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The Memphis Horns

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Memphis Horns were an American horn section, who became known through their many recordings for Stax Records. The duo consisted of trumpeter Wayne Jackson and tenor saxophonist Andrew Love and was described as an offshoot of the Mar-Keys. Jackson played with the Mar-Keys as a schoolboy, Love played in his father's church and joined the Stax house band in 1965. They clicked quickly. In 1969 Stax asked them to work only there, but they refused and founded The Memphis Horns, in order to be able to offer their sound to everyone.

Music and breakthrough

They also worked at Royal Studio and American Sound Studio in Memphis, at Atlantic Records in New York and at FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals. They played on almost every Stax recording with horns, for Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas and Sam & Dave, and on more than a hundred hits by others, such as (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding, Let's Stay Together by Al Green and Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley. In the 1970s they worked with among others Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart and Neil Diamond, and toured with The Doobie Brothers. Later they played on records by the Robert Cray Band and on Rattle and Hum by U2. In 1992 their own album Flame Out was released.

Influence

Love stopped in 2004. In 2012 the Memphis Horns received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They show how important the horn section is to the sound of soul.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding and notice the horns that complement the vocals. What would be missing if the horns were gone?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists