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Artist
Elder Roma Wilson
12+ albums
bluesgospelharmonica bluesharmonicablues harp
about
Elder Roma Wilson (December 22, 1910 – October 25, 2018) was an American gospel harmonica player and singer. A clergyman, Wilson discovered he had a degree of notability later in his life, having previously been unaware of interest in his work. Wilson was born in Hickory Flat, Mississippi, United States. His father was one-half Muscogee. Wilson was a self-taught harmonica player in his early teens, using the discarded instruments of his elder siblings (he had five brothers and four sisters). He developed an unusual "choking" style, derived from the difficulty of soliciting sounds from his well-worn instruments. By the age of fifteen, he was working on the railroad. He later worked at a sawmill. Wilson married at the age of nineteen. He became an ordained minister in the Pentecostal church in 1929, and he joined the self-styled Reverend Leon Pinson, who played the guitar, in traveling across north Mississippi, both playing and preaching. They developed a strong church following. Wilson moved to Michigan in 1940 and later to Detroit. He continued his musical interests, playing on street corners. In 1948, he played in a record store on Hastings Street in Detroit and was recorded by the shop owner. The owner subsequently allowed the tracks to be released, and students of Wilson's style of playing were intrigued. Wilson was unaware of the attention. Following the death of his first wife, he moved back to Mississippi. He remarried in 1977. By 1989, following a chance telephone ca
top songs
albums
This Train
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A History Of Blues Harmonica 1926-2002
This Train Is a Clean Train
15 down home gospel classics
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From Spirituals To Gospels
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Blowing The Blues: A History Of Blues Harmonica 1926-2002
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Roots Of Rhythm And Blues: A Tribute To The Robert Johnson Era
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Blowing the Blues: A History Of Blues Harmonica 1926-2002 - DISC 2
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Blowing The Blues: A History Of Blues Harmonica
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A History Of Blues Harmonica 1926-2002 CD2
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Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Collection: 19602000 The Journey Of Chris Strachwitz [Disc 5]
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Blowing the Blues: A History of Blues Harmonica Disc 2