Born on December 22, 1935 in Bristow, Oklahoma, Joe Lee Wilson was a jazz and blues singer whose eloquent baritone voice made him a critical favorite although mass commercial success evaded him. In 1951, after seeing Billie Holiday, he chose to pursue music as a career. Relocating to Los Angeles, California at the age of 15, he attended Los Angeles High School, majoring in music. Joe Lee Wilson graduated with honors in 1954, winning a scholarship to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. While there, he studied opera but left after a year and attended Los Angeles Junior College. In 1958, he began performing with local bands and toured the West Coast and Mexico. During the tour, he was able to sit in and perform with Sarah Vaughan. Joe Lee Wilson moved to New York in 1962 and performed with Sonny Rollins, Eddie Jefferson, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Pharoah Sanders, and Jackie McLean. He released The Great City, his debut album as a leader, in 1964. In the 1970s, he operated the Ladies’ Fort, a jazz performance loft in New York’s NoHo district. In the early ‘70s, he recorded several albums with Archie Shepp including Things Have Got to Change (1971), Attica Blues (1972), and The Cry of My People (1972). On July 16, 1972, he recorded a live performance for radio station WKCR-FM at Columbia University, eventually releasing it as the album Livin’ High Off Nickels & Dimes (1974). In 1977, Joe Lee Wilson moved with his wife to Europe, finally settling in Brighton, England. He recorded several albums as a leader including Shout for Trane (1976), Secrets from the Sun (1977), and Without a Song (1978). Even though is recorded output slowed down drastically after the late 1970s, his reputation grew over the years. Joe Lee Wilson underwent heart surgery in 2009 but was able to enjoy his induction into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in November 2010. He died of congestive heart failure on July 17, 2011.
