An Interview With Session Guitar Legend Wayne Perkins

Feature Photo: courtesy of Wayne Perkins

Wayne Perkins has played on records by Bob Marley, Joni Mitchell, and The Rolling Stones. He was also nearly a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and, supposedly, had his beloved Gibson Les Paul stolen by none other than Joe Walsh.

That’s a whole lot. As for what made him primed for such a career, Perkins shrugs, telling Guitar World: “It was basically, ‘Okay, kid. Let’s see what you got.’ I thrived under pressure because I loved the studio.”

Before Perkins became a studio ace, he was a kid from Birmingham, Alabama. He gigged locally with The Vikings, who became The Rigbys. That didn’t last long. It didn’t end well, either. “I came off the stage for my last show with that band, and Charles Nettles said, ‘You’ll never do anything in the music business without me!’”

That was all Perkins needed to hear. “I said, ‘Really? Watch me.’ Not long after that, Perkins scored a gig at Muscle Shoals Studios as a session player, appearing on records by Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, Steve Winwood, and more.

Elsewhere, Perkins recorded with Lynyrd Skynyrd, was asked to join, but declined, reasoning, “They already had too many guitar players.” From there, Perkins spent the ‘70s making his imprint on popular music, before things wound down in the ‘80s.

Present day, the 74-year-old Perkins lives with his brother, battling brain tumors that make it hard to get out, let alone play guitar. But he’s proud of what he’s accomplished. “I’m glad that I’ve gotten to see this truly beautiful world recording and touring,” Perkins says.

“It was a world I’d never seen before,” he says. “And there was so much more than I knew. I can say that it was a real trip.”

What sparked your interest in the guitar?

My mom and dad both played, and they showed me with my dad playing songs by Hank Williams and other people, like Jimmy Rogers, George Jones, and mainly country music artists. Then, one day, my dad took me to a friend’s house named Levi Jones, who had a bluegrass jam session.

How old were you then?

I was about 10 or 12 years old and was chasing his hot little daughter around the mulberry bush at night! She was a very healthy 14-year-old, but I almost caught her until he made me come in and jam with some truly great players.

That was my first real Jam session, but they never lost me and inspired me to keep going. But I was more interested in the sweet, young thing outside, but it was also the first time I’d ever seen a nice Fender guitar and amp! [Laughs]

What did your early gigs look like?

I was playing lead guitar with a great local band called The Vikings, who were being courted by Bill Lowery Talent Agency. Charles Nettles was writing the songs for the band, and wanted to change our name to an English-sounding one, so we became The Rigbys, which kinda worked.

How did you end up getting into session work at Muscle Shoals Studios?

When I left The Rigbys, I ran into a drummer friend named Jasper Guarino, who said, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘Nothing now, why?’ He said, ‘We need a guitar player where I work in the studio in Muscle Shoals…’ I said, ‘What does it pay?’ He said, ‘One hundred bucks a week.’

Was that appealing to you?

I said, ‘Sounds good!’ That’s how I got to Muscle Shoals. I had a job with Quin Ivey, who had a studio a block from 3614 Jackson Highway, which was Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, that became my whole life and workplace. I saw Quinn Ivy the next day, and later, I met the studio band. He told me what he expected from me, and that was it.

Elsewhere, you were around a very early version of Lynyrd Skynyrd and played on Sweet Home Alabama in its infancy. How did that happen?

I was good friends with Ronnie Van Zant, and [session guitarist] Jimmy Johnson had just discovered them. He asked me to play on their record they were doing, and I just had to ‘cause Jimmy knew I could add a little something. I was just trying to help them out as much as I could, and liked them a lot, so I did.

Is it true that Ronnie Van Zant asked you to join the band after that?

Yes. Ronnie Van Zant asked me in 1976 to join the band. I was honored, but I felt there were already too many guitar players, and that they didn’t need one more. [Laughs] I thought that it would’ve been too many to let each player have a chance to really shine.

Circling back to Sweet Home Alabama, is it true that the song is in part about the musicians at Muscle Shoals?

Yes. Something that no one really knows is that Sweet Home Alabama is about me and four guys in North Alabama called ‘The Swampers’ [Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, David Hood, and Jimmy Johnson] at Muscle Shoals Sound after the Fame Studios period in ’68 or ‘69.

How did you meet Chris Blackwell?

Chris Blackwell brought Jimmy Cliff and Mike Harrison to Muscle Shoals to make their albums and discovered my band, Smith Perkins, and signed us to Island Records. He then moved us to London to tour and do another album, and after that, he wanted to use me with his different artists.

Is that what led you to play on Bob Marley’s Catch a Fire album?

After a bit of doing our records, he started branching out by using me more in the studio. I did the Catch a Fire Bob Marley album in 1972, in between touring and recording the second Smith Perkins album, which we never got to finish.

I remember being on the spiral staircase at the Island Records office and studios, and Chris Blackwell stopped me, asking me to work on a new reggae artist’s album. I said, ‘Sure. When do you wanna do it?’ He said, ‘I’ll let you know when we’re ready.’ Shortly after that, he called me in to meet Bob Marley.

What gear were you using then?

We had the equipment that I’d bought in New York at Manny’s on our way to London, which was a Fender Super Six, and some of my pedals, like a Roland chorus pedal, and I had a Les Paul.

What were some of the first songs that you worked on with Bob?

I can’t remember for sure, but I think one of the first songs he threw at me was a song called Concrete Jungle. After I played the first solo, Bob came running out with a spliff and insisted I get high with him. [Laughs] He forced me to smoke with him, which made song two, Stir It Up, and the third song, “Baby We’ve Got a Date (Rock It Baby),” go a lot slower. [Laughs] I played my butt off on all three of the songs—and we did it all in one night.

How did you end up recording with The Rolling Stones on their Black and Blue album?

At Muscle Shoals Studios, I came down one night to do some sessions, and The Rolling Stones were in the studio doing the Sticky Fingers album. They were not to be messed with. I went on break one time, and sat in the parking lot, and I’d never heard anything like that.

Anyway, Jimmy Johnson asked if I’d help demo their song catalog, and I said, ‘Well, okay…’ and I went to help them. I didn’t realize that it was my audition. [Laughs] But ask me about the guitar that Ronnie Van Zant gave me, that I used on the solo for Hand of Fate, which was the Les Paul that Joe Walsh stole from me.

Oh, do tell.

It’s part of my whole history. Wanna help me get it back? Know a good attorney with an open mind? He said he wanted a 100-guitar collection. I guess he was gonna steal them all. Who knows? But nobody really knows him. He was coked out and junkied up. Joe Walsh stole both of my guitars in ’89, 36 years ago, when I was in Memphis. I can’t say much more than that!

Do you have any regrets?

None at all. I got to do a lot, and I got to see so much of what this world had to offer. From Bob Marley to working on whatever Chris Blackwell threw at me to the Rolling Stones, it’s been an amazing journey. I’m thankful for it, and I’m thankful that people still want to hear my story.

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The views, statements, and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of ClassicRockHistory.com. While we strive for accuracy, ClassicRockHistory.com is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or factual inaccuracies presented by the interviewee. Readers should exercise their own discretion when interpreting the statements made herein.