Wariner enjoys consistent ride on country charts

When it comes to the crowded field of country music, Steve Wariner is content to be a constant, twinkling star rather than a comet that glows brightly, then crashes and burns.

Through his 17-year solo career, Wariner, 39, has recorded a dozen No. 1 hits, including “What I Didn’t Do,” “Some Fools Never Learn,” “All Roads Lead to You” and “Tips of My Fingers.” The Indiana native has earned Grammy, Country Music Association and TNN/Music City News awards.

“I’m very happy with the way it’s gone,” said Wariner, who will perform in an 8 p.m. concert Friday, Aug. 12, at the Maine Center for the Arts at Orono. “I’m really proud of the longevity of my career.”

Wariner is looking forward to returning to Maine, a place he has visited sparingly in the past.

“I don’t get up there much, so the audiences are usually really good, really eager to see me,” he said.

Wariner himself is eager to check out the MCA.

“It’s a more intimate surrounding, and should suit my music much more than a larger place,” he said. “I think that it will be perfect.”

The boyish tenor has been on the road for much of his life. He started out playing in the band of his father, Roy, which he said was a great beginning to his career.

“That was a big inspiration,” Wariner said. “I’ve been around music for as long as I can remember. When I moved to Nashville at 17, my dad was really supportive, because I was doing what he wanted to do.”

Wariner toured with Dottie West, Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before being signed by RCA Records in 1977. But Wariner got pushed aside on the day of his first recording session, as news crews jammed the studios to interview Nashville veterans about the death of Elvis Presley.

He would continue to find himself overshadowed through the years by label mates who today have trouble getting airplay. Yet Wariner has continued to produce, with more than 25 top-10 singles, first at RCA and now at Arista.

“I’ve always had a good team around me, in terms of producers, labels and my band,” he said. “Also I like to think that I’ve gotten good at picking songs over the years.”

Wariner also said that he’s worked hard at his craft.

“I cringe at some of my older records,” he admitted. “I can listen to my older music and see the growth. Over the years, I’ve gotten better, and I’ll keep working at it.”

Wariner, who is proficient at guitar, banjo, bass, steel guitars and drums, said he has borrowed from all styles of music, and admitted he was initially taken aback by younger musicians inspired by him.

“I’ve always been that guy borrowing from someone else,” he said. “Chet Atkins was my mentor. So I’m really flattered that someone would look up to me.”

Wariner’s next single will be the title cut from the current album “Drive.” He said there’s no time frame for his next album. Instead, he is busy writing songs for the low-budget feature film “A Place to Grow,” which begins filming next month.

Wariner splits his limited free time between his family (wife Caryn and sons Ryan and Ross) and his hobbies, which include magic, painting, basketball and baseball.

“You have to shuffle your time,” he explained. “I have to stay busy and do different things. It’s like therapy.”

Tickets for the Steve Wariner concert are available by calling the MCA box office at 581-1755.