Reuben Wilson grew up in Pasadena and was a regular on the Los Angeles circuit before he moved to New York in 1966. He began his recording career shortly after and soon established his own funky style, which also included versions of soul and pop hits of the day. Wilson continued to record as a leader and session player through the 1970s until his retirement. His career found a new lease of life after his records were sampled by a new generation of producers, such as De La Soul and Us3, and he joined Guru’s Jazzmatazz project on the road. He passed away in New York aged 88.