NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jimmy Wayne has been waiting for years to record the Hall & Oates song "Sara Smile." So when the country singer finally did it, it was only fitting that he made it the title of his third album.

FILE – In this May 21, 2009 file photo, Country recording artist Jimmy Wayne poses for a photograph in New York.
(AP Photo/Jeff Christensen, file)

"I ended up, when I moved to Nashville, getting a record deal singing 'Sara Smile,'" he said. "The song has been my sword and shield. It's just opened every door for me, and I eventually got the opportunity to record it. It's just been my dream."

But if it hadn't been for a chance encounter with a bargain box years earlier, Wayne may not have found his lucky song.

"I was returning a rental suit to the mall back in my hometown," said Wayne. "On my way out of the mall, I saw this bargain box and there was a Hall & Oates greatest hits CD, and I bought it for a dollar. I remember that day very well. I was going home, and I was listening to the CD, and I heard the song 'Sara Smile.' I just fell in love with it."

When Wayne got the go-ahead to record the song for the album, which was released late last month, he felt like he hit the jackpot.

Daryl Hall and John Oates went into the studio and sang background vocals on it, he said.

"I mean to hear my voice on the same tracks as those guys was just incredible, because they're the most successful duo in rock history. They wrote the song, and here they are singing on it with me," he said. "You can't hardly even imagine that feeling."

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