Joseph Wooten (born December 15, 1961) is an American keyboardist, singer, songwriter, author and philanthropist. Since 1993 he has been a member of the

Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...

Early life

Joseph was the fourth of five children born to Dorothy and Elijah Wooten. His brothers:

Victor Wooten Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964) is an American bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since the group's formation in 1988 and a member of the band SMV with two other ...

, Roy "Futureman" Wooten, Regi Wooten and Rudy Wooten (deceased) all are musicians. By the age of 11, Joseph was performing with his brothers in their family band, The Wooten Brothers. As a United States Air Force family, they moved around often, finally settling in the Warwick Lawns neighborhood of

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

, Virginia in 1972. Joseph graduated from Denbigh High School in 1979. While in high school, Joseph and his brothers played in the country music venue at Busch Gardens theme park in

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula ...

Career

Joseph has been

keyboard player A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instr ...

and

background vocalist Background may refer to: Performing arts and stagecraft * Background actor * Background artist * Background light * Background music * Background story * Background vocals * ''Background'' (play), a 1950 play by Warren Chetham-Strode Record ...

since 1993 for the

. Wooten also has two solo albums, ''Soul of Freedom'' (2013) and ''Hands of Soul'' (2003), as well as production credits on over 35 albums. Wooten is a frequent speaker at schools across the country. In February 2018, he spoke at the Harmony School of Innovation in Fort Worth, Texas. Wooten gave a

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

talk entitled "Nothing is Everything It All Matters" to a sold-out auditorium at the Halloran Centre in Downtown Memphis on January 6, 2018. Wooten performed his song "Unity" live on the '' Today in Nashville'' show in February 2018. Wooten performed "We Are American" with his band The Hands of Soul on the ''Today in Nashville'' show in November 2018.

Discography

Publications

Wooten has also written a book titled: It All Matters: What I Believe, Words I Live By.

Charitable work

In September 2015 collaborated with You are Never Alone Foundation (YANAF) to perform for students at

Mount Anthony Union High School Mount Anthony Union High School is the public high school serving Bennington, Vermont, as well as the towns of Shaftsbury, Woodford, and Pownal, Glastenbury, and Bennington County. As of the 2023-2024 academic year, the school has about 1,200 st ...

as part of a 'You are Never Alone Foundation Presentation' to raise awareness about

homelessness Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wooten, Joseph 1961 births Living people African-American rock musicians Steve Miller Band members 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people