Wayne Bergeron

Wayne Bergeron stands among the most in-demand studio and live trumpeters, boasting an extensive catalog of recorded work. Endowed with an extraordinary upper register, a luminous sound, and formidable technical command, he has led the commercial trumpet field ever since joining Maynard Ferguson’s ensemble in the 1980s.

He entered the world in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1958; the following year his family relocated to Southern California, where he was raised in Los Angeles. Although he began on French horn, Bergeron changed to trumpet during seventh grade. Recognizing his innate command of the high register, he pursued rigorous trumpet training throughout junior high and high school.

Following graduation, his first professional engagement came on tour with drummer Buddy Miles. During the same period he performed at Disneyland and contributed to recordings by Joe Cocker, Jim Devlin, and additional artists.

Bergeron secured his pivotal opportunity in 1986 by winning the lead-trumpet audition for Maynard Ferguson’s celebrated big band. With Ferguson he appeared on the albums Body and Soul (1986), Big Bop Nouveau (1990), Brass Attitude (1998), and The One and Only (2007).

Beyond his work with Ferguson, Bergeron has recorded with Jack Sheldon, Neil Diamond, David Benoit, Julio Iglesias, Rosemary Clooney, and numerous others. His trumpet also features on more than three hundred film and television scores, among them Frozen, The Incredibles, Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, Rounders, Superman Returns, and Dreamgirls. As a leader, he has concentrated on big-band repertoire, issuing the debut You Call This a Living? in 2002 and Plays Well with Others in 2007. In 2012 he joined David Hickman, Arturo Sandoval, Jens Lindemann, Robert Karon, and James Wilt for Trumpet Fiesta: A Celebration of Rafael Mendez, then released his third studio album, Full Circle, in 2016.