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| Wayne Moss (1938-2026) |
Wayne Moss, a versatile Nashville session guitarist who played on landmark hits by Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette and Bob Dylan, died Monday at his home in Madison, Tenn. He was 88.
His death was caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his family said in a statement.
A member of Nashville’s elite A-Team of studio musicians, Moss performed on dozens of hits in the 1960s and ’70s by artists including Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride and others. He was one of the three guitarists behind the iconic staccato riff that opens Orbison’s 1964 chart-topper “Oh, Pretty Woman.”
He also contributed the distinctive guitar work on Dylan’s “I Want You” (1966), Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” (1973), “Coat of Many Colors” (1971) and “I Will Always Love You” (1974), and Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” (1968).
“Wayne Moss was a guitarist of dexterous skill and sophisticated taste,” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement. “Listen carefully and you’ll hear innovative electric lead parts that drew attention to Nashville’s world-class musicianship.”
Moss was equally skilled on bass, laying down the funky groove on Joe Simon’s Grammy-winning “The Chokin’ Kind” (1969) and the distinctive part on Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” from the 1966 album Blonde on Blonde.
After moving to Nashville in 1959, Moss built a reputation as a first-call session player. By 1962 he had appeared on his first No. 1 record, Tommy Roe’s “Sheila.”
He later helped push country music into new territory as a founder of the experimental country-rock bands Area Code 615 (1969) and Barefoot Jerry (1971). Barefoot Jerry released six albums in the 1970s and earned a notable shout-out in the Charlie Daniels Band’s 1975 hit “The South’s Gonna Do It.”