Wayne Tucker

Wayne Tucker is a trumpeter, composer, arranger, violinist, vocalist, actor and model based in New York City. He has released 5 albums under his name and performs regularly with his band, The Bad Mothas in New York City.

Wayne has toured and recorded with a diverse array of notables such as jazz musicians Kurt Elling, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Cyrille Aimée; pop acts Taylor Swift, David Crosby, Elvis Costello; r&b singers Ne-Yo and Gabriel Garzon-Montano; hip hop artists Jidenna and Ryan Leslie; and with the rock band Brass Against.

This diversity is represented in The Bad Mothas energetic sound where the American Songbook gets a welcome update, including selections by Michael Jackson or Earth Wind & Fire.  Tenor saxophonist Miles Tucker (Wayne's brother) holds a lean mean counterpoint to Wayne's gentle affability on trumpet. Drummer Diego Joaquin Ramirez and bassist Tamir Shmerling provide solid underpinning which accommodates a varied cast of pianists, most notably the gospel-influenced Willerm Delisfort.  The group was featured in the New York Times for its steady schedule of street performances during the 2020 shutdown, representatives of New York City's infamous grit.

Wayne continues to maintain a dedicated presence in the small clubs of New York City alongside a career which makes occasional forays into venues like Madison Square Garden, The Hollywood Bowl, and The Tonight Show, to name a few. As an actor/model he has been featured in ads and commercials for companies like Dove, Mastercard, Bonobos and GMC, and appeared on television shows like Succession and Blacklist. Tucker wrote the soundtrack and co-stars in the short film Hotel Bleu.