CRAIG WAYNE BOYD BRINGS A SMILE TO SARASOTA

Season 7 winner of TV’s The Voice,  Craig Wayne Boyd, played the White Buffalo Saloon on Saturday night. He gave the crowd a good taste of the vocal chops that won him that Voice trophy.  Stolen by Gwen Stefani during the battle rounds and then stolen back by Blake Shelton and took it to a win for Team Blake. 

One of Craig’s most memorable performances by audiences was “The Old Rugged Cross”.

That was December 2014 and his single that was originally written for Shelton, “My Baby’s Got a Smile on Her Face” hit number one on Itunes.  He has had quite a year! He and his band have played 214 shows, he recently got engaged and recently recorded a Christmas single “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” among other appearances such as playing the hallowed Grand Ole Opry.

His band is a force with Josh Benson on guitar, Jeff Jenkins on bass, Kyle Roop on guitar and wildman drummer Johannes Greer.  The setlist included the Eagles cover “Take It Easy” and ZZ Top’s “Tush” to Merle Haggard and Travis Tritt.  Of course, he sang his #1 hit and the encore was a couple of Christmas tunes, perfect for a show less than a week from the holiday.

Originally from Texas, Boyd moved to Nashville in 2004, writing songs and playing around Nash for the next 10 years until his audition for The Voice put him on the show.  He thanked the audience several times for helping him achieve his dream by continuing to play music as he had contemplated quitting at one point. Clearly, a ladies favorite, he made a point to smile and hand out guitar picks to the fans lined along the stage.

Country singer David Adam Byrnes opened for Boyd.  On air personalites Maverick and Lulu of 106.5 CTQ did the introductions.  White Buffalo made a great burger! It was a great way to spend a Saturday night during the holiday season in Sarasota!

photos by Vicky Sullivan / Rock the Lens Photography