About Quinn Wilson
Lived 1906 – 1978 (aged 71). Quinn Wilson was an American jazz musician.
Quinn Brown Wilson (December 26, 1908 – June 14, 1978) was an American jazz bassist and tubist.
Wilson played violin as a child, and studied composition and arrangement in his youth. He had his first professional experience in the mid-1920s, playing with Tiny Parham, Walter Barnes, Jelly Roll Morton (1927), Erskine Tate (1928-1931), and Richard M. Jones (1929). In the 1930s he arranged and played bass with Earl Hines from 1931 to 1939, in addition to playing bass on record with Jimmie Noone.
In the 1940s he began playing electric bass and started recording with R&B and blues musicians, including Lefty Bates and John Lee Hooker, with whom he played on several albums. He continued to play jazz as well, working with Bill Reinhardt in the 1960s and Joe Kelly in the 1970s.
Discography As sideman With John Lee Hooker I'm John Lee Hooker (Vee-Jay, 1959) The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker (Vee-Jay, 1961) Rhythm 'n' Blues (Disques Vogue, 1969)
With others Earl Hines, Swinging in Chicago (Ace of Hearts, 1967) Ella Jenkins with Franz Jackson and His Original Jass All-Stars, Play Your Instrument and Make a Pretty Sound (Folkways, 1968) Jelly Roll Morton, The King of New Orleans Jazz (RCA, 1959)
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Important facts
People in Quinn Wilson's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Quinn Wilson's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Quinn Wilson?
American jazz bassist and tubist (1908–1978)
When was Quinn Wilson born?
Quinn Wilson was born on 26 December 1906 in Chicago.
When did Quinn Wilson die?
Quinn Wilson died on 14 June 1978 in Evanston.
What was Quinn Wilson's occupation?
Quinn Wilson was a jazz musician.
What nationality was Quinn Wilson?
Quinn Wilson was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Quinn Wilson. https://biography.guide/quinn-wilson/
MLA: "Quinn Wilson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/quinn-wilson/.
Chicago: "Quinn Wilson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/quinn-wilson/.
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