Biographical Info

Wilson was born into a musical family in Eunice, Louisiana, and grew up surrounded by Cajun music among other styles. As a teenager, under the spell of Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, Wilson fell in love with rock n’ roll and blues piano, and taught himself to play. A little later, he picked up one of his dad’s accordions, and later still, Cajun fiddle. In the mid-2000s, Wilson formed a Cajun band called the Pine Leaf Boys, recording two albums for Arhoolie, three for his brother’s Valcour label, one for Lionsgate, and one Live at New Orleans Jazz Fest, garnering four Grammy nominations along the way. In 2012 he won a Grammy in the Regional Roots category for the album “Courtbouillon” with local legends, Wayne Toups and Steve Riley. He has also appeared on three Arhoolie albums as a member of the Savoy Family Band. Wilson has travelled to over 30 countries, playing music in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Malaysia, Latvia, Macedonia, Italy, Denmark, Germany, France, England, and elsewhere, including two U.S. State Department tours with the Pine Leaf Boys. He was a guest actor on HBO’s “Treme” and had a guest appearance with Sean Penn in “All the King’s Men”.