Sad to report has died.

Alabama Guitar Slinger Wayne Perkins Dies at 74 (New American Journal)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026-03-21 14:09 by bv.

RIP! Wonderful guitarist.

Sad News!

Rest in peace, Wayne Perkins

[www.cbs42.com]
RIP, and thanks for your contribution for the stones

That guy could play!
RIP Wayne

Am I correct in thinking that, if he were an Englishman, and not an American, he may have been selected as Taylor's replacement? I'm not convinced, but I'm sure that's been suggested. Certainly, Keith gelled with him, right?

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Big Al
Am I correct in thinking that, if he were an Englishman, and not an American, he may have been selected as Taylor's replacement? I'm not convinced, but I'm sure that's been suggested. Certainly, Keith gelled with him, right?

That sure might have been the case...But there were later comments that they thought his playing was a little too close to Taylor and that they didn't want a 'direct replacement'. But to me these comments always felt as little too 'hindsight'.

Mathijs

Sad news. RIP Wayne.

Another great guitarist has gone.RiP Wayne Perkins.†

Wayne and James

It’s a public FB page so hopefully everyone can see the pic.. James Counts is co-owner of a local music shop, Counts Brothers.. A few Muscle Shoals area locals either knew, or played with Wayne.

Sad news, RIP.
Must say he didn't look terribly healthy in that (great) recent documentary, at least he was around for that.

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RIP!

Very sad news, indeed! We have lost another great musician :-(

Very sad news. Joni Mitchell will be sad to hear this. RIP Wayne



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026-03-17 17:09 by babyblue.

One of the finest gtr solos ever on Worried About You. Its up there with Zeps Since i’ve been loving you( studio version.)
Thanks Wayne . Kvil i fred

RIP Wayne

RIP, love your playing

Wayne Perkins played the incredible guitar solo on this song... Probably was one of the reasons why he got the audition with the Stones...

RIP.
Hand of Fate, one of my all time favorites.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026-03-24 04:10 by ManuelStones.

Very sad news.Thoughts are with his family and friends

[www.pbs.org]

A great player. No doubt about it. I've enjoyed his stuff. And yes @roundnround, that's a great solo on Concrete Jungle.

I hope the Stones send a big bouquet. If not for Hand of Fate and Worried About You, I would have played Black and Blue a ton less, and Tattoo You a little less.

Based on what he did in auditions, Wayne Perkins knew how to play in the Stones' style, and we can only imagine the online wars that would have erupted between the Taylorites and the Perkinsians as they debated the relative legacies.

Gonna miss the Happyhotstar channel. Well, will miss any new vids. Great olayer! RIP!

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hickorywind
Very sad news.Thoughts are with his family and friends

[www.pbs.org]

This is fantastic, thank you! Didn’t realize he’d contributed to that Delbert album even tho I own and play it often and am a liner note fanatic.. Guess it slipped by me

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ManuelStones
RIP.
Hand of Fate, one my all time favorites.

wow, He had a strong Southern accent....well, from alabama!

We first met in 1973, and then, coincidentally 50 years later in 2023, I traveled through the American South to meet a musician.
He's a great guitarist, but I heard he had a brain tumor and had been through a few surgeries.
If I was going to go, now was the only time. I was 75, and my health wasn't great. His name is Wayne Perkins. He's based in Birmingham, Alabama. I met Wayne once, 50 years ago.

Back in September of '73, Leon Russell played at the Budokan. I was blown away when I saw the tour program from that time. I found out that Wayne Perkins was also there, playing guitar.
I asked to speak with the promoter and waited in my hotel room.
Then, the Wayne Perkins I had long admired walked in with a young woman.
He was surprisingly small in stature and didn't have the same aura as I expected (which was only natural—he was still just 22).
He didn't seem to be used to dealing with the media, but it was actually me who ended up getting nervous.


Back in '75, I saw a news story that was reported at the same time by British and American music media.
It reminded me of a young guy from the South I had almost forgotten. It said that an event now known as the "Great Guitarist Hunt" was currently underway in Munich.
There, next to the names of Jeff Beck and Rory Gallagher, was the name Wayne Perkins. I mean, it couldn't really be someone else with the same name, could it?

Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones announced he was leaving the band, so they need to find a new guitarist ASAP.
This happened 50 years ago, and since there were a lot of rumors and speculation—and the Rolling Stones themselves kept things secret—the session is now an urban legend.

While Wayne and the others were at Leon Russell's place, Eric Clapton stopped by to get Carl Radle to join the band.
That's how Wayne and Eric met, and they became close enough to travel to Jamaica together.
One day, Eric called and said, "The Stones are auditioning for a new guitarist. I've put in a good word for you. Good luck."



It was a really appealing proposition. Wayne got in touch with the Stones and flew to Munich, Germany, where the sessions were taking place.
Harvey Mandel of Canned Heat was there, and Ronnie Wood showed up later.
Wayne spent a few weeks in the studio, playing guitar every day with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. As the sessions were ending, the tape started rolling in the control room.


[...]

We started off with a hug on the porch of the big house, with the soft March sunlight on us. Actually, 50 years ago, we didn't even hug or shake hands.
The 72-year-old musician, who's three years younger than me, looked way younger than I expected, and he didn't seem at all sick.
He had a healthy glow, and he still wore his black hair tied back.

We weren't too keen on leaving, but we had to get out of the cabin that night. We had achieved the main goal of our trip to Alabama.
Wayne and I hugged each other for another minute or so, promised to meet again, and then went our separate ways.


Excerpts from
A Trip to the South: Reuniting with Wayne Perkins After Half a Century: My Worst and Best of Rock 'n' Roll Life by Haruko Minakami



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026-03-25 13:38 by Toru A.

I remember reading an interview with Keith back in the 7-tees were he stated that Wayne lived at Keith's place for about one month to get used to the lifestyle of the Stones. When it was announced that Ron Wood got the Job, "Wayne Perkins was very disappointed, because he almost had gotten the job", to quote Keith.

Great obituary and graphics/pics in NY Times.

[www.nytimes.com]

Thanks for the link.

Makes me want to watch that great recent documentary on him.

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