There will be a special guest appearance this year as ARCA honors the “Fastest Guitar Player In The South,” Travis Wammack.  Travis will be be made an honorary member of ARCA at 10 A.M.

[Information from Travis’ website]  Travis was born in Walnut, Mississippi. He began his professional music career when he wrote and recorded his first record at the tender age of eleven, and also became the youngest member ever voted into the musicians union. After moving to Memphis, Tennesse, the young guitarist made his mark on the music world at the age of sixteen with his 1963 number one hit “Scratchy”.  He was the first to develop and use the fuzz tone for an electric guitar. 

By 1969, Wammack’s skills landed him in Muscle Shoals, Alabamawhere he teamed with legendary producer Rick Hall at Hall’s FAME Records. Travis’ guitar licks can be heard on hit records that have sold over ‘SIXTY MILLION’ copies!…songs recorded by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Little Richard, Mac Davis, Clarence Carter, the Osmond Brothers, Bobbie Gentry, Candi Staton, Delbert McClinton, Liza Minnelli, Narvel Felts and many more. 

Wammack’s solo artist career (produced by Hall) also sky rocketed with the release of albums in 1971 and 1975.  He traveled the world as Little Richard’s band leader from 1984 until 1995, performing on several nationally syndicated television programs as well as President Bill Clinton’s inauguration party.  Wammack became known as the “Fastest Guitar Player In The South”, where he was described by Rolling Stone’s Greg Shaw as “the fastest guitar player I have ever heard in my life, and not just fast but good.  Brilliant, even.  His stage show is flamboyant and exciting.” In 1998, Wammack  released his live CD “Still Rockin’”.  It contains a collection of rock and soul classics from the 60’s and 70’s.  In 2000, his “Snake, Rattle & Roll in Muscle Shoals” CD was released.  This release contains a collection of Travis’ best original material and is sure to rock you with a touch of soul.  In 2002 Wammack released another live CD “Rock-N-Roll Party” which showcases everything from his soul vocals on ‘Dreams To Remember’, his dazzling guitar work and voice-box on ‘Rocky Mountain Way’, to the swampy slide work on his original ‘Rock-N-Roll Shoes’.  In 2008 Travis released the CD “Memphis + Muscle Shoals = Travis Wammack” which includes more of his original rock-n-soul tunes, including a medley of “Scratchy” & “Firefly”. In 2008 he also released his first gospel CD “Almost Home”. In 2009 he released his fist country CD “Country In My Soul”. In 2010 Travis released “Rock-N-Roll Days”, an acoustic show of oldies but goodies and in 2011 released “Rock-N-Roll Days Vol. II”.

Travis now works with Muscle Shoals Music Marketing, and has added “Producer” to his already impressive resume.  He is a member of the ‘Memphis Music Hall of Fame’, and in 1999 Wammack received the Professional Musician Award from the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. In 2005 he was inducted into The Southern Legends Entertainment And 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 Travis was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.