Wayne was born in Los Angeles, CA. At the age of 7, he studied piano, guitar and voice. At 14, he took up the trombone and a year later the electric bass. He studied the electric bass with Herb Mickman. At age 19, he took up the double bass and studied privately with Sue Ranney, principal bassist of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Soon after, he attended the New England Conservatory of Music studying with Lawrence Wolfe of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and received a Bachelors Degree. 

 

In 1980, he attended the Juilliard School where he studied with David Walter and later with Eugene Levinson, former principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic and received a Masters Degree. In the late 80's, he led his own trio with John Colianni and Eliot Zigmund, and co-lead Grant/Roberts New-Bop with Darrell Grant that featured Ralph Moore, Monty Croft and Gene Jackson. In 1994, he spent much of his time touring in Europe and lived in Berlin, working as sideman and leader and bassist for Hungarian guitarist Fenenc Snetberger. In 1998, Wayne returned to New York and formed the Wayne Roberts Sextet featuring the music of the John Kirby Sextet (1937-43). He transcribed 55 instrumental arrangements and received worldwide acclaim, recreating John Kirby's trademark style of "little big band" jazz.