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Guitarist Wayne "Bear" Sauls' career found him
having the opportunity to share the stage with such
greats as the Allman Brothers, Charlie Daniels,
Warren Haynes, David Allan Coe, the Nighthawks, and
many more. Bear was one of those fortunate
musicians who lived, played, and contributed to the
birthing of Southern Rock music. Throughout the
years, Bear established a style that has been
copied but never duplicated.
As
lead guitarist for Eric Quincy Tate, Bear rode the
wave of some of the greatest years of rock and
roll. He joined the band in 1973 and performed
nationally as well as recording on such labels as
Atlantic, Cotillion, Capricorn, GRC Records, SLI
Records, and Chikin Scratch Records.
In the
early eighties he formed the Stone Mountain Band
with long time friends Lou Thorpe and Ray Jarrell.
The band played southeastern venues opening for
artists such as Bo Diddly, Johnny Winter and Frank
Zappa.
Through the remainder of the eighties, he played
lead guitar for one of the hottest country bands of
the day, David Allan Coe. Bear traveled
internationally with Coe's band until the late
eighties when he formed The Bear Facts Band.
For
the remainder of his life, Bear continued to play
and tour with The Bear Facts Band, becoming a
mainstay at Daytona's annual Bike Week. Wayne Sauls
lived an exceptionally rich life and overcame the
odds many times, more than ever expected. He was,
and still is, loved by all who knew him, and even
by a few who only knew of him. Musicians who had
the opportunity to share the stage with him will
remember his fierce, undiluted stage presence. He
had a way of looking at fellow musicians that would
inspire them to explore their instruments in ways
that they never imagined. His performance onstage
was like his performance in life: unrehearsed and
yet perfect every time.
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