Wayne Lamar Jackson (November 24, 1941 – June 21, 2016) was an American soul and R&B musician, playing the trumpet in the Mar-Keys, in the house band at Stax Records and later as one of The Memphis Horns, described as "arguably the greatest soul horn section ever".
Jackson was born in West Memphis, Arkansas just a few days apart from his musical partner Andrew Love with whom he created the signature horn sound at Stax on hit records by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and others. Jackson was also the voice on the Mar-Keys singular hit "Last Night", due in part, to his proximity to the microphone (Jackson was not the voice on "Last Night." It was Floyd Newman, tenor sax. As he told it to me at a Staxtacular event in 2007, "There was this break, with nothin, so I leaned into the mic and said ... '... last night ...' Then there was a second one, so I leaned back in and said '... oh, yeah ...'." This is documented in a video I did for Stax - with Floyd Newman on camera - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5BS9JmTOW0), when I also interviewed Jackson and several other. It was later confirmed to me by Steve Cropper. Tim Arnold)
After the years recording at Stax, they incorporated themselves into The Memphis Horns and began freelancing, recording on sessions for such artists as Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, Al Green, and Dusty Springfield. The duo also toured with The Doobie Brothers, Jimmy Buffett, Robert Cray, and numerous other performers.
In 2012, the Memphis Horns received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding artistic significance in music.
Jackson died on June 21, 2016 at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis of congestive heart failure. His death came after several years of failing health during which he still maintained an active schedule earning an income by giving personalized guided tours at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. He was 74.