Wise toured with various bands across the U.S. in the 1970s and '80s and has performed with Jeffrey Osborne, Ruben Ramos, Chuck Jackson, Maxine Brown, Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Marcia Ball, Rickey Godfrey, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Tower of Power, Huey Lewis, Hal Ketchum, Teresa James and Joe Ely.

[5] While recording in 1985 with Radio Zebra, a Texas rock group with whom he had toured Germany a month prior, he received a call from Delbert McClinton to fill the position as saxophonist in his band.

His playing style is written about in John Laughter's Contemporary Saxophone, with four of his solos from the Live from Austin CD featured on the book's companion disc.

Colleagues including Delbert McClinton, Marcia Ball, Gary Bunton, Britt Johansen, Robin Griffin, Bugs Henderson, Big Joe Maher, Teresa James and Steve Williams helped get his ideas heard and appreciated.

Besides featuring his friends' and colleagues' talents, Wise complemented these projects with his own musicianship as a sax pro, as well as his gifts as a composer, lyricist, producer, and singer.

[11] Wise played "The Martin Tenor"[12] built in 1951 with the Otto Link 7S, metal mouthpiece (adapted By "Doc" Tenney in Cedar Falls, Iowa).