Wayne Kemp
b. 1 June 1941, Greenwood, Arkansas, USA. His father was a motor mechanic and as a teenager Kemp drove racing cars. His interest changed to music and forming his own band, he toured the southwest. In 1963, he gained fame as a songwriter when George Jones had a big hit with Love Bug. After his own recording of The Image Of Me had made little impression, Conway Twitty's version became a number 5 country hit. Twitty had further major success with Kemp's songs Next In Line, Darling You Know I Wouldn't Lie and That's When She Started To Stop Loving You. Kemp's own first hit came in 1969 with his Decca recording of Won't You Come Home. Between then and 1982, also recording on MCA, United Artists and Mercury, he charted 20 more hits, the only Top 20 entrant being Honky Tonk Wine (1973). In 1983, he had a minor hit on Door Knob with his song Don't Send Me No Angels. (The song later being successfully recorded by both Ricky Van Shelton and George Jones.) Kemp remains active as a writer but his last chart hit was a duet with Bobby G. RiceRed Neck And Over Thirty in 1986.