Teddy Wilson was one of the swing era's finest pianists. He was also a pioneer in breaking down racial barriers among jazz artists in the 1930’s, ‘40’s and beyond. Widely considered to have been the definitive swing pianist, Wilson's piano style was gentle, elegant, and virtuosic. His style was highly influenced by Earl Hines and Art Tatum, and his work was featured on the records of many of the biggest names in jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald. With Goodman, he was one of the first black musicians to perform prominently alongside white musicians. In addition to his extensive work as a sideman, Wilson also led his own groups and recording sessions from the late 1920s to the 1980s.
Born in Austin, Texas in 1912, Wilson’s parents were school teachers. His early music education began at age 6 learning piano. During his boyhood, his family moved to Tuskegee, Alabama, where his music education continued. He eventually studied violin, oboe and clarinet at the Tuskegee Institute,
Wilson began his professional career in 1929 in Detroit, where he first encountered Art Tatum. He later relocated to Chicago where he worked with Louis Armstrong and understudied Earl Hines in Hines's Grand Terrace Orchestra. In 1933 he moved to New York.
In 1935, while jamming together at a house party, Wilson and Benny Goodman caught the attention of producer John Hammond, who arranged several recording sessions for them. These recordings became the basis of the Benny Goodman Trio, which consisted of Goodman, Wilson, and drummer Gene Krupa. By joining the trio, Wilson became one of the first black musicians to perform prominently in a racially integrated group.
Hammond was also instrumental in getting Wilson a contract with Brunswick from 1935 to 1939 to record hot swing arrangements of popular songs of the day. During these years he also took part in many sessions with musicians such as Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Red Norvo, Buck Clayton, and Ben Webster. Thirty eight of his recordings were hits featuring singers such as Lena Horne, Helen Ward, Ella Fitzgerald, MIldred Bailey, and Billie Holiday. Billie Holiday and Teddy Wilson made fourteen recordings together in 1935 alone. From 1939 to 1942, he recorded for Columbia Records. He also left the Goodman band and formed his own fifteen-piece big band in 1939. IIn 1944, he returned to the Benny Goodman Sextet and his musical association with Goodman continued until 1962. In the mid to the late 1940s, Wilson mainly focused on studio recordings, on-screen performances, and radio broadcasts, instead of playing on public stages.
From 1940 to 1944 Wilson formed a sextet that performed at the renowned Cafe Society nightclub in Greenwich Village, NYC. There, he led jazz shows called "chamber jazz" with a dance orchestra that included Frankie Newton, Ed Hall, and Billie Holiday. He was sometimes called the "Marxist Mozart,” due to his support for left-wing causes. He performed in benefit concerts for The New Masses journal and for Russian War Relief. Later, the FBI suspended Wilson's performing activities on broadcast, radio, and social activities, alleging that he was involved in Communism.
From 1945 to 1952, Wilson taught at the Julliard School. After that, he toured across numerous countries in Europe, including Scandinavia, England, Scotland, Germany, Holland, and Switzerland. In the 1950s, he recorded for Verve Records. Wilson can also be seen appearing as himself in the motion pictures Hollywood Hotel (1937) and The Benny Goodman Story (1955). He later worked as music director for the Dick Cavett Show.
For many years Wilson lived in suburban Hillsdale, New Jersey. He was married three times. He performed as a soloist and with pickup groups until the final years of his life, including leading a trio with his sons Theodore on bass and Steven on drums. In addition to Theodore and Steven, Wilson had three more children, William, James (Jim) and Dune.
In 1979, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.
Though he played with bebop musicians such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie during his work as a sideman, he held on to swing vocabulary based on chord tone arpeggios and diatonic harmony. His playing on "Congo Blues” for Red Norvo and His Sextet in 1945, for example, demonstrates the stylistic contrast between Wilson and Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
Wilson's style influenced a number of other notable pianists, including Mary Lou Williams, Mel Powell, Billy Kyle, Jess Stacy, and Joe Bushkin.
He died of stomach cancer in New Britain, Connecticut, on July 31, 1986, aged 73. He is buried at Fairview Cemetery in New Britain.