Reuben Wilson is a jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 organist

Organist

An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...

. He performs soul jazz

Soul jazz

Soul jazz is a development of jazz incorporating strong influences from blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often an organ trio featuring a Hammond organ.- Overview :Soul jazz is often associated with hard bop. Mark C...

 and acid jazz

Acid jazz

Acid jazz is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop, particularly looped beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Grant Green are...

, and is best known for his title track "Got To Get Your Own"

He was born in Mounds, Oklahoma

Mounds, Oklahoma

Mounds is a town in Creek County, Oklahoma, United States. Mounds is located just south of Tulsa; the population was 1,153 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mounds is located at ....

 and his family moved to Pasadena

Pasadena, California

Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...

 when he was 5.
He played with in L.A. with drummer Al Bartee then in 1966 moved to New York where he began recording. He played among others with Melvin Sparks

Melvin Sparks

Melvin Sparks was an American soul jazz, hard bop and jazz blues guitarist. He recorded a number of albums for Prestige Records, later recording for Savant Records...

 and Willis Jackson

Willis Jackson

Willis "Gator" Jackson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Born in Miami, Florida, Jackson joined Duke Ellington alumnus Cootie Williams's band in 1949 as a teenager, after being discovered by Eddie Vinson. During the 1950s he participated in R&B and jazz recordings, primarily as a session...

 and was the leader of the band Wildare Express. He still lives in New York City as of 2011. As well as being a jazz organist, he is a former professional boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

.

Personal life

Reuben Wilson currently has two children, Roderick Reuben Wilson (born November 22, 1957) and Reuben Reuel Wilson (born August 20, 1996). He currently lives in New York City. Roderick (his eldest son) is a professional drummer. Reuben (his youngest son) is currently attending Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. He has been married twice.

As leader

• On Broadway
  On Broadway (Reuben Wilson album)
  On Broadway is the debut album by American organist Reuben Wilson recorded in 1968 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 3 stars and stated "On Broadway is a successful groove record, but in comparison to the two albums that...
  
  (Blue Note
  Blue Note Records
  Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
  
  , 1968)
• Love Bug
  Love Bug (Reuben Wilson album)
  Love Bug is the second album by American organist Reuben Wilson recorded in 1969 and released on the Blue Note label. The CD reissue added one bonus track.-Reception:...
  
  (Blue Note, 1969)
• Blue Mode
  Blue Mode
  Blue Mode is the third album by American organist Reuben Wilson recorded in 1969 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 4½ stars and stated "If Love Bug skirted the edges of free jazz and black power, Blue Mode embraces...
  
  (Blue Note, 1969)
• A Groovy Situation
  A Groovy Situation
  A Groovy Situation is the fourth album by American organist Reuben Wilson recorded in 1970 and released on the Blue Note label. The CD reissue added one bonus track.-Reception:...
  
  (Blue Note, 1970)
• Set Us Free
  Set Us Free
  Set Us Free is the fifth album by American organist Reuben Wilson recorded in 1971 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars and stated "it's a wildly textured and seamless aural meld of gritty B-3 jams, smooth yet psychedelic soul,...
  
  (Blue Note, 1971)
• The Sweet Life (Groove Merchant
  Groove Merchant
  Groove Merchant was an American jazz and R&B record label during the 1970s. It was ran by producer Sonny Lester and distributed by Pickwick Records. Notable artists included Chick Corea, O'Donel Levy, Buddy Rich, Jimmy McGriff, and Lionel Hampton to name a few...
  
  , 1972)
• The Cisco Kid (Groove Merchant, 1974)
• Got To Get Your Own (Cadet Records
  Cadet Records
  Cadet Records was started as Argo Records in 1955 as the jazz subsidiary of Chess Records. Argo changed its name in 1965 to Cadet to avoid confusion with the similarly named label in the UK...
  
  , 1975)
• Live at Sob's (Jazzateria, 1996)
• Down with it (Cannonball, 1998)
• Organ Donor (Jazzateria, 1998)
• Organ Blues (Jazzateria, 2002) (Bernard Purdie/Reuben Wilson/Grant Green, Jr.)
• Boogaloo to the Beastie Boys (Scufflin Records, 2004)
• Fun House (Savant, 2005)
• Movin' On (Savant, 2006)
• Azure Te (Jewl) (18th & Vine, 2009)

As sideman

• New York Funkies - Hip Hop Bop with Stanley Turrentine
  Stanley Turrentine
  Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...
  
   (Meldac, 1995)
• Grant Green, Jr.
  Grant Green, Jr.
  Grant Green, Jr. is a jazz guitarist and son of the late jazz guitar legend Grant Green. He is a member of the group Masters of Groove, along with drummer Bernard Purdie and B3 organ player Reuben Wilson....
  
   - Jungle Strut (Venus, 1997)
• Grant Green, Jr. - Introducing (Jazzateria, 2001)
• Masters of Groove - Meet Dr. No (Jazzateria, 2001) (Bernard Purdie/Reuben Wilson/Grant Green, Jr.)
• Melvin Sparks
  Melvin Sparks
  Melvin Sparks was an American soul jazz, hard bop and jazz blues guitarist. He recorded a number of albums for Prestige Records, later recording for Savant Records...
  
  - What You Hear Is What You Get (Nectar, 2001)
• Masters of Groove - Meet DJ-9 (Jazzateria, 2006) (Bernard Purdie/Reuben Wilson/Grant Green, Jr.)
• The Godfathers of Groove (18th & Vine, 2007) (Bernard Purdie/Reuben Wilson/Grant Green, Jr.)
• The Godfathers of Groove - 3 (18th & Vine, 2009) (Bernard Purdie/Reuben Wilson/Grant Green, Jr.)

Compilations

• Bad Stuff (Groove Merchant, 1975) (Groove Giants: A Specially Priced Two Record Set - The Sweet Life + The Cisco Kid reissued)
• Blue Breakbeats (Blue Note, 1998) (A compilation of Wilson's funkiest tracks from his 5 Blue Note albums)
• Groove Grease: The Sweet Life/The Cisco Kid - The Groove Merchant Years (Connoisseur Collection, 2000) (The Sweet Life + The Cisco Kid reissued)