Title: 1) Musician, Educator, Director and Owner; 2) Founder; 3) Healing Facilitator
Company: 1) Griot Path Media; 2) Black LightWorkers; 3) Ancients’ Wisdom Health Services
Location: Tempe, Arizona, United States
Sule Greg Wilson, Musician, Educator, Director and Owner at Griot Path Media, Founder at Black LightWorkers, Healing Facilitator at Ancients’ Wisdom Health Services, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Artists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Percussion, Authorship and Storytelling.
Mr. Wilson has established a distinguished career spanning more than five decades, marked by his expertise as a percussionist, author and storyteller. As the owner and director of Griot Path Media since 1969, he has shaped the organization into a hub for cultural education, music and storytelling, sharing his knowledge through performances and workshops. For decades, Mr. Wilson has led Griot Path Media, where he continues to teach, conduct historical research on African American and African cultures, and develop educational products, such as the Funky Banjo Level 3 book. His ongoing work includes teaching at a charter school, working on another book for publication, and collaborating with the Black Banjo Reclamation Project and the Contin Center folk school in West Africa.
Throughout his career, Mr. Wilson has held numerous other influential roles. As a healing facilitator with Ancients’ Wisdom Health Services since 1971, he has integrated rhythm, story and movement into wellness practices. He has also been the founder of Black LightWorkers since 2020, an initiative launched to further cultural awareness and healing.
Mr. Wilson’s academic contributions include adjunct faculty appointments at South Mountain Community College and Arizona State University from 2011 to 2017, during which he taught courses that bridged music, history and culture. In 2012, he was recognized as an artist-in-residence at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. He also served as adjunct faculty at Glendale Community College in 2011.
Mr. Wilson’s commitment to traditional music education has been evident in his teaching roles at Blue Ridge Old Time Music Week in 2010 and Common Ground on the Hill from 2006 to 2010. He also previously served as a consultant to The Banjo Project between 2004 and 2010 and wrote for Sing Out! magazine through Griot Path Media from 1996 to 2010.
Among various other positions throughout his career, Mr. Wilson provided consulting services for several organizations, coordinated programs at Mars Hill College, and taught at Tempe Preparatory Academy, fostering student engagement in music and history. Notably, he was instrumental in developing and co-directing the Black Banjo Gathering from 2004 to 2006, a milestone event that brought together musicians, scholars and community members to celebrate the banjo’s African roots. During this gathering in 2005, Mr. Wilson facilitated a transformative moment when participants transcended academic boundaries through communal music-making inspired by a guest from Gambia.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Wilson had the opportunity to direct the African American Index Project at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History from 1990 to 1994. His diverse professional journey also included lectureships and visiting professorships at Yale University, Touro College, Cornell University, Jersey City State College and the African Heritage Center. Mr. Wilson’s first role was consulting on archives management for the New York Stock Exchange in 1982.
Mr. Wilson’s educational background laid a strong foundation for his multifaceted career. His undergraduate studies included coursework at Oberlin College through 1977. He then transferred to New York University, where he completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in television production in 1980 and a Master of Arts in history in 1984. Mr. Wilson also received several certifications, including a postgraduate teaching certificate and a certificate in archives management.
A recognized expert in percussion, authorship, and storytelling, Mr. Wilson is affiliated with several professional organizations, including the African American Craft Alliance, the National Speakers Association, the Society of American Archivists, the Ausar Auset Society and the Percussive Arts Society.
Mr. Wilson is also celebrated for authoring “The Drummer’s Path,” which remains influential within percussion circles worldwide alongside other publications, such as “Rhythm ‘n’ Spirit: Moving Beyond Mindfulness,” “Funky Banjo Level One” and “Drumpath Rhythms: A Method for Teaching and Learning Percussion.”
Among Mr. Wilson’s most significant achievements was co-directing the Black Banjo Gathering in North Carolina in 2005, where he played an instrumental role not only in organizing but also in discovering Dom Flemons, who would later help form a Grammy Award-winning band recognized by The Recording Academy in the United States in 2010. He was also nominated Best Featured Actor in a Play (Musical or Revue) by the Chicago Black Theater Alliance.
Looking ahead, Mr. Wilson plans to complete his final year as a classroom teacher before taking his new book on tour, sharing its teachings alongside previous works through keynotes and workshops across various communities, domestically and internationally, via partnerships with independent bookstores and contacts established in cities, towns and countries worldwide.
For more information, please visit:
Contact Mr. Wilson: