Don Wilkerson

The quintessential powerhouse Texas tenor saxophonist Don Wilkerson never received the volume of recorded documentation that the caliber of his playing warranted. An outstanding earthy soul-jazz stylist, he moved with equal assurance through blues, ballads, bop, swing, and gospel-tinged R&B. Born in Moreauville, LA, in 1932, Wilkerson began on alto saxophone; by his teenage years he had relocated to Houston, where his command of the tenor earned him spots in R&B groups led by Amos Milburn and Charles Brown. During the mid-'50s he contributed to several of Ray Charles' earliest sessions, delivering standout solos on such classics as "I Got a Woman," "This Little Girl of Mine," and "Hallelujah I Love Her So." He also fronted his own band briefly in Miami and took part in frequent jam sessions alongside Cannonball Adderley. Adderley oversaw Wilkerson's debut date as a leader, a 1960 Riverside session issued as The Texas Twister. Following another brief return to Charles, Wilkerson joined Blue Note and cut three outstanding, deeply soulful albums between 1962 and 1963—Elder Don, Preach, Brother!, and Shoutin'—each featuring Grant Green on guitar. None achieved significant commercial traction, so Wilkerson never led another recording project. He spent the greater part of his life in Houston and died there on July 18, 1986.