Elder Roma Wilson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elder Roma Wilson
Wilson in 2015
Background information
Birth name	Roma Wilson
Born	(1910-12-22)December 22, 1910 Hickory Flat, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	October 25, 2018(2018-10-25) (aged 107) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Gospel
Occupation(s)	Harmonicist, singer, clergyman
Instruments	Harmonica, vocals
Years active	1930s–2018

Elder Roma Wilson (born December 22, 1910 – died October 25, 2018) was an American gospel harmonica player and singer. He was also a church leader. Wilson found out he was famous for his music later in his life. Before that, he didn't know people were interested in his songs.

About Elder Roma Wilson

Early Life and Music

Roma Wilson was born in Hickory Flat, Mississippi, in the United States. His father was part Muscogee. Roma taught himself to play the harmonica when he was a young teenager. He used old instruments that his older brothers and sisters didn't want anymore. He had five brothers and four sisters.

He created a special "choking" style of playing. This happened because it was hard to get sounds from his worn-out instruments. By age fifteen, he was working on the railroad. Later, he worked at a sawmill. Wilson got married when he was nineteen.

In 1929, he became a church leader in the Pentecostal church. He teamed up with Reverend Leon Pinson, who played the guitar. They traveled around north Mississippi, playing music and preaching. Many people joined their church.

Moving to Detroit and Discovery

Wilson moved to Michigan in 1940. Later, he moved to Detroit. He kept playing music, often on street corners. In 1948, he played in a record store on Hastings Street in Detroit. The shop owner recorded his music.

The owner later released these recordings. People who studied harmonica playing were very interested in Wilson's unique style. But Wilson didn't know about all this attention. After his first wife passed away, he moved back to Mississippi. He got married again in 1977.

Later Career and Awards

In 1989, after a random phone call, Wilson started playing music with Pinson again. He then learned that people all over the world were interested in his old recordings. He heard his own music for the first time in 1991. Because he was now famous, he and Pinson played at big music festivals. These included the Chicago Blues Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

In 1994, Wilson received a special award. It was called the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. This is the highest honor for folk and traditional artists in the U.S. In the same year, he recorded most of the songs for his first album.

His 1995 album, This Train, had songs recorded when Wilson was in his early eighties. The album included songs he sang alone. Some were with his wife or a church choir. Famous songs like "Ain't It a Shame" and "Amazing Grace" were on it. The album also had six harmonica songs that were secretly recorded with his children in 1948.

Wilson was still preaching, singing, and playing harmonica in Detroit in 2015. He was 104 years old then! Elder Roma Wilson passed away in Detroit, Michigan, on October 25, 2018. He was 107 years old.

Music Albums

Here is a list of albums by Elder Roma Wilson:

See also

• List of gospel musicians