He is a trumpeter, trombone player and songwriter born
in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in West Memphis, Arkansas.He began his interest in music with
the guitar but that would all change when his mother brought him a trumpet
when he was eleven.Performing
in his high school bands he was soon becoming known throughout his local
area as well as the state.This wasn't enough though and he would begin playing at a local inn
and then while he was in the 12th grade at school he began
performing with The Mar-Keys and in 1961 they saw success with the hit "Last
Night".This was the beginning
of a long and extremely successful career in music and for the next few
years he performed with most of the artists signed to Stax Records,
including touring Europe with Otis Redding in 1967.After teaming up with the
saxophonist Andrew Love in 1969 they became known as The Memphis Horns and
soon they were sought after to tour and record on a national and
international level.In the latter half of the 1970s he
moved to Nashville to concentrate on country music and toured with Marty
Robbins for three years.This
gave him the opportunity to be the first and only performer to play the
horn at the Grand Ole Opry.Rock and roll called him back into its fold when Peter Gabriel
snapped him up to perform on his successful "Sledgehammer" and that led him to doing yet more studio
work with countless more acts.Throughout his long recording career he has worked with hundreds, if
not thousands, of the top acts in the field of music including The
Bar-Kays, Booker T & The MGs, The Box-Tops, Bonnie Bramlett, Jimmy
Buffett, Canned Heat, Clarence Carter, Johnny Cash, Buzz Cason, Cinderella,
Joe Cocker, Robert Cray, Dr. John, Dave Edmunds, Yvonne Elliman, En Vogue, Eddie
Floyd, Aretha Franklin, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Albert King, Mark
Knopfler, Lenny Kravitz, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Feat, Nick Lowe, Lonnie
Mack, The Manhattan Transfer, Herbie Mann, Memphis Slim, Ronnie Milsap, Mink
DeVille, Wilson Pickett, Primal Scream, John Prine, James & Bobby
Purify, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Rivers, Doug Sahm, Sam & Dave, Percy
Sledge, The Staple Singers, Joe Tex, B.J. Thomas and Rufus Thomas.His recordings are such that his
first successful recording was made on his first day in the studio and
since then he has more then 300 platinum and gold records under his
belt.Understandably I can't mention
them all but some of his singles include the Grammy Award winning "Funny
How Time Slips Away" by Lyle Lovett and Al Green, "Disco Duck" by Rick
Dees, "Cracklin' Rose" by Neil Diamond, "Knock on Wood" by Eddie Floyd, "Respect"
by Aretha Franklin, "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel, "Let's Stay Together" by
Al Green, "Theme from Shaft" by Isaac Hayes, "City of New Orleans" by
Willie Nelson, "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley, "Roll With It" by Steve
Winwood, "Angel of Harlem" by U2, "Born to Boogie" by Hank Williams Jr.,
and the list goes on.In the
same vein his albums include titles such as Boats, Beaches, Bars &
Ballads by Jimmy Buffett, Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary
Collection by Ray Charles, Craftsman by Guy Clark, Thinkin'
About You by Rita Coolidge, Takin' It To The Streets by The
Doobie Brothers, Memphis Menu by Jose Feliciano, Drift Away
by Dobie Gray, Damn Right I've Got the Blues by Buddy Guy, Bustin'
Out of L Seven by Rick James, Stormfront by Billy Joel, Blues
Summit by B.B. King, Just Us by The Marshall Tucker Band, High
on Music by The Memphis Horns, Still Got the Blues by Gary Moore,
Pain in My Heart by Willie Nelson, Memphis Record by Elvis
Presley, Atlantic Crossing by Rod Stewart, Stephen Stills II
by Stephen Stills, Mercury Falling by Sting, Mud Slide Slim &
The Blue Horizon by James Taylor, Soulful by Dionne Warwick, Montana
Cafe by Hank Williams Jr. Roads of Life by Bobby Womack, Prairie
Wind by Neil Young and Crossing by Paul Young.He is currently still busy in the
studio as a member of the Memphis Horns and is writing a series of four autobiographical
books with the first completed one being In My Wildest Dreams - A Collection
of Rock & Roll Tales Volume One.As a songwriter his company Sweet Medicine Music
publishes his solo and co-written works. His "Christmas Can't Be Very Far Away" was a hit for Amy
Grant and featured on her A Christmas To Remember.
