Don Wise obit

Don Wise

24 MARCH, 1942 – 1 MARCH, 2024

 

He was not on the list.

Donald Grover "Don" Wise, age 81, of Knoxville, Tennessee, passed away at his home on Friday, March 1, 2024. Born in Westerly, RI, Don attended Westerly High School and was inducted into WHS Music Hall of Fame (Class of 1960) in 2021. He attended Cameron University and was a member of the marching band. Don was also a member of the Army Band in the United States Army. Subsequently he became a professional tenor saxophone musician for 50 years.

A natural in any style of music, Don was given the 1980 trophy for Outstanding Sax Player of the Year from the Oklahoma Country Music Association. He toured the US and abroad with several bands, working with Delbert McClinton for 23 years. He received a nomination and a Grammy for his work on 2 CDs with Delbert and the band.

Don released 4 CDs of his own. He was recognized for one of those with the 2002 Instrumentalist "Cammy" at the Carolina Beach Music Awards. One of his coolest gigs was when Don Wise soloed for Ray Charles' performance on the ESPY Awards national television show. Many of Don's memorable performances are preserved on YouTube. After retiring from the road in 2008, he pursued his passions for cooking, gardening, and art.

He is preceded in death by father George Wise, Jr.; mother Thelma Spencer Wise; and sister Susan Wise.

Don is survived by his lovely wife of 33 years, Pamela Smith Wise, of Knoxville, TN; children: Don Wise, Jr. (Rachel) of Lawton, OK; George Wise of Nashville, TN; Michelle Wise (Bill Frye) of Canton, GA; Jason Wise of Lawton, OK; 12 grandchildren; one great grandchild and one due in March.

Don was of the Baptist faith and a member of the Great Smoky Mountain Emmaus Community.

Wise toured with various bands across the U.S. in the 1970s and '80s and has performed with Jeffrey Osborne, Ruben Ramos, Chuck Jackson, Maxine Brown, Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Marcia Ball, Rickey Godfrey, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Tower of Power, Huey Lewis, Hal Ketchum, Teresa James and Joe Ely. A milestone was the invitation from Ray Charles to back him on a nationally broadcast TV appearance for the ESPYs in New York City in 1997. Wise was also member of the "Allstar Band" performing the Inaugural-Concert for George H. W. Bush in 1989.

While recording in 1985 with Radio Zebra, a Texas rock group with whom he had toured Germany a month prior, he received a call from Delbert McClinton to fill the position as saxophonist in his band. Wise took the opportunity and remained a pillar of the group for 23 years. He served as instrumentalist and co-producer of McClinton's Grammy-nominated album Live from Austin in 1989 and as musician of Grammy winner Cost of Living in 2005. After more tours in Central Europe and Scandinavia, a large fan base grew outside the U.S. and led to Wise's increased recognition and the popularity of his music.

His eclectic skills brought various honors, from Country Sax Player of the Year at the Oklahoma Country Music Awards in 1980, to 2002 when he earned the Best Instrumentalist Cammy Award from the Beach Music Association. His playing style is written about in John Laughter's Contemporary Saxophone, with four of his solos from the Live from Austin CD featured on the book's companion disc. Reviewers in a variety of journals, magazines, and e-zines describe his soulful solos and just-right backup playing.

In 1997 he produced the first CD of his own, which garnered excellent reviews and led to three more discs over the next eight years. Colleagues including Delbert McClinton, Marcia Ball, Gary Bunton, Britt Johansen, Robin Griffin, Bugs Henderson, Big Joe Maher, Teresa James and Steve Williams helped get his ideas heard and appreciated. Friend and co-producer, Wally Moyers, owner of Studio 84 in Lubbock, was invaluable in achieving the sound Wise wanted. Besides featuring his friends' and colleagues' talents, Wise complemented these projects with his own musicianship as a sax pro, as well as his gifts as a composer, lyricist, producer, and singer.

In 2008, after an acclaimed tour of Finland and Norway, Wise exited the Delbert McClinton band to devote his time to his family and hobbies. Sometimes he still played as a guest with various artists, such as Mingo Fishtrap from Austin, Texas, or on Delbert McClinton's annual Sandy Beaches Cruise. In 2021 Wise was inducted into the Westerly High Music Hall of Fame.