John Richard Wilkinson (July 3, 1945 – January 11, 2013) was an American singer and guitarist best known for performing with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

and The Greenwood County Singers in 1964. After Wilkinson once performed on a television show in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, he received a phone call from Elvis who asked him to join his

TCB Band The TCB Band is a group of professional musicians who formed the core rhythm section of Elvis Presley’s band from August 1969 until his death in 1977. (Depending on the context, the nickname may also extend to Elvis’ background vocalists du ...

. He went on to perform more than 1000 times with Elvis as his rhythm guitarist until Elvis died in 1977.

Personal life

In 1983, Wilkinson married the love of his life, Terry. In 1989, he suffered a stroke, and later in his life, he struggled with cancer. Wilkinson died on January 11, 2013, at age 67 with his wife by his side. Terry died on September 10, 2017.

References

1945 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American guitarists TCB Band members The New Christy Minstrels members American rock guitarists {{US-guitarist-stub