my dad and do my own thing,” Jack Mills says. “But right now I’m just playing guitar and singing harmony, and seeing where it takes me. I want it to be a good journey. I don’t want to come out the gates when I’m not ready.”

Friend of Wayne Mills, Curt Brewer of Xaust Media, helped organize the Flora-Bama event.

You can follow Jack Mills on Instagram.