Wynn Varble and his band will be appearing at the Mars Theatre on Saturday night. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door or in advance at www.marstheatre.com.
Varble’s songs have been cut by a range of great artists. Varble had his first No. 1 song “Have You Forgotten” with Darryl Worley in 2003. The song was nominated for song of the year by the CMA. In 2008, “Waitin’ on a Woman,” which Varble co-wrote with Don Sampson, was nominated by the CMA for song of the year. “I’m a Little More Country,” recorded by Easton Corbin, hit No. 1 and was also nominated by the ACM for song of the year. Varble received Nashville Songwriters Association’s Songwriter of the Year Award in 2009 and has three songs on Garth Brooks CD “Man Against Machine,” including the hit single, “Mom.” Wynn made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2011.
Varble admits he must have been destined for a career in country music. He was raised in the small town of Ellenwood, where music was a central part of his life. He recalls his father’s collection of country LPs and the hours he spent listening to the legends: Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Jimmie Rodgers, whom Varble credits as being his primary musical influences.
Varble picked up a guitar for the first time when he was 15 and taught himself to play. He remembers picking out his first original melodies soon after he mastered basic chord progressions. The creative sparks started flying, and Varble formed a bluegrass band when he turned 16.
After graduating high school, Varble started on the path to musical success playing the club circuit. His talent playing bluegrass landed him gigs from Austin to Fort Lauderdale; during this time he was perfecting his style, not only as a country artist but also as a songwriter.
In 1982, Varble visited some friends in Nashville. He spent several months writing with an up-and-coming singer/songwriter named Dave Gibson.It was this collaboration that proved to be Varble’s ticket out of the club scene and into the Nashville music community.
Other artists who have recorded Varbles songs are Lee Ann Womack, Kellie Pickler, Montgomery Gentry, Jason Sellers, Gary Allan, Trace Adkins, Clint Daniels, Kevin Denney, Tracy Byrd, The Kinleys, Chris LeDoux, Danni Leigh, Mark Chesnutt and Sammy Kershaw.
The historic Mars Theatre, located in downtown Springfield, is a single screen theatre with a stage perfect for small groups and performances. Opening in 1945, it operated as a theatre for 12 years before closing. It remained vacant until the 1970’s when is reopened as office space. In 1990, the Springfield Revitalization Corporation adopted the Mars as its project. Along with help from the Fox Theatre and the City of Springfield, the Mars reopened in April 2014. Over the past two years, thousands have come to enjoy live performances from recognizable names including a sold out performance by Colin Raye last November. First run movies can be seen on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for only $7.
