Travis Wammack

{{Short description|American musician (born 1946)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Travis Wammack

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| alias =

| birth_date = 1946

| death_date =

| death_place =

| birth_place = Walnut, Mississippi, U.S.

| genre = Rock and roll

| occupation = {{hlist|Guitarist|singer|songwriter}}

| years_active = 1957–present

| label =

| associated_acts = {{hlist|Little Richard}}

| website = www.traviswammack.com

}}

Travis Wammack (born November 1946 in Walnut, Mississippi, United States){{cite book|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|title=Top Pop Singles 1955-1993|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|publisher=Record Research, Inc.|date=1994|isbn=0-89820-104-7}} is an American rock and roll guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee.

Described as an "instrumental genius" and "a precursor to guitar-hero shredding",{{cite web|website=AL.com|title=Meet the unsung Muscle Shoals guitarist who's also a snake hunter|first=Matt|last=Wake|url=https://www.al.com/entertainment/2018/07/muscle_shoals_music_travis_wam.html|date=July 3, 2018|access-date=March 7, 2023}} he is known for his "magnificent guitar pyrotechnics", "hot and speedy guitar chops",{{cite web|first=Cub|last=Koda|author-link=Cub Koda|website=Allmusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/travis-wammack-mn0000013593/biography|title=Travis Wammack Biography|access-date=6 March 2023}} and "wild guitar workouts"{{cite web|title=Travis Wammack Biography|website=lastfm.com|url=https://www.last.fm/music/Travis+Wammack/+wiki|access-date=5 March 2023}} featuring early use of fuzztone and distortion.{{cite web|title="Scratchy" Was Just The Beginning - Travis Wammack is Still Rocking |first=Michael B.|last=Smith|url=https://www.memphistechhigh.com/miscellaneous/traviswammack/traviswammack.html|website=Memphis Tech High|date=May 2001|access-date=5 March 2023}} A child prodigy, Wammack's first record was released in 1957 when he was eleven years old,{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|pages=1229/30}} and at seventeen he hit the American charts with "Scratchy", an instrumental which peaked at #80 in 1964, although the initial release of the record was in the summer of 1962. He also charted briefly in 1966 at #128 with an instrumental version of "Louie Louie".{{cite book|title=Bubbling Under The Hot 100 1959-1985|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|publisher=Record Research, Inc.|date=1992|isbn=0-89820-082-2}}

Wammack worked as a session guitarist at Sonic Recording Service{{cite magazine|magazine=Copper|url=https://www.psaudio.com/copper/article/travis-wammack-memphis-royalty/|title=Travis Wammack – Memphis Royalty|first=WL|last=Woodward|issue=116|date=7 July 2020|access-date=11 March 2023}} and Hi Records in Memphis and at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in the 1960s.{{cite web|title=Travis Wammack biography|website=Birmingham Record Collectors|date=17 November 2013 |url=http://www.birminghamrecord.com/brc/hall_of_fame/travis-wammack/|access-date=7 March 2023}} He released his first album, Travis Wammack, in 1972 and appeared on the charts with "Whatever Turns You On" (#95; written by George Jackson and Raymond Moore) and "How Can I Tell You" (#68; written by Cat Stevens). In 1975 he released his second album, Not For Sale, which generated two additional hits: "Easy Evil" (#72; written by Alan O'Day), and "(Shu-Doo-Pa-Poo-Poop) Love Being Your Fool" (#38; written by Jerry Williams, Jr. and Charlie Whitehead).{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/unlock-your-mind-mw0001086884 |title=The Staple Singers/The Staples: Unlock Your Mind - Track Listing - (Shu-Doo-Pa-Poo-Poop) Love Being Your Fool |website=AllMusic |accessdate=2017-10-03}}{{cite web |url=https://secondhandsongs.com/work/65240/versions |title=Song: Easy Evil |website=SecondHandSongs.com |accessdate=2017-10-03}}

He was Little Richard's band leader from 1984 until 1995. He wrote "Greenwood, Mississippi" which Richard recorded in 1970, featuring Wammack on lead guitar. In 1988, Richard recorded Wammack's "(There's) No Place Like Home", planned as a new single, but shelved. Live versions were included on Giants of Rock and Roll, an Australian DVD of a 1989 concert, and on compilations Live in Europe 1993 and The Quasar of Rock.

Still performing, Travis now{{when|date=April 2023}} works with Muscle Shoals Music Marketing, and has added record producer to his resume. In 1999 Wammack received the Professional Musician Award from the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, and in 2005 was inducted into The Southern Legends Entertainment & Performing Arts Hall of Fame. In May 2006, Gibson Guitars presented Travis with a new Gibson ES-335 guitar as part of their documentary honoring legendary Gibson ES series players. In 2011, he was recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame as a rockabilly "legend".

Wammack performed with Billy Lee Riley and with Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers at Newport, Arkansas's annual Depot Days Festival on September 27, 2008. On August 30, 2009 at the Silver Moon in Newport, Arkansas, he again played with Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers, and with other bands, at the Billy Lee Riley benefit concert. Wammack continues to perform live at the Depot Days Festival and other venues.

{{cite web

|url=http://traviswammack.com/bio.html

|title=Travis Wammack

|publisher=Travis Wammack

|year=2014

|accessdate=2017-10-03

}}

{{cite web

|url=http://www.depotdays.org/photo-archive/

|title=Photo Archive

|publisher=Depot Days Festival

|year=2017

|accessdate=2017-10-03

}}

{{cite web

|url=http://www.depotdays.org/schedule/

|title=Depot Days Festival Schedule of Events

|publisher=Depot Days Festival

|year=2017

|accessdate=2017-10-03

}}