Wayne Jackson
- Type: Musician
- Born: November 24, 1941 in West Memphis, Arkansas, USA
- Died: June 21, 2016 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Biography
Wayne Jackson was an American trumpeter who served as a principal architect of the Memphis soul sound. As a session musician for Stax Records and co-founder of The Memphis Horns with saxophonist Andrew Love, he forged a distinct horn style defined by powerful, succinct, and harmonically rich arrangements. [1, 2, 14] His trumpet work anchored foundational recordings by artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Aretha Franklin, improvising parts that became integral to the songs themselves. [2, 7] Jackson's influential phrasing and the signature sound he developed with Love created an enduring blueprint for horn sections in soul, R&B, and rock music. [6, 7]