Don Wilkerson
Don Wilkerson (c. 1932 – 18 July 1986) was an American soul jazz / R&B tenor saxophonist born in Moreauville, Louisiana. He was raised in Houston, and it remained his base until he died there in 1986.
Don Wilkerson
- Born
- 1932 · Moreauville.
- Died
- 1986 · Houston.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- saxophonist · musician
- Fields
- jazz
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Documentary summary
Don Wilkerson (c. 1932 – 18 July 1986) was an American soul jazz / R&B tenor saxophonist born in Moreauville, Louisiana. He was raised in Houston, and it remained his base until he died there in 1986.
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museum · d8be2328-5f12-42a4-84c6-5ae563edbac3 · wikidata · Q325484 · wikipedia · Don Wilkerson
In this article
As leader
As leader
• The Texas Twister (Riverside, 1960) • Preach Brother! (Blue Note, 1962) • Shoutin (Blue Note, 1963) • Elder Don (Blue Note, 1963)
As sideman
As sideman
With Ray Charles • Yes Indeed! (Atlantic, 1958) • Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (ABC-Paramount, 1962) • Jazz at the Philharmonic: Ray Charles - Berlin 1962 (Pablo, 1996) With others • B.B. King, Blues 'N' Jazz (MCA, 1983) • Amos Milburn, Chicken Shack Boogie (United Artists, 1978)
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The following is established of the heading itself.
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. It is also recorded that don Wilkerson is recorded with the occupation jazz musician. It is also recorded that don Wilkerson is recorded with the occupation saxophonist. It is also recorded that don Wilkerson is recorded with the occupation musician. Recorded as a citizen of United States. The record continues: don Wilkerson is recorded with the gender male. It is also recorded that don Wilkerson was born on 6 July 1932. It is also recorded that don Wilkerson died on 18 July 1986. Classed in the genre jazz. Institutional cataloguing adds that uS jazz/R&B saxophonist.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Moreauville.
Birth place
Houston.
Death place
Discography
He is probably best known for his Blue Note Records recordings in the 1960s as bandleader with guitarist Grant Green. Prior to signing with the label, he worked frequently with Cannonball Adderley. Some of his earliest recordings were done in the 1950s as a sideman for Amos Milburn and Ray Charles. He can be heard on several of Charles's hits from the 1950s, including "I Got a Woman," "This Little Girl of Mine," and "Hallelujah, I Love Her So." Remaining in Houston from the early 1970s, he played in the Sonny Franklin Big Band with Tom Archia, Arnett Cobb, and his bandmate from the Ray Charles band, Joe Bridgewater, with guest appearances by Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Many of the band's arrangements were done by Cedric Haywood. Wilkerson's work is featured in the 2001 Blue Note Records series,The Complete Blue Note Sessions.
Source:
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Don Wilkerson”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q325484: Don Wilkerson
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
Institutional database
- MusicBrainz artist record for Don Wilkerson
Scholarly · MetaBrainz Foundation
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Association, Texas State Historical. Wilkerson, Donald A. Texas State Historical Association.
- 2.Huey, Steve. Don Wilkerson Biography. Allmusic.
- 3.Association, Texas State Historical. Wilkerson, Donald A. Texas State Historical Association.
- 4.Lydon, Michael. Ray Charles: Man and Music, Updated Commemorative Edition. Taylor & Francis. 127. 2004. 978-0-203-49832-3.
- 5.Campbell, Robert L.; Bukowski, Leonard J. and Büttner, Armin "The Tom Archia Discography"
- 6.Don Wilkerson - The Complete Blue Note Sessions. 2001.
- 7.Don Wilkerson Albums and Discography. AllMusic.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
MusicBrainz artist record for Don WilkersonMetaBrainz Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
This entry is compiled from 10 catalogued sources across 5 independent registers. The registers consulted are Crossref registry, Internet Archive, Wikidata, MetaBrainz Foundation and Wikipedia. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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