Wayne Perkins

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Wayne Perkins' 2005 album "Ramblin' Heart"

David Wayne Perkins (born 1951 in Chalkville; died March 16, 2026 in Argo) was a rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and session musician best known for his work with The Rolling Stones, The Wailers, and Joni Mitchell.

Perkins was the oldest of six children born into a musical family. He taught himself to play guitar by age 12, idolizing six-string players like Chet Atkins, James Burton and Lonnie Mack. He gained a reputation as a talented player at neighborhood picking sessions.

As a teenager he performed in local bands and took his first session jobs at Bob Grove's Unity Record Co. in Woodlawn. He dropped out of Erwin High School to pursue music full time, splitting session work with Emory Gordy in Atlanta, Georgia with touring as a member of The Vikings.

By 1969 Perkins had moved to Sheffield and took a $100 a week job at Quin Ivy's studio Quinvy's. From there he moved to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio taking lead guitar spot under Jimmy Johnson which was left by Eddie Hinton's departure. He sat in on sessions for Joe Cocker and Leon Russell and the Shelter People, among others.

In 1971 Perkins joined with brothers Tim and Steve Smith of Homewood to form the trio Smith Perkins Smith which released an album in 1972. The trio signed with Island Records, whose president, Chris Blackwell, had come to Muscle Shoals to supervise a session for Jim Capaldi.

While in London recording their never-completed follow-up album at Basing Street Studios, Blackwell asked Perkins and keyboardist John Bundrick to contribute overdubs to three tracks on The Wailers' album Catch a Fire. Bob Marley was thrilled with the sound he contributed. Shortly after Perkins returned to the United States, Russell invited him to join the Shelter People on their world tour. When Russell threw in with The Gap Band, Perkins came along.

In 1973 Perkins met Joni Mitchell while spending time with Jackson Browne at MCA records in Los Angeles. They hit it off and he added slide guitar to her album Court and Spark, borrowing James Burton's signature pink telecaster from the studio for the session.

Perkins spent time with Eric Clapton in Jamaica in 1974. When Clapton told him about Mick Taylor leaving The Rolling Stones, Perkins cajoled him into suggesting him as a potential replacement. He auditioned in Rotterdam and was invited to participate in the recording sessions for Black and Blue at Musicland Studios in München, most of which were released in 1976. In London he stayed with Keith Richards and Anita Pallenberg and her children in a cottage on Ronnie Wood's estate "The Wick". Richards treated Perkins as if were a regular member of the band and coached him on the catalog of songs that would be part of their 1975 tour, and he participated in overdub sessions for what became Tattoo You. Ultimately, the Stones tapped Wood as Taylor's full-time replacement, partly in order to preserve the band's English pedigree.

In 1975 Ronnie Van Zant offered Perkins the job of replacing Ed King as third guitar for Lynyrd Skynyrd. He ended up turning him down. Instead he joined his younger brother Dale in the Alabama Power Band, which later recorded as Crimson Tide. The group released two albums on Capitol Records and performed as the house band at the Crossroads Club in Roebuck before breaking up in 1979.

Perkins moved to Nashville, Tennessee and wrote songs for Catdaddy Music, including contributions to the soundtracks for the films "The Karate Kid Part II" and "Back to School". He joined with Robert Nix and Rick Christian to form the band Problem Child, and also played base for Lonnie Mack. He also released two albums as a solo artist.

In later life Perkins resided in Argo with his brother, Dale, and suffered a strike while undergoing treatment for multiple brain tumors. He died at home on March 16, 2026.

Recordings

  • Wayne Perkins (1996) Mendo Hotel. RCG Records. RCG-1001
  • Wayne Perkins (2005) Ramblin' Heart. Bandwitdth Records. BND-9002

References

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