14 Years Ago Today, Tom Petty Lost One of His Greatest Idols, a Memphis-Born Rock Legend Nicknamed After Donald Duck

While his name may not immediately ring a bell, you’re almost certainly familiar with the work of Donald “Duck” Dunn. A session bassist for Stax Records, Dunn also featured on multiple recordings as a member of the legendary Memphis soul band Booker T. & the M.G.’s.

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On this day (May 13) in 2012, Donald “Duck” Dunn died in his sleep following a series of shows with longtime friend and iconic guitarist Steve Cropper in Tokyo. He was 70 years old. Today, we’re reflecting on the career of a man who backed up everyone from Otis Redding to Eric Clapton to Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty.

The Life and Career of Donald “Duck” Dunn

Born November 24, 1941, in Memphis, Donald Dunn’s father nicknamed him “Duck” as the two watched a Donald Duck cartoon together one day. “It was just one of those things that stuck,” he later recalled.

Dunn picked up a ukulele at age 10 and began playing bass by 16. He and childhood friend Steve Cropper formed their first band, The Royal Spades, in high school. That group evolved into the Mar-Keys, who signed with Satellite Records (later Stax Records) and scored their first hit, “Last Night”, in 1961.

Shaping the Soul of Memphis

Cropper later left the band for a full-time session gig  at the Stax studio. He encouraged Donald “Duck” Dunn to follow him, and the two joined Booker T’s MGs.

With Booker T. Jones and drummer Al Jackson Jr., the group would come to define the Memphis soul sound of the 1960s and ’70s. Their work featured on songs like Otis Redding’s “Respect” and “I Can’t Turn You Loose”, Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin’”, and Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign”.

Dunn and Jackson stayed on after Cropper and Jones left Stax Records. Dunn went on to work with Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, and more. His distinctive bass style also featured in the Stevie Nicks-Tom Petty collaboration “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”.

“He is one of my great idols,” Tom Petty later said of Dunn. “He’s one of the best musicians I’ve ever met.”

Dunn also played himself in both the 1980 film Blues Brothers and its 1998 sequel. In 1992, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s.

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