R.I.P. Wayne Jackson of Memphis Horns 1941-2016

Wayne Jackson, trumpet player for the Memphis Horns, died on Tuesday night from congestive heart failure at the age of 74.

Jackson had been hospitalized but released on June 7. According to his wife, Amy Jackson, he took a turn for the worse on Monday night. “He led an incredible life and he left an amazing music legacy.”

Wayne originally played guitar, appearing in talent shows at an early age in his hometown of West Memphis, AK. When he was 11, his mother gave him a trumpet which he mastered, playing throughout his schooling.

In the early 60’s, he joined the Mar-Keys and appeared on their hit Last Night (1961 / #3) which sent him across the country touring with the likes of Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunn and Packy Axton.

Jackson began working with other Stax artists and, one day, he met tenor saxophone player Andrew Love who had been working at Hi Records. The two, along with four others, became the Memphis Horns, backing virtually every Stax artist of the time including Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd and Rufus Thomas.

Eventually the sextet became just the duo of Jackson and Love who not only worked at Stax but throughout the south including Hi and American Studios, playing for artists on other labels like Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett.

They toured Europe in 1967 with the Stax/Volt Review and backed Otis Redding on his immortal set at Monterey but their relationship with Stax came to an end two years later when the label tried to block them from working with any other label. It was probably the best move of their career as the Memphis Horns went on to back everyone from Elvis to U2 over the next two decades.

Andrew was forced to retire in 2004 after developing Alzheimer’s disease but Wayne kept the legacy going. The duo was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2008, four years before Love’s death.

A very abbreviated list of the thousands of tracks and abums on which the Memphis Horns played:

Walking the Dog – Rufus Thomas
Mr. Pitiful – Otis Redding
Respect – Otis Redding
In the Midnight Hour – Wilson Pickett
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long – Otis Redding
Memphis Soul Stew – King Curtis
B-A-B-Y – Carla Thomas
Hold On I’m Coming – Sam and Dave
Knock on Wood – Eddie Floyd
I’m Your Puppet – James & Bobby Purify
Land of 1000 Dances – Wilson Pickett
When a Man Loves a Woman – Percy Sledge
Skinny Legs and All – Joe Tex
I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) – Aretha Franklin
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin
Funky Broadway – Wilson Pickett
Soul Man – Sam & Dave
Respect – Aretha Franklin
Think – Aretha Franklin
I Thank You – Sam & Dave
Since You’ve Been Gone – Aretha Franklin
Hooked on a Feeling – B.J. Thomas
The Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding
Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show – Neil Diamond
Hot Buttered Soul – Isaac Hayes
Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
Holly Holy – Neil Diamond
Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond
In the Ghetto – Elvis Presley
Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley
The Letter – Joe Cocker
Kentucky Rain – Elvis Presley
Cracklin’ Rosie – Neil Diamond
Don’t Play That Song – Aretha Franklin
Theme From Shaft – Isaac Hayes
Tired of Being Alone – Al Green
Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
I’m Still in Love With You – Al Green
Drift Away – Dobie Gray
I Can’t Stand the Rain – Ann Peebles
Shotgun Willie – Willie Nelson
Ain’t Gonna Bump No More – Joe Tex
Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel (Wayne only)
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark – Robert Cray Band
Rattle & Hum – U2
Roll With It – Steve Winwood
Storm Front – Billy Joel
Longing in Their Heart – Bonnie Raitt
Mercury Falling – Sting
Another Way to Die – Jack White & Alicia Keys (Wayne only)
Soulbook – Rod Stewart (Wayne only)