Wilson grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, raised by his great-aunt and uncle. He was the son of Louis Beauvais, a Mohawk man, and Janie Lazare, who was also part Mohawk, but was raised being told that his mother was his cousin and did not learn of his Mohawk heritage until the mid-2010s. Wilson discovered he had been adopted when, by chance, a speaking tour handler who had been an old friend of his great-aunt mentioned she had been there the day he was adopted.
Career
In the 1990s Wilson fronted the band Junkhouse, and also performed with the Florida Razors. In 1996 he joined with Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing to form the roots rock trio Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. 1999 Wilson performed solo as part of The White Ribbon Concert at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. In 2001 Wilson released a solo album, Planet Love, which featured the hit "Dig It". In 2006 he released his second solo album, Dog Years. In between the release of both solo albums, he partnered up with Daniel Lanois's older brother, Bob Lanois, to record The Shack Recordings Volume 1, a collection of quieter acoustic songs with Bob Lanois recording and accompanying him on blues harp on some songs. It was around this time Wilson and comedian Cathy Jones met and became engaged. They split their time between Hamilton and Nova Scotia, but have since divorced. In 2011 he toured with them in support of their album Kings and Queens. That year he performed at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. In 2015 Wilson was commissioned by the city of Hamilton to paint a mural depicting the history of music in the city. Wilson's most recent project is Lee Harvey Osmond, which is a collaborative effort with members of Cowboy Junkies and Skydiggers. His songs have been performed by Mavis Staples, Colin James, Stephen Fearing, Adam Gregory, Billy Ray Cyrus, Craig Northey, David Ricketts and Edwin. Numerous Wilson songs have been used in television, commercials and motion pictures. In 2017 Wilson published a memoir of his life to date, titled Beautiful Scars. The memoir addressed his discovery of his Mohawk heritage, which he also addressed musically for the first time on Lee Harvey Osmond's 2019 album Mohawk.
Personal life
In 2006, Wilson married comedian Cathy Jones. They have since divorced.
