Wayne Carson (bornWayne Carson Head; May 31, 1943 – July 20, 2015), sometimes credited asWayne Carson Thompson, was an Americancountry musician, songwriter, and record producer. He played percussion, piano, guitar, and bass. His most famous songs as a writer include "The Letter", "Neon Rainbow", "Soul Deep", and "Always on My Mind" (written withMark James andJohnny Christopher).
Carson was born inDenver, Colorado, to Odie and Olivia Head, who played music professionally under the pseudonym Thompson.[1] They met in Nebraska while working for radio station KMMJ, moved to Colorado and eventually toSpringfield, Missouri, to join theKWTO 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.[2]
Wayne Carson wanted to pick up a guitar when he was about 14 after hearing a recording byMerle Travis.[3] 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 toNashville, Tennessee, in 1962.[2] 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.[1]
In the mid-1960s he returned to Springfield, where he began working with music publisher and promoterSi Siman. Together they pitched songs for years, without success until Siman's friend and producerChet Atkins took a liking to a tune called "Somebody Like Me" and wanted to haveEddy 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."[4] The song became his first number one hit in late 1966 and spent four weeks on top of the country charts.
In 1967, he wrote another major hit, "The Letter", inspired by several pages of lyrics sent by his father. The song was an international hit forThe Box Tops and later forJoe Cocker andLeon Russell and was nominated for two Grammys.[5] Carson also wrote "Neon Rainbow" and "Soul Deep" for the Box Tops and "If I Cry" for the junior Memphis band called The Debuts in 1968 withJimi Jamison as lead singer.[6]
Carson's song "Always on My Mind" won Grammy awards in 1983 for Song of the Year and Best Country Song; in 1982 it reached No. 1 on theBillboard Country charts. TheCountry Music Association named it the Song of the Year in 1982 and 1983. Also in 1982, The Nashville Songwriters Association International named it Song of the Year and theAcademy of Country Music named it Single of the Year.
"Always On My Mind" – Brenda Lee, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Pet Shop Boys, Michael Buble, Julio Iglesias, The Stylistics, West End Girls, Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson, John Wesley Ryles
"The Letter" – The Box Tops, The Beach Boys, Dionne Warwick, Joe Cocker featuring Leon Russell, Al Green, Johnny Rivers, The Arbors, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Bobby Darin, Amii Stewart, and Don Williams.
"Dr. Jon (the Medicine Man)" - Jon & Robin and the In Crowd
"Honey Bee" - Robin of Jon & Robin
"The Grapes in Mary's Vineyard" - Claude King aka The Grapes in Martha's Vineyard
"Sandman" - B. J. Thomas, The Box Tops
"Nine Pound Steel" - Joe Simon
"The Letter", "Neon Rainbow", and "Soul Deep" were all Top 40 hits for the Box Tops; "The Letter" reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1967. "Do It Again A Little Bit Slower" was a top 20 pop hit in June 1967.
^Graham Nash and Manuscript Originals present Off the record : songwriters on songwriting : 25 of the world's most celebrated songs. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel. 2002. p. 30.ISBN9780740726781.
