The Late Guitarist Recorded Songs With Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, And Many More
What would “Jolene” be without that rhythmic guitar guiding Dolly Parton’s plea along?
That song was one of many that guitarist Wayne Moss imbued with his musical prowess.
On Monday, April 20, 2026, legendary guitarist Wayne Moss, 88, died.
Working as a session guitarist in Nashville, Tennessee, in the 1960s and ’70s, he was a central figure to the mainstream acknowledgement of the musicianship in Nashville, which is now known as “Music City.”
The first song to go No. 1 that he played guitar on was Tommy Roe’s 1962 song “Sheila,” and he also notably played guitar on Roy Orbison’s 1964 hit, “Oh, Pretty Woman.”
Roy Orbison’s son, Roy Orbison Jr. posted a remembrance of Wayne Moss on social media, which can be seen, here:
Partially recorded in Nashville, Bob Dylan’s iconic 1966 double album, Blonde on Blonde, would see Wayne Moss shine on guitar, memorably playing on songs like “I Want You” and the opening track, “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.”
“[Dylan] came down here and cut ‘Blonde on Blonde,’ and the floodgates opened,” Wayne Moss recalled in an interview with AES Nashville.
Playing with session musicians, Wayne Moss founded two notable bands comprised solely of session talent in Nashville in the 1970s: Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry.
He also went on to establish his own recording studio, Cinderella Sound.
Kyle Young, the CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame, issued a statement on Wayne Moss’ legacy after hearing of his passing, saying, “Listen carefully to Bob Dylan’s ‘I Want You’ or Roy Orbison’s ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ or Waylon Jennings’s ‘Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line.’ You’ll hear innovative electric lead parts that drew attention to Nashville’s world-class musicianship.”
He added, “Wayne was a musical torchbearer and a creative pathfinder who left his own resounding stamp on music history.”
Back in 2013, Wayne Moss, who was born in West Virginia, was honored with induction into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
There, he delivered a few remarks, beginning by saying, “I want to thank a few folks, starting with my Heavenly Father, for giving me the gift of music in the first place. My earthly father, for teaching me all the things I didn’t want to do in life, like … deliver coal. I understand causes black lung, and I didn’t want that, so, in the ’60s and ’70s, I got ‘green lung’ from being in the music business.”
He attributed his pursuit of music to his mother, who he said convinced him he could do things he said he “wasn’t even capable of,” saying she got him his first job in a band when he was 15.
Wayne Moss said an early encounter with innovative “Nashville sound” guitarist Chet Atkins, aka “the Country Gentleman,” would motivate him to excel at his own guitar playing, as Chet said he thought Wayne would make a better plumber than a guitarist.
Watch Wayne Moss accept his induction into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, here:
Watch him speak about his career, here.
Listen to him play guitar on “Jolene,” here:
Listen to Wayne Moss’ guitar playing on Bob Dylan’s “I Want You,” here:
