Stephen Wayne was born in Mena, Arkansas, but moved to the Idaho panhandle with his mom and stepdad around age 11. With a thick southern accent and in the middle of snow country, Stephen had to adapt quickly as cutting firewood, shoveling snow, and braving the harsh northern winters were a normal part of life. Around age 15 he moved back to Arkansas to spend time with his father who was a great influence. He began writing songs and playing his dad’s guitar with high school buddies or all alone in his room for hours at a time. Around 18 Stephen moved back to northern Idaho where he met his wife and started a family. He picked up a $50 acoustic from a cousin shortly before joining the Army in 2001 as a mechanic, but for the most part it sat in the corner gathering dust. Stephen and his family traveled the country, moving from Idaho to Fort Polk, LA, Fort Carson, CO, Fort Lee, VA, and finally, Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA. Stephen focused on his military career for years, but as deployment after deployment wore on, his family life and personal music goals became more important to him. After a few years of playing alone in the bedroom, he finally gained the confidence to play for his wife who immediately pushed him to perform at open mics. After playing multiple shows as a solo act and with local bands as well as other artists in the area, he released his first EP, Sideways, in 2019. Simultaneously he recorded his limited edition covers album simply titled “The Covers-Volume One” showing his respect for musicians like Eddie Vedder, Aaron Lewis, Corey Taylor, Kurt Cobain, and Jason Ross. Most recently, Stephen has been the front of a rock band called Souls Worn Thin. The band has played nearly 30 shows in the last year, all while balancing work and family with their music. The summer of 2022 showed Souls Worn Thin opening for national acts Senses Fail and Rise Against.