Jackson, Wayne (24th November 1941-21st June 2016)

He was 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 12^th 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 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 were such that his first successful recording was made on his first day in the studio and since then his performances gave him more than 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 50^th 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 Cafeby Hank Williams Jr. Roads of Life by Bobby Womack, Prairie Wind by Neil Young and Crossingby 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 published 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.

Although having suffered failing health for several years he was still able to give guided tours of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, but passed away suffering congestive heart failure at the Methodist University Hospital in Memphis in June 2016. He was 74 years old.

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Jackson, Wayne (24th November 1941-21st June 2016)

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