Joseph Benjamin Wilder (February 22, 1922 – May 9, 2014) was an American ja… Read Full Bio ↴Joseph Benjamin Wilder (February 22, 1922 – May 9, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer.

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)

The Boy Next Door
Joe Wilder Lyrics

We have lyrics for 'The Boy Next Door' by these artists:

Anthony Lazaro Juicy headlines are gonna pop up in the news Let your…
Barbra Streisand The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Bill Charlap The things I used to like, I dont like any…
Bill Evans Trio The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Blossom Dearie The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Colleen Hawks/Hugh Jackman/Stephanie Kurtzuba/Tari Kelly Comin' home used to feel so good I'm a stranger now…
Conway Twitty I've known you since you were a schoolgirl Saw the smoke…
Dave Chamberlain & Matt Home & Stacey Kent The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Douglas Gamley and his Orchestra The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…

Emilie-Claire Barlow The moment I saw him smile, I knew he was just…
Evans Bill Trio The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Garland Judy The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
George And His Orchestra Stoll/Judy Garland One, two, three, four I could be your boy next door…
George Stoll The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
J.B. Lenoir Look Look Look, she bending over Good Lawd have mercy The Lo…
Jo Stafford The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Jo Stafford & Paul Weston and His Orchestra The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Jodie Sweetin Used to think I was unlucky in love Lonely days when…
Johnny Griffin The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Judy Garland The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Kent Stacey The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Kevin They came down from Meekatharra In a burned-out blue FJ That…
Lisa Ekdahl How can I ignore The boy next door? I love him more…
Lisa Ekdahl & Peter Nordahl Tr How can I ignore The boy next door? I love him more…
Lisa Ekdahl & Peter Nordahl Trio How can I ignore The boy next door? I love him more…
Lisa Ekdahl - peter nordahl trio How can I ignore The boy next door? I love him more…
Lisa Ekdahl and Peter Nordahl Trio How can I ignore The boy next door? I love him more…
Liza Minnelli The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Lulu The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Mel Torme The moment I saw her face, I knew she was…
Patti Page The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
Peter Nordahl How can I ignore The boy next door? I love him more…
Sarah Vaughan How can I ignore the boy next door? I love him…
Secrets The boy next door has really got me dreamin' (dum dee…
Stacey Kent The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…
The Bastard Fairies Just let me be, don't pretend we are friends I left…
The Secrets The boy next door has really got me dreamin' (dum dee…
Triple Image Dear Stevie, I just wanted to let you know, that I've been…
Vol. 13 - Judy Garland The moment I saw him smile I knew he was just…

We have lyrics for these tracks by Joe Wilder:

Blue Moon Blue moon you saw me standing alone Without a dream in…
But Not For Me Old man sunshine listen you Never tell me dreams come true J…
Everything Happens to Me Black cats creep across my path Until I'm almost mad I mus…
Far Away Places Far away places with strange sounding names Far away over t…
I Love You How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
It Might As Well Be Spring I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm I'm as…
My Heart Stood Still I took one look at you That's all I meant to…
Prelude to a Kiss If you hear A song in blue Like a flower crying For the…

There Is No Greater Love There is no greater love Than what I feel for you No…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

TRACKS