Jazz singer Wilson dead at 75
Written on July 18, 2011 by Lucy Coughlan
Jazz singer Joe Lee Wilson has died at the age of 75.
The renowned baritone passed away on 17 July.
Born in Oklahoma in 1935, he moved to Los Angeles in his late teens to study classical singing.
He was discovered by singer Ernestine Anderson in the late 1950s and relocated to New York, where he worked with LeRoi Jones, saxophonist Archie Shepp and jazz drummer Sunny Murray.
He is perhaps best known for tying with Sly and the Family Stone for first place on TV show Talent Search in 1968.
The victory earned him a record deal with Columbia.
Wilson was a member of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
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