Blues icon gave his all to others
BLUES veteran and Clifton Springs music icon Chris Wilson is being remembered as a generous and humble man who was a “giant of the music industry”.
Wilson, 62, died earlier this week. He announced in July that he had pancreatic cancer.
Hailed for his vocal and harmonica skills, Wilson was known as the ‘Gentleman of Australian Blues’.
Tim Neale, who has known the family for 25 years, said Wilson had a remarkable ability to always bring warmth, humour and a wonderful vibe to any musical situation.
“He inspired everyone who came across his path,” Mr Neale said.
“Chris would come to the Blues Bootcamp and give the kids the most inspiring talks about life as a musician and empowering women.
“The outpouring of respect for Chris has been overwhelming.”
Mr Neale said that he played music with Wilson “quite often” over the years, and would cherish fond memories of the much-loved man.
“On long drives to gigs he would bring a stack of music to listen to and he would tell stories,” Mr Neale said.
“He was a wonderful conversationalist.”
Mr Neale said Wilson’s legacy would live on in his extremely talented sons.
Blues Train proprietor Hugo T Armstrong, who worked with Wilson on “so many different music festivals”, said the blues icon was always more interested in other people than himself.
“He was always there for everyone in the music industry and he was a believer in the underdog, he performed at so many charity events,” Mr Armstrong said.
“He was an avid music listener and an avid reader.
“He was the most humble and private man I’ve ever met.”
Born in Alphington, Wilson’s first major band was Harem Scarem in 1985. He left two years later to join Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, after playing harmonica on Kelly’s classic album Gossip in 1986.
Wilson also played on records by Hunters and Collectors, X and Merril Bainbridge, and supported Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello.
As well as fronting his own band, Crown of Thorns, and collaborating with Diesel in the duo Wilson Diesel, Wilson released several acclaimed solo records including the ARIA-nominated Live at the Continental in 1994.
Wayne Dury, who runs the Blues Bootcamp at Drysdale’s Potato Shed, described Wilson as a very generous, kind and giving man who often worked with underprivileged schoolchildren.
“He was a great musician and I had a lot of respect for him,” Mr Dury said.
“Some people were scared of him because his physical appearance could be quite intimidating, but he was actually a very kind and gentle man.”
Mr Dury said he met Wilson when they were both music teachers in Geelong before Wilson became a professional tutor at the Blues Bootcamp for seven years.
A documentary, Chris Wilson’s Live at the Continental 23 Years On, was recently released.
Outside his music career Wilson was also an English teacher in various secondary schools around Melbourne.
Wilson performed at the 2 Worlds Festival at the Fyansford Paper Mills in 2017.
True to his generous nature, Wilson performed at Anj Fest in 2015 to raise money for terminally ill Belmont mum Anj Aitken.
The NightJar Festival took to Facebook to pay tribute to Wilson.
“We’re deeply saddened by the news that Chris Wilson has lost his battle with cancer and passed away yesterday,” the festival said.
“Chris was a great supporter of the NightJar Festival.”
Wilson is survived by his wife, Sarah Carroll, and their two sons.