Back to EpisodesJohn Wayne’s Grit lives on through the next generation – Meet his granddaughter, Jennifer Wayne. Jennifer is a tennis player, song writer, Amazing Race contestant, and band member of Runaway June. In this week’s episode of the John Wayne Gritcast, Jennifer and her uncle, Ethan, discuss her career and how her values parallel her grandfather’s.
Jennifer takes us through her childhood, her father was a tennis pro and Jennifer played tennis through college. She started playing music with a boyfriend, saved up money, and moved to Nashville, with help from her aunt, Marisa.
The music industry is not easy and Jennifer talks about getting knocked down and never giving up. They also talk about having the name of John Wayne behind them while trying to pursue their own ventures and discuss how that affects their pursuits.
Jennifer realized her talents were in songwriting which led her to her first band, Stealing Angels. After they lost their record deal, Jennifer and her bandmate, Caroline, were asked to be on the show Amazing Race. They got 4th place in their first season and were asked to go on the All Star season where they placed 2nd by 4 seconds.
Jennifer is such a sweet and kind person and her grandfather’s Grit lives on through her. Check out Jennifer’s band, Runaway June, and her new song with Keith Urban titled Wild Hearts.
Follow Jennifer on Instagram here
Follow Runaway June on Instagram here
