Wilder was awarded the Temple University Jazz Master's Hall of Fame Award in 2006. The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award for 2008.
Wilder was born into a musical family led by his father Curtis, a bassist and bandleader in Philadelphia. Wilder's first performances took place on the radio program, "Parisian Tailor's Colored Kiddies of the Air." He and the other young musicians were backed up by such illustrious bands as Duke Ellington's and Louis Armstrong's that were also then playing at the Lincoln Theater. Wilder studied at the Mastbaum School of Music in Philadelphia, but turned to jazz when he felt that there was little future for an African American classical musician. At age 19, Wilder joined his first touring big band, Les Hite's band.
Wilder was one of the first thousand African Americans to serve in the Marines during World War II. He worked first in Special Weapons and eventually became Assistant Bandmaster at the headquarters' band. Following the war during the 1940's and early 1950's, he played in the orchestras of Jimmie Lunceford, Herbie Fields, Sam Donahue, Lucky Millinder, Noble Sissle, Dizzy Gillespie, and finally with the Count Basie Orchestra. From 1957 to 1974, Wilder did studio work for ABC-TV, New York, and in the pit orchestras for Broadway musicals, while building his reputation as a soloist with his albums for Savoy (1956) and Columbia (1959). His Jazz from Peter Gunn (1959), features ten songs from Henry Mancini ("Peter Gunn") television score in melodic and swinging fashion with a quartet. He was also a regular sideman with such musicians as NEA Jazz Masters Hank Jones, Gil Evans, and Benny Goodman. He became a favorite with vocalists and played for Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Johnny Mathis, Harry Belafonte, Eileen Farrell, Tony Bennett, and many others. Wilder earned a bachelor of music degree in 1953, studying classical trumpet at the Manhattan School of Music with Joseph Alessi, where he was also principal trumpet with the school's symphony orchestra under conductor Jonel Perlea. In the 1960s, he performed on several occasions with the New York Philharmonic under Andre Kostelanetz and Pierre Boulez and played lead for the Symphony Of The New World from 1965 to 1971.
He appeared on The Cosby Show episode "Play It Again, Russell" (1986), and played the trumpet in the Malcolm X Orchestra in Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" (1992). Since 1991 he returned as a leader and recorded three albums for Evening Star. He died on May 9, 2014 in New York City, of congestive heart failure.
Discography
As leader
1956 Wilder N' Wilder Jazz Savoy
1956 Softly With Feeling Jazz Savoy
1959 The Pretty Sound of Joe Wilder Jazz Columbia
1959 Jazz from "Peter Gunn" Jazz Columbia
1991 Alone With Just My Dreams Jazz Evening Star
1993 No Greater Love Jazz Evening Star
2003 Among Friends Jazz Evening Star
As sideman
With Trigger Alpert
Trigger Happy! (Riverside, 1956)
With Gil Evans
Into the Hot (Impulse!, 1961)
With Dizzy Gillespie
Gillespiana (Verve, 1960)
With Tadd Dameron
The Magic Touch (1962)
With Etta Jones
From the Heart (Prestige, 1962)
With Yusef Lateef
10 Years Hence (Atlantic, 1974)
The Doctor is In... and Out (Atlantic, 1976)
With Mundell Lowe
New Music of Alec Wilder (Riverside, 1956)
With Oliver Nelson
The Spirit of '67 with Pee Wee Russell (Impulse!, 1967)
With Houston Person
Broken Windows, Empty Hallways (Prestige, 1972)
With Shirley Scott
Great Scott!! (Impulse!, 1964)
With Sonny Stitt
What's New!!! (Roulette, 1966)
With others
Joe Newman: Hangin´ Out (Concord, 1984)
Benny Carter: A Gentleman and His Music (Concord, 1985)
Ruby Braff: Being With You (Arbirs, 1996)
Charlie Byrd: For Louis' (Concord, 1996)
Jay Jay Johnson: The Brass Orchestra (Verve, 1996)
The Heath Brothers: Jazz Family (Concord, 1998)
Everything Happens to Me
Joe Wilder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until I'm almost mad
I must have 'roused the devil's wrath
Cause all my luck is bad
I make a date for golf and you can bet your life it rains
I try to give a party and the guy upstairs complains
I guess I'll go through life
Just catchin' colds and missin' trains
Everything happens to me
I never miss a thing
I've had the measles and the mumps
And every time I play an ace
My partner always trumps
Guess I'm just a fool who never looks before he jumps
Everything happens to me
At first my heart thought you could break this jinx for me
