Wammack was born in
Walnut, Mississippi, on November 19, 1944. He worked as a session guitarist at Sonic Recording Service and
Hi Records in Memphis and at
FAME Studios in
Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in the 1960s. He released his first album,
Travis Wammack, in 1972 and appeared on the charts with "Whatever Turns You On" (No. 95; written by
George Jackson and Raymond Moore) and "How Can I Tell You" (No. 68; written by
Cat Stevens). In 1975 he released his second album,
Not For Sale, which generated two additional hits: "Easy Evil" (No. 72; written by
Alan O'Day), and "(Shu-Doo-Pa-Poo-Poop) Love Being Your Fool" (No. 38; written by
Jerry Williams, Jr. and
Charlie Whitehead). 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 worked with Muscle Shoals Music Marketing and 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 died in Alabama on February 27, 2026, at the age of 81. ==Discography==