Teddy Wilson, byname of Theodore Shaw Wilson (born Nov. 24, 1912, Austin, Texas, U.S.—died July 31, 1986, New Britain, Conn.), American jazz musician who was one of the leading pianists during the big band era of the 1930s and ’40s; he was also considered a major influence on subsequent generations of jazz pianists.
Wilson’s family moved to Alabama in 1918, where his father found employment at the Tuskegee Institute. He played several instruments in high school, and he entered Talladega College as a music major. After a year he left college, moving to Detroit in 1929 and joining Speed Webb’s band; in 1931 he moved to Chicago. Beginning in 1933, Wilson recorded and worked with Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Noone, Benny Carter, and Willie Bryant. He made a breakthrough in 1935.
