Born in Shelby, Mississippi on September 4, 1918, Gerald Wilson was a
self-taught jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He is recognized
as one of the great big band leaders of his generation. At the age of six, his
mother began teaching him to play the piano and five years later, she taught him
the trumpet. At the age of 16, he relocated to Detroit, Michigan to continue his
schooling, graduating from Cass Technical High School. In 1939, he replaced Sy
Oliver in the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra, and brought along some of his own
compositions. After relocating to Los A...