Ed Wiley Jr.

Ed Wiley Jr. (March 14, 1930 – September 27, 2010)[1] was an American tenor saxophonist whose big sound and soulful expression helped lay the foundation for early blues, R&B and what would later come to be known as “rock-and-roll” music.

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, when brash, honking tenormen were the driving force behind Texas blues and R&B, Wiley's bold, soulful delivery established him as a mainstay of the post-World War II music world.

Although Wiley never abandoned the rich, soulful style he honed during his early years, his later recordings showed a greater appreciation for bebop, and he collaborated with such stalwarts of the bebop era as drummers Mickey Roker, Bobby Durham and Ben Riley; bassists Keter Betts and Charles Fambrough; and pianists John Hicks, Kenny Barron and Sir Roland Hanna.

In his final year of high school, Wiley, who cites Lester Young, Arnett Cobb and Gene Ammons as his leading influences, began playing saxophone at local dances.

By his 18th birthday, he had recorded on several upstart Texas labels and was a regular at such venues as Houston's Eldorado Ballroom[2] and the Bronze[3] Peacock, and Don's Keyhole in San Antonio.

They included such saxophone legends as James Clay, Arnett Cobb, King Curtis, Booker Ervin, Illinois Jacquet, David "Fathead" Newman, Buddy Tate and Donald Wilkerson.

There were also several other horn players – such as Chicagoan Gene Ammons, Floridian Willis Jackson and Missourian Lester Young – who share the Texas tenor pedigree because of their sound rather than their hometown.

The monthly Cadence Review of Jazz & Blues: Creative Improvised Music writes that Wiley has an “appreciation of the classic ‘Texas tenor’ sound of people such as Arnett Cobb and Illinois Jacquet.

[8] Wiley already had gained some local notoriety a year or two prior to meeting the Shads, performing throughout Texas and Louisiana with such notables as Gatemouth, Amos Milburn, Big Mama Thornton, Perry Cain and Henry Hayes.

[15] Wardell was just 16 years old at the time he met Wiley, but he had gained some notoriety of his own for the regional hit “Bernice” b/w “She Drinks Too Much Wine,” on the Melford label.

[25] “The Hooker/O’Neal/Wiley combination was a potentially promising one, and it drew the attention of the talent scout for the Cincinnati-based King Recording Company who attended one of their tear-it-up performances at a Bradenton [FL.]

[27] While performing an extended tour date at the Top Hat in Louisville, Ky., in 1952, Wiley allowed a local singer named Harvey Fuqua to sit in.

It is doubtful, however, that Ed Wiley, Goree Carter, Jackie Brenston, Ike Turner, Earl Hooker, Harvey Fuqua or any of the 1940s- and 1950s-era architects of rock and roll realized the historic role they would play in the development of that genre or other forms of modern music.

The reverse side, “Young Generation,” a call for youths to guide a war- and race-obsessed nation toward peace, showed for the first time that Wiley could also sing.

But he still appeared with many of Philadelphia’s leading jazz and R&B exponents of the day, including trumpeter Johnny Coles, and singers Harold Melvin, Billy Paul and Teddy Pendergrass.

The uneven recording – a mixture of tunes that included everything from a Black gospel choir to a classically trained White singer – got little radio exposure outside of a few Christian-oriented stations.

In addition to Fambrough, the date included other noted jazz musicians, such as drummer Bobby Durham and Kool & the Gang trombonist Clifford Adams.

"[36] Two months later, The Washington Post noted, "Whether he's playing the blues, counting his blessings or paying homage on 'In Remembrance,' veteran saxophonist Ed Wiley Jr.

Wiley would return to the studio frequently throughout the 2000s, always surrounded by a cross generation of renowned accompanists, including pianists Kenny Barron, Roland Hanna and John Hicks; trombonist Al Grey; trumpeters Nicholas Payton and John Swana; organist Joey DeFrancesco; and guitarists Mark Elf, Kevin McNeal and Jimmy Ponder; and drummer Ben Riley.