Wayne Bergeron


Wayne Bergeron is an American trumpeter.
Bergeron rose to prominence as a member of Maynard Ferguson's band in the 1980s. Since then, he has worked on over 500 TV and motion picture soundtracks. As a lead and studio player, he is notable both for his ability in the upper register of the instrument as well as his versatility.
Bergeron is on faculty at the Los Angeles College of Music and is principal trumpet for the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

Life and career

Bergeron was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and grew up in Los Angeles. His first instrument was the French horn, but he switched to the trumpet in his early teens due to his French horn being destroyed.
In 1986, he won the spot of lead trumpeter for Maynard Ferguson's band. He has recorded as a sideman for David Benoit, Rosemary Clooney, Neil Diamond, Julio Iglesias, and Jack Sheldon; he contributed to the movies Despicable Me, Dreamgirls, Frozen, Rounders, Superman Returns, The Incredibles, and Toy Story 3.
Bergeron has held the role of lead trumpet in Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band since the band was founded and has had two solo charts written for him: "Horn of Puente" from XXL and "Years of Therapy" from Life in the Bubble.
His debut album as a solo musician was You Call This a Living?, featuring the "Friend Like Me" arranged by Bill Liston. The album also features fellow Maynard Ferguson alumnus Peter Erskine on drums and Big Phat Band alumnus Eric Marienthal on saxophone. His next album, Plays Well with Others received critical acclaim and was nominated for a Grammy Award. The album features Maynard Ferguson in one of his last performances on the track "Maynard & Waynard".
In 2013, Bergeron designed his own range of trumpet mouthpieces. He was initiated as National Honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity and a Signature Sinfonian at the National Convention in New Orleans in 2015.

Discography

As leader

  • You Call This a Living?
  • Plays Well with Others
  • Full Circle
  • "Music and Mistletoe"

    As sideman or guest

With Bill Elliott
  • Swing Fever
  • Calling All Jitterbugs!
  • Swingin' the Century
With Michael Feinstein
  • Big City Rhythms
  • The Sinatra Project
  • Sinatra Project Vol. II
With Maynard Ferguson
  • Body & Soul
  • Big Bop Nouveau
  • Brass Attitude
With Bob Florence
With Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
  • Swingin' for the Fences
  • XXL
  • The Phat Pack
  • Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas
  • Act Your Age
  • That's How We Roll
  • Life in the Bubble
  • Wrap This!
  • The Gordian Knot
With Tom Kubis
With John LaBarbera
  • On the Wild Side
  • Fantazm
  • Caravan
With Frank Macchia
  • Animals
  • Mo' Animals
  • Folk Songs for Jazzers
  • Son of Folk Songs for Jazzers
  • Frank Macchia's Swamp Thang
  • Fried Zombie Stew
  • Grease Mechanix
With Barry Manilow
  • Manilow Sings Sinatra
With John Powell
With Chris Walden
  • Home of My Heart
  • No Bounds
  • Full-On!
With Bill Watrous
  • A Time for Love
  • Space Available
  • Kindred Spirits
  • A Beautiful Friendship
With Robbie Williams
  • Swing When You're Winning
  • Escapology
  • Swings Both Ways
With Ralph Carmichael
  • Strike Up the Band
With others