It is astonishing to discover the depth of talent and success that so many of the hosts that light up the airwaves at KWVH bring to their weekly shows. A case in point is Wailin’ Gaylan of the Funk Sway Hour that airs every Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m. Wailin’ Gaylan, whose full name is Gaylan Latimer, is joined on the program by co-host, YaYa, otherwise known as Yvonne Thompson.
Gaylan began performing at the tender age of seven when he played at a banquet for his second grade teacher which earned him his first paycheck. By the time he was 15 years old, it was the early 1960s in his hometown of Waco and Gaylan was writing, performing and recording music every moment he wasn’t in school. There’s no doubt that his talent for music and song was firmly embedded in his DNA, springing from him fully-formed and vibrant at a young age.
At fifteen he signed with MGM and joined Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars. After listening to his many early recordings chronicled on the website, gaylanladd. com, you’ll be able to travel back in time to witness how the music of that era developed on the Texas stage. His story is astonishing.
Gaylan wrote and recorded scores of songs on multiple labels. Freddy Fender, for example, turned one of his songs, “Think About Me,” into gold. He played so many venues with so many different musicians in so many genres that only a writer like Joe Nick Patoski can sort it all out. In fact, Joe Nick is doing just that.
One of his best influences in his career, he said, was playing and touring with the likes of the Shondells, Jimmy Reed, Percy Sledge and Tina Turner, which no doubt led to his love of Funk music. “Funk,” he said in a recent interview, “is a derivative of rhythm and blues, soul and pop music. Think James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone, Bootsie Collins.”
On the Funk Sway Hour (a playful send up of the word Feng Shui) he and Yvonne play both new Funk and old school Funk. Both have strong ties to New Orleans and Louisiana and know many performers who call the state “home.”
Gaylon’s first co-host was Michael Wayne “Miguel” Prankratz who passed away in 2022. Yvonne, who produced the show from the beginning, later joined him as a co-host. From south Louisiana herself, Yvonne seamlessly fit in.
Today, Gaylon spends time in his home studio with other musicians and songwriters, doing what he loves best and recently mending from open heart surgery.
Warm, friendly and inviting with lovely, genuine smiles, Wailin’ Gaylan and YaYa will get your soul singing and your heart soaring every Saturday at 1. Don’t miss this good medicine. It’ll do you right every time.
