The other evening, I was listening to, and greatly enjoying, the music of U.P. Wilson, specifically his 1989 release on Double Trouble Records (a label based in The Netherlands) entitled Wild Texas Guitar (DTCD 3023).  The ten selections were recorded in 1988 and 1989, and comprised a grand mix of four originals and six choice covers.  On many of the cuts, Wilson and his assembled studio mates were allowed to stretch out, with the total running time of the CD being in the 57-minute range.  I found myself very satisfied that I chose this collection to enjoy, as it had been some time since I’d considered Wilson’s work.  With Wilson in mind, and since I’ve not before provided a brief overview of his life and career, now seems the ideal time to do so.

He came into the world as Huary Perry Wilson in early September, 1934 in Catto Parish, Shreveport, Louisiana, a locale in the far northeastern portion of the musically rich state.  His parents were named Tommy Wilson and Carrie Lee Wilson.  At what exact age it is difficult to determine, but at some point he and his family moved to West Dallas, Texas, an area that lies just to the west of downtown Dallas.

Dallas, of course, has always been a hotbed of blues activity, with many excellent blues musicians having called the city home over the years.  So, it is no wonder that the blues would have a propound impact upon a musically interested individual, especially someone like Wilson who found the blues greatly to his liking.

Once bitten by the blues bug, especially because of the expert blues guitarists living and performing in and near Dallas, Wilson’s future was cast.  At which time in his younger years he initially became interested in the guitar and who were his initial influences and perhaps teachers would only be conjecture, given the information available. 

But what is known is that Wilson embedded himself in the West Dallas blues culture and scene, finding the blues artistry of a variety of performers including Cat Man Fleming, Frankie Lee Sims, ZuZu Bollin, Nappy Evans, and Mercy Dee, among many others, to his liking.  The joints where these blues musicians were plying their musical trades were dangerous joints, yet Wilson had no unease at inserting himself into this realm.

At some point, Wilson made a move from the Dallas area to Fort Worth, Texas, a roughly 32-mile move eastward.  Feeling his guitar and singing skill set sufficiently developed, Wilson formed his first working band, one named the Boogie Chillun Boys, an aggregation that included the superb singer Robert Ealy, someone who in his later years would record for the New Orleans Black Top Records label.

The Boogie Chillun Boys proved to be a popular draw, and one that influenced future blues artists including the great Texas singer and guitarist Ray Sharpe, the man whose “Linda Lu” and “Monkey’s Uncle” remain blues favorites.

It should be noted that while in Fort Worth, Wilson also had the fortune to work with the heralded R&B and jazz guitarist Cornell Dupree.  Wilson’s blues schooling charted a wide course over the years.

Now in his early-to-mid-thirties, in 1967 and 1968, Wilson made some unfortunate choices and wound up confined to Jacksboro, Texas’ John R. Lindsey State Jail for six months due to his conviction on a cocaine possession indictment.

Upon his release, Wilson held down a day job as a custodian at a Fort Worth school to support his family, while also being a frequent performer in the city’s nightspots working as a sideman in various bands. 

As the 1970s wore on, Wilson and the aforesaid Ealy were playing blues at a Fort Worth hotspot named the New Bluebird, and they were a sensation, one that brought in sizeable crowds.  The audiences that were witnessing their shows were well-schooled in the Texas blues style, and found great value in their musical offerings.  The band had a remarkable run well into the 1980s.

Right around 1987, Wilson took this act as a featured artist out of Fort Worth and across Texas, also beginning to tip his toes into local recording projects, as well.

However, in 1988, his old musical cohort Ealy was back in the fold, and was a key component in his band, The Lovers.

1988 was also the year that Wilson’s recording career began in earnest, seeing a release on the Red Lightnin’ label entitled “‘On My Way’.”  This began a long period of regular releases for Wilson, with many being on the British JSP Records imprint.

From 1988 onward, Wilson toured extensively across the U.S. South, but also some across the U.S., and additionally on the rabid European blues circuit, where he was a big hit.  Wilson, too, performed at the big blues festivals, including at the 1997 Chicago Blues Festival (the world’s largest free blues festival), and at one time earlier in the 1990s made appearances with fellow Texas blues giant Albert Collins.

So, what made U.P. Wilson and his shows so great?  First, Wilson learned the Texas blues style straight from some of the idiom’s best, and that forever shaped his reverence and devotion to quality blues music.  He was highly creative, and that delighted his audiences.  Also, Wilson was a very gifted, original songwriter, not someone who was simply rehashing prior tired blues standards.  Wilson was also devoted to presenting his blues with fully-developed arrangements.  His originality was “the thing.”

Regarding the Texas blues tradition that was so very important to Wilson, he was very steeped in the showmanship of his performances.  He played behind his back, went out into his audiences, playing with only one hand while doing so in tandem with taking a drink off a table to enjoy it or even have a draw from a fan’s cigarette or cigar.  Wilson knew how to engage with his audiences and hold them in his hands while performing.

Wilson became ill in 2004 and sought medical care at a Parisian hospital where it was determined that he needed surgery.  Unfortunately, he died there in late September, 2004 at the age of 70-years-old.  Rosie, Wilson’s wife, had by that time already passed away, and he left to his memory a son and two daughters.

For those interested in Wilson’s work, below are recordings that should be of interest.

• U.P. Wilson – Wild Texas Guitar – Double Trouble Records DTCD 3023
• U.P. Wilson – ‘On My Way’ – Red Lightnin’ RL0078 (LP)
• U.P. Wilson with Paul Orta and The Kingpins – Attack of The Atomic Guitar – Red Lightnin’ RLCD 0094
• U.P. Wilson – Boogie Boy! The Texas Guitar Tornado Returns! – JSP Records CD 255
• U.P. Wilson – This is U.P. Wilson – JSP Records CD 266
• U.P. Wilson – Whirlwind – JSP Records JSPCD 277
• U.P. Wilson – The Good, The Bad, The Blues – JSP Records JSPCD 2103
• U.P. Wilson – Booting – JSP Records JSPCD 2129
• U.P. Wilson – Best Of – The Texas Blues Tornado – JSP Records JSPCD 808