Wayne Jackson, the trumpet player who helped define the sound of Stax Records, has died aged 74.
He died on Tuesday, June 21 of congestive heart failure, according to Billboard.
Along with his musical partner Andrew Love, as the Memphis Horns, he provided backup for artists including Elvis Presley, Al Green, Rod Stewart, Steve Winwood, U2 and Willie Nelson.
Jackson was born on November 24, 1941 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was given his first trumpet aged 11. He enjoyed his first chart hit – No 3 – when he was 20 with the Mar-Kays instrumental, “Last Night”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIZUS5rBtFE
As the first house band at Stax, the Mar-Keys played behind the likes of Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas and Carla Thomas.
In 1969, Jackson and fellow Mar-Kay Andrew Love formed the Memphis Horns and worked at American Sound Studio in Memphis and FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
At Chips Moman‘s American Sound Studio, the Memphis Horns appeared on Presley’s “In the Ghetto” and “Suspicious Minds”, Dusty Springfield’s Dusty In Memphis album and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”.
Over the years, they also appeared on Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay“, Aretha Franklin’s “Respect“, Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man“, Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together“, Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” and U2’s “Angel Of Harlem“.
In 2008, Jackson and Love were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and received a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys in 2012.
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