Don Wilkerson (c. 1932 – 18 July 1986) was an American

soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...

/ R&B

tenor saxophonist The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while t ...

born in

Moreauville, Louisiana Moreauville is a village in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 929 at the 2010 census. It covers a total area of 3.0 square miles, all land. The village's racial composition is predominantly white and African American ...

, probably better known for his Blue Note Records recordings in the 1960s as bandleader with guitarist

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Recording prolifically for Blue Note Records as both leader and sideman, Green performed in the hard bop, soul jazz, bebop, and Latin-tinged idioms ...

. 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 Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

. In Houston in the early 1970s, he played in the

Sonny Franklin Sonny is a common nickname and occasional given name. Often it can be a derivative of the English word "Son", a name derived from the Ancient Germanic element *sunn meaning "sun", a nickname derived from the Italian name Salvatore (especially in N ...

Big Band with

Tom Archia Ernest Alvin Archia, Jr. (November 26, 1919 – January 16, 1977) known as Tom Archia, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Early life Archia was born in Groveton, Texas, moving with his family as a child to Rockdale and then Baytown, ...

, Arnett Cobb, and his bandmate from the Ray Charles band, Joe Bridgewater, with guest appearances by

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was ...

and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Many of the band's arrangements were done by Cedric Haywood.Campbell, Robert L.; Bukowski, Leonard J. and Büttner, Armin "The Tom Archia Discography"
/ref>

Discography

As leader

* ''

The Texas Twister ''The Texas Twister'' is the debut album by American saxophonist Don Wilkerson recorded in 1960 and released on the Riverside label.

'' ( Riverside, 1960) * '' Preach Brother!'' (Blue Note, 1962) * ''

Shoutin' ''Shoutin is an album by American saxophonist Don Wilkerson recorded in 1963 and released on the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label.

'' (Blue Note, 1963) * ''

Elder Don ''Elder Don'' is an album by American saxophonist Don Wilkerson recorded in 1962 and released on the Blue Note label.Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

, 1963)

As sideman

With

* '' Yes Indeed!'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, 1958) * ''Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music'' (ABC-Paramount, 1962) * ''Berlin 1962'' (Pablo, 1996) With others *

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

, ''Blues 'n' Jazz'' (MCA, 1983) * Amos Milburn, ''Chicken Shack Boogie'' (United Artists, 1978)

References

1932 births 1986 deaths American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists Soul-jazz saxophonists Hard bop saxophonists Blue Note Records artists 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians {{US-jazz-saxophonist-stub