Wayne Carson Thompson
| Wayne Carson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Wayne Carson Head |
| Also known as | Wayne Carson Thompson |
| Born |
May 31, 1943 Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Died | July 20, 2015 (aged 72) United States |
| Genres | Country music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Associated acts |
The Box Tops Joe Cocker Leon Russell |
Wayne Carson (born Wayne Carson Head; May 31, 1943 – July 20, 2015), sometimes credited as Wayne Carson Thompson, was an American country musician, songwriter, and record producer. He played percussion, piano, guitar, and bass. His most famous songs as a writer include "Neon Rainbow", "The Letter", "Always on My Mind" (written with Mark James and Johnny Christopher), and "Soul Deep".
Carson was born in Denver, Colorado, to Odie and Olivia Head, who played music professionally under the pseudonym Thompson. They met in Nebraska while working for radio station KMMJ, moved to Colorado and eventually to Springfield, Missouri to join the KWTO music staff. By then, they were better known by their stage names, "Shorty and Sue". Shorty Thompson was perhaps best known around the Ozarks as a member of radio and television mainstay the Tall Timber Boys.
Wayne Carson wanted to pick up a guitar when he was about 14, after hearing a recording by Merle Travis. Even so, he was quickly taken by the newer sound of rock 'n' roll. He lived in several cities, including Denver, as a young man leading bands; and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1962. He initially used his parents' stage name, becoming known and credited as Wayne Carson Thompson, before dropping the last name and adopting the name Wayne Carson.
In the mid-1960s he returned to Springfield, where he began working with music publisher and promoter Si Siman. Together they pitched songs for years, but without success until Siman's friend and producer Chet Atkins took a liking to a tune called "Somebody Like Me" and wanted to have Eddy Arnold record it. Carson was taken aback when he got a call from Arnold, one of the most successful country acts of all time. "Eddie said, 'Wayne, I love the song, but it needs another verse'," Carson recalled. "So I said, 'Well, the third verse goes like this' and I just wrote it right there over the phone." The song became his first number one hit in late 1966, and spent four weeks on top of the country charts.
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