Biography

Wayne Carson Thompson was born on May 31, 1943 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He was a composer, known for Speed (1994), Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) and Whiteout (2009). He was married to Wyndi Harp. He died on July 20, 2015 in Franklin, Tennessee, USA.

He was a songwriter whose hits include "The Letter" and "Always on My Mind".

In 1967, Memphis rock group the Box Tops had a No. 1 hit with Carson's song "The Letter". He said it was inspired by lyrics sent to him by his father which included the word "airplane" spelled as "aero-plane". Carson used the word in the song's first line, "Give me a ticket for an aero-plane.".

His parents were musicians who performed under the stage names "Shorty & Sue Thompson". He began playing guitar at age 14 after hearing a Merle Travis record.

Acclaimed songwriter Wayne Carson, a Grammy-winning member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame whose credits include the country-pop classic "Always on My Mind" and "The Letter.".