Wilson was born in Austin, Texas in 1912. He studied piano and violin at Tuskegee Institute. After working in the Lawrence "Speed" Webb band, with Louis Armstrong and also "understudying" Earl Hines in Hines's Grand Terrace Cafe Orchestra, Wilson joined Benny Carter's Chocolate Dandies in 1933. In 1935 he joined the Benny Goodman Trio (which consisted of Goodman, Wilson and drummer Gene Krupa, later expanded to the Benny Goodman Quartet with the addition of Lionel Hampton). The trio performed during the big band's intermissions. By joining the trio, Wilson became the first black musician to perform in public with a previously all-white jazz group.
Noted jazz producer and writer John Hammond was instrumental in getting Wilson a contract with Brunswick, starting in 1935, to record hot swing arrangements of the popular songs of the day, with the growing jukebox trade in mind. He recorded fifty hit records with various singers such as Lena Horne and Helen Ward, including many of Billie Holiday's greatest successes. During these years he also took part in many highly regarded sessions with a wide range of important swing musicians, such as Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Shavers, Red Norvo, Buck Clayton and Ben Webster.
Wilson formed his own short-lived big band in 1939, then led a sextet at Café Society from 1940 to 1944. He was dubbed the "Marxist Mozart" by Howard "Stretch" Johnson due to his support for left-wing causes (he performed in benefit concerts for The New Masses journal and for Russian War Relief, and chaired the Artists' Committee to elect Benjamin J. Davis).[1] In the 1950s he taught at the Juilliard School. Wilson can be seen appearing as himself in the motion picture The Benny Goodman Story (1955).
Wilson lived quietly in suburban Hillsdale, NJ in the 1960s and 1970s. He performed as a soloist and with pick-up groups until the final years of his life. Teddy Wilson died on July 31, 1986.
He rests at Fairview Cemetery in New Britain, CT
[edit] Discography
Wilson at a Benny Goodman rehearsal, 1950
* Teddy Wilson Featuring Billie Holiday (1949)
* I Got Rhythm (1956)
* Pres and Teddy (1956)
* With Billie in Mind (1972)
* Live at Santa Tecla (1976)
* Teddy Wilson Trio Revisits the Goodman Years (1980)
As sideman:
* Billie Holiday, The Quintessential Billie Holiday, vols. 1 - 9 (1933-1942)
* Benny Goodman, The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings (1935-1939)
* Benny Goodman, The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert (1938)
Died July 31, 1986(1986-07-31) (aged 73)
Hillsdale, New Jersey
Genres Jazz
Associated acts Louis Armstrong
Earl Hines
Billie Holiday
Lester Young
Lena Horne
Benny Goodman
I Wished On The Moon
Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For something I never knew
Wished on the moon
For more than I ever knew
A sweeter rose, a softer sky
On April days that would not dance by
I begged on the stars
Wished on the stars
And asked for a dream or two
I looked for every loveliness
It all came true
I wished on the moon for you
The song "I Wished On The Moon" is a beautiful love song from Teddy Wilson and his orchestra. The opening lines reveal the singer's longing for something that they've never experienced before. The moon represents a symbol of hope and inspiration, and the singer is wishing for something beyond their usual existence. They don't know exactly what they want, but they feel a yearning for something that's out of their reach.
The next verse continues the same sentiment, with the singer asking the stars to help them find a dream or two. They're searching for something magical and extraordinary, and they believe that the universe can offer them something special. The final verse delivers the ultimate realization of the song's theme. The singer has found what they're looking for, and they're singing about the beauty and loveliness of the person they've found. The moon in this verse represents the symbol of the person who the singer wishes for, and all their dreams have now come true since they have found that person.
Overall, "I Wished On The Moon" is a song about the human desire to find something beyond everyday life. The moon and stars represent symbols of hope and inspiration, and the song is a means of expressing the longing for something beyond what we know. The ultimate message of the song is that sometimes our wishes can come true, and that these moments should be cherished and celebrated.
Line by Line Meaning
I wished on the moon
I hoped for something beyond my reach
For something I never knew
For a desire I couldn't name
Wished on the moon
I yearned for something magical
For more than I ever knew
For something greater than I could comprehend
A sweeter rose, a softer sky
I wanted the beauty of nature to be enhanced
On April days that would not dance by
I wanted more time to enjoy the beauty of spring
I begged on the stars
I pleaded with the universe
To throw me a beam or two
To grant me some light in the darkness
Wished on the stars
I hoped for a miracle
And asked for a dream or two
I longed for my dreams to come true
I looked for every loveliness
I searched for all beauty in the world
It all came true
All my wishes were granted
I wished on the moon for you
I hoped to find you, my love
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Barry I. Grauman
Recorded on July 2, 1935.
Teddy Wilson, piano
Benny Goodman, clarinet {credited as "John Jackson" on the reissue}
Ben Webster, tenor sax
Roy Eldridge, trumpet
John Kirby, string bass
John Trueheart, guitar
Cozy Cole, drums
Najponk Jazz
This record is PURE GOLD!!!! Lady Day Forever!!!! 🎙️
Barry I. Grauman
Recorded on July 2, 1935.
Teddy Wilson, piano
Benny Goodman, clarinet {credited as "John Jackson" on the reissue}
Ben Webster, tenor sax
Roy Eldridge, trumpet
John Kirby, string bass
John Trueheart, guitar
Cozy Cole, drums