The Piana From Savannah Comes Home: Victor Wainwright at Tybee Post Theater

Grammy Award-nominated entertainer Victor Wainwright is nicknamed “The Piana From Savannah” for his joyfully soulful vocals, rockin’ boogie-woogie and honky-tonk piano playing, and raucous, high-octane, performances. Over his career, Wainwright has continued to innovate his approach to roots music by drawing on elements of R&B, soul, jazz, gospel, hip-hop, and even psychedelia.

Wainwright has won six Blues Music Awards, reached #1 on the Billboard Top 10 Blues chart, was nominated for a Grammy in 2019, and is a BB King Entertainer of the Year winner. With his powerful 7-9 piece band, The Train, Wainwright has been chugging across the country, wowing audiences with his dynamic performances and gregarious storytelling, including a recent stint at the Big Blues Blender in Las Vegas.

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Victor Wainwright moves back to Savannah

After living in Memphis, Tennessee, for 18 years, Wainwright has finally moved back to the Savannah neighborhood he grew up in, and is returning to his Savannah roots with an intimate performance at Tybee Post Theater.

“I got my start doing piano bars, telling stories and making people laugh, and then playing some ballads and beautiful stuff,” said Wainwright. “That’s what I’m returning to with this concept and it seems to be going over like gangbusters. People love The Train and the high energy, blow-the-roof-off-the-place rock and roll stuff we do, but they kind of miss me coming back and doing all the old piano bar songs, and crowd participation songs, and some of the stuff that’s a little more low-key, but still really fun to listen to.”

Wainwright comes from a family of musicians, and its often apparent whenever he performs in Savannah that music is still a family affair, which makes his local appearances particularly special.

“The Tybee Post, especially, is usually half made up of family,” said Wainwright. “They generally all want to hear songs my grandpa played, my dad played, and my uncle played. They all had a band, and I played in that band when I was younger...A lot of times Dad will come up and play a little bit with us, too, which is really special.”

Wainwright’s most recent album was 2020’s Memphis Loud, the second part of a proposed trilogy that includes his self-titled debut with The Train. Released during COVID, the album still has lots of steam and Wainwright continues to support it on tour.

“I still play songs off of it,” said Wainwright. “What’s wild is, because we took so long to get back to touring, I’m playing those songs and for the first time people are able to hear them live.”

Wainwright is gearing up to record a follow-up that will add the caboose to his proposed trilogy.

“It’s like one long train with a lot of train cars,” Wainwright said of his career and recorded output. “The family keeps getting bigger and bigger. The band gets bigger and bigger. Touring is getting better and better, so I’m able to support more guys on the road. The music is very magical. The songs on the last record are very cinematic and magical sounding because there is a lot of time and care, and a lot of instruments that go on them. So to be able to replicate that on stage now, for the first time fully, now that we’ve got a B3 player and another guitar player, a big ol’ horn section, that’s a really cool thing.”

Although it isn’t always feasible to bring a 9-piece band to a smaller venue, Wainwright hopes that eventually he can return to Tybee Post Theater with the full Train and really blow the roof off the place.

“I love to get out there and entertain, and I want to do that for Savannah,” said Wainwright.

That doesn’t mean that he won’t bring the same infectious crowd-pleasing energy to his upcoming appearance at Tybee Post Theater.

“The crowd’s going to be laughing a bunch, and I have some really funny songs.,” Wainwright promised. “I have some songs that really pull the heartstrings. It’s neat how quiet the three of us can get the theater. Everybody always leaves very entertained.”

If You Go >>

What: Victor Wainwright and Friends

When: 7 p.m., Sept. 24

Where: Tybee Post Theater, 10 Van Horne Ave., Tybee Island

Cost: $30

Info: tybeeposttheater.org

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: The Piana from Savannah Victor Wainwright to perform at Tybee Post Theater