ABSTRACT
Gerald Wilson, born September 4, 1918, died September 8, 2014, grew up in Shelby, Mississippi, and was inspired by the music of Joe "King" Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton. Best known as a trumpet player, big band bandleader, composer and arranger, Wilson joined the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra in 1939, replacing Sy Oliver as the arranger and section trumpet player. He also played with or arranged for the bands of Benny Carter, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Julie London, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Nancy Wilson. Wilson offers firsthand accounts of the 1930s music scene in Detroit when jazz musicians made their living playing for swing dancers. Throughout his life, Wilson retained the same curiosity and enthusiasm for music that he had discovered in his youth. His interview reveals his non-acceptance of racism growing up in the Deep South along with offering advice to anyone interested in pursuing a career in music.