That love would turn the trick to end despair
But know I just can't fool this head that thinks for me
I've mortgaged all my castles in the air
I've telegraphed and phoned
I send an "Airmail Special" too
Your answer was "Goodbye"
And there was even postage due
I fell in love just once
And then it had to be with you
Everything happens to me
The lyrics to Joe Wilder's song Everything Happens to Me convey the feeling of frustration and despair that comes with having a run of bad luck. The first verse talks about black cats crossing the singer's path and the idea that they must have aroused the devil's wrath. This serves as an illustration of the belief that superstitions can be self-fulfilling prophecies. The second verse explores other examples of the singer's bad luck, such as rain on the day they plan to play golf and complaints from a neighbor when they try to throw a party. The third verse brings the focus back to the singer's personal life, with the mention of past illnesses and the tendency for their partner to trump their aces in card games. The repeated phrase "everything happens to me" serves to reinforce the idea that the singer is a victim of circumstance and unable to control their own fate.
The final verse introduces the idea that the singer had hoped that love would be the solution to their problems, but that this hope has been dashed. The imagery of "mortgaging all my castles in the air" and the failed attempts to reach out to the object of their affections add to the sense of gloom and hopelessness. Overall, the song is an exploration of the concept of bad luck and its impact on a person's life, with a bittersweet ending that suggests there may still be some hope for love in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Black cats creep across my path
I often encounter bad luck or misfortune
Until I'm almost mad
The frequency of my misfortune often frustrates me.
I must have 'roused the devil's wrath
My situation is so dire that I may have even angered supernatural forces.
Cause all my luck is bad
Luck is not on my side.
I make a date for golf and you can bet your life it rains
Even the things I plan or look forward to are impacted by bad luck.
I try to give a party and the guy upstairs complains
Even my social gatherings are affected by circumstances beyond my control.
I guess I'll go through life
As a result of my experiences thus far,
Just catchin' colds and missin' trains
I will likely continue to face frequent misfortune and disappointment.
Everything happens to me
My life has been a series of unfortunate events.
I never miss a thing
I am always present for negative circumstances.
I've had the measles and the mumps
I have experienced various illnesses in addition to my other misfortunes.
And every time I play an ace
Even when I seemingly have an advantage,
My partner always trumps
My luck runs out and the situation turns against me.
Guess I'm just a fool who never looks before he jumps
I am an impulsive person who often acts without considering the potential consequences or risks.
At first my heart thought you could break this jinx for me
I believed that falling in love could improve my luck and fortunes.
That love would turn the trick to end despair
I hoped that love could provide a solution to my hardships and bring happiness.
But know I just can't fool this head that thinks for me
I have come to realize that my problems cannot be solved by simply falling in love.
I've mortgaged all my castles in the air
I have made lofty plans and hopes for the future, but have likely taken drastic measures or risks to try to achieve them.
I've telegraphed and phoned
I have gone to great lengths to communicate my love and desires to others.
I send an "Airmail Special" too
I have even resorted to unconventional or expensive methods of communication to try to connect with others.
Your answer was "Goodbye"
My attempts to connect with others and seek happiness have been met with rejection or disappointment.
And there was even postage due
Not only was my attempt at connection unsuccessful, it cost me something as well.
I fell in love just once
Despite my hardships, I have only fallen in love a single time.
And then it had to be with you
My one experience with love was specifically with the person to whom I am singing.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HOAGY CARMICHAEL, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind