Eddie Wilcox was an American 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...

 pianist and arranger.

Biography

Born in Method, North Carolina, Wilcox studied at Fisk University

Fisk University

Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...

, where he met Jimmie Lunceford

Jimmie Lunceford

James Melvin "Jimmie" Lunceford was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era.-Biography:...

. He played with Lunceford in college bands and then professionally in the mid-1920s. In 1929 he became the main arranger for Lunceford's ensemble, and remained so until Lunceford's death in 1947. He was named co-leader with Joe Thomas

Joe Thomas (saxophonist)

Joe Thomas was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Thomas played alto sax under Horace Henderson, but played tenor from the time he joined Stuff Smith's band onward. He played with Jimmie Lunceford's band from 1933 until Lunceford's death in 1947, where he soloed often and occasionally sang...

 after Lunceford died, and became sole leader in January 1949, where he remained until the group disbanded early in the 1950s. His 1952 recording of "Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune (song)

"Wheel of Fortune" is a popular song written by Bennie Benjamin and George David Weiss and published in 1951. It was originally recorded in 1951 for Atlantic Records by The Cardinals. In one of the earliest examples of a major record label covering an independent black hit, Capitol recreated The...

" became a hit in the U.S., peaking at #14. Following this Wilcox played solo at the Cafe Riviera in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 for nearly a decade.

He and Teddy McRae

Teddy McRae

Teddy McRae was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and arranger.McRae was born in Philadelphia and played with local ensembles, including one composed of family members, when young. He played with June Clark in 1926 before moving to New York City to found his own band...

 founded the Raecox record label in the 1950s, issuing R&B music. He also worked as an executive for Riviera Records and Derby Records

Derby Records

Derby Records was a short-lived, mid-20th century United States record label. The label's logo featured a Derby hat. First headquartered in New York City, it moved to Los Angeles California shortly before going out of business in 1964....

. Shortly before his death he worked with Russell Moore

Big Chief Russell Moore

Big Chief Russell Moore was an American jazz trombonist.Moore was a Pima American Indian, and lived in Blue Island, Illinois from age twelve, where he studied trumpet, piano, drums, french horn, and trombone. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1930s, where he worked freelance with Lionel Hampton...

.