GREEN COVE SPRINGS—Paul Wane is an immensely talented and popular guitarist whose reputation has extended far beyond the local music scene.
He gained national acclaim by playing the “Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of the 2023 Jacksonville Jaguars-Tennessee Titans game, attracting more than 112,000 likes on YouTube in one day.
He got an invitation from the Orlando Magic to play the National Anthem during the team’s playoff game against the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. In September, he returned to EverBank Stadium for the Jaguars’ season opener against the Cleveland Browns.
Wane’s Duval County Line is so heavily booked into the new year that they’ve paused accepting any new gigs.
Make no mistake: Paul Wane is a musician. It’s what he does. But it’s not who he is.
On Tuesday, his van wasn’t filled with amplifiers, guitars and microphones. He had 250 ukuleles, 200 harmonicas and hundreds of toys. There was excitement in his voice, a nervous energy as if he had just walked off stage following a concert in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd.
What drives Wane and his wife, Lisa, is seeing the possibilities in children's eyes when they receive an instrument as part of their Rising Stars: Guitars for Kids program. He often gave away unneeded guitars to youngsters who seemed interested, and eventually, what started as a few acts of kindness evolved into a relentless passion.
“It's kind of always been a mission when my Uncle Chet found a guitar in the park, and he brought it to me,” Wane said. “He told me that I was the one that I could do it. And I believed him. I've never forgotten that, not for a single day.”
Wane said the gesture made a more profound impact than the gift of music.
“I was a scrawny kid. I was a small kid,” he said. “I was 4-foot-9 when I started the ninth grade. I was easy to pick up and put in a trash can. It was hard for me to be out in the neighborhood. I grew up getting picked on and humiliated on a regular basis. And so, it gave me a universe I was in charge of. It gave me a world that I could control, that didn't talk bad to me, didn't expect me to do anything. It just let me be me. That's really what he was trying to tell me: that I could do it, that I would be all right.”
With the help of guitar builder Jay Murphy in Keystone Heights, their Rising Stars: Guitars for Kids has gifted more than 400 instruments in the past five years. Their organization was granted a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit status by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ahead of their fourth annual Rockin for Stockins’ party at the Boogerville Hideout on Dec. 1 from noon to 6 p.m.
Children will receive a complimentary dinner and a gift bag with an event T-shirt, toys, raffle tickets and, most importantly, an instrument.
There will be music from more than a dozen former Rising Stars, bounce houses, games, a visit from Santa Claus, pony rides, a silent auction, an opportunity to create at Santa’s workshop and the highlight of the afternoon – more Guitars for Kids presentations.
“The option is to have a little universe inside that a guitar that can go be the boss for a little while and not be told what to do all the time,” Wane said.
They realized programs like Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army usually are capped for children when they turn 12. They also knew there were few opportunities for anyone with adults diagnosed with Autism, FAS, Down syndrome or traumatic brain injuries.
“My wife has a nephew. We call him Jeffrey D, and he's autistic,” Wane said. “He's 45 and he thinks he's about 8 or 9 years old. And we found out that people like that, say you're in your 60s and you've got a kid that's 40 that thinks he's 8, there is no place for them to go to see Santa Claus.”
That’s how Rockin' for Stockins’ was born. Jumpin’ and Jivin’ Juneboree was created to give single fathers a place to take their children on a Saturday afternoon during Father’s Day weekend.
Rising Stars: Guitars for Kids can establish sponsorship opportunities as a nonprofit. They have (bronze) $250, (silver) $500, (gold) $1,000 and (platinum) ($2,500) levels, and “every dime goes to the community,” Wane said. Information is available at PaulWaneMusic.com.
Boogerville Hideout is at U.S. Highway 17 in Green Cove Springs. Expect to be rockin’ … and leave with the same excitement and nervous energy Wane feels whenever he hands an instrument to a deserving child.
