Born in Moreauville, Louisiana in 1932, and living much of his life in Houston, Texas, Don Wilkerson was a “sax players saxophonist.” Known as “The Virtuoso Texas Tenor,” he was a master stylist playing swing, bebop, soul, and country but always with a foundation deeply rooted in the blues. He was the most sophisticated “Texas Tenor,” the consummate artist with a seamless style that at times sounded like a cello. Wilkerson made the horn come alive through extraordinary technical expertise with his soulful spirituality always at the forefront of his playing.
Wilkerson was well known for his Blue Note Records and Riverside recordings in the 1960s. In fact, Cannonball Adderley had a great affinity for “Texas Tenors” and signed several to Riverside. It was with Riverside that Cannonball and Wilkerson produced the masterful recording The Texas Twister featuring Don Wilkerson and Nat Adderley.
Some of Wilkerson’s earliest recordings were done in the 1950s as a sideman for Amos Milburn and Ray Charles. In the early 1970s, he played in Houston with the Sonny Franklin Big Band with Tom Archia, Arnett Cobb, and his bandmate from the Ray Charles band, Joe Bridgewater, with guest appearances by Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown.