Wiley comes from a family with a long and rich musical history that spans generations.

Music has always been an important part of Wiley’s life. Wiley's great-grandfather played guitar and performed in juke joints in Alabama. Wiley’s grandfather, along with his grandfather’s brothers, sang together as a group, and performed for church congregations throughout Alabama. Wiley’s cousin, the late Avery Richardson, was a gifted singer and is an inductee in the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. “As a kid, I had the opportunity to see Avery perform at various gigs in the Birmingham area. It is through witnessing his performances, and his encouragement, that I gained a love for singing. I wish he was here to see, that as a result of his influence, the work that I am doing for the Lord.”

The family’s musical torch has been passed 
on to him and he is now carrying it forward.

Wiley was born at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, and as a young child, Wiley became very ill, slipping into a weeklong coma. The attending physicians had given up all hope for his survival, and family members began making funeral arrangements. However, Wiley’s mother maintained a tremendous faith in God, and prayed at Wiley’s bedside for the entire week. It is through the prayer of his mother, and her relationship with God that Wiley survived his illness. “Because of my survival, I have always felt that God had something special planned for me.”

Wiley began playing the piano at the age of five, and had his first recital at the age of six. Although Wiley enjoyed playing the piano, along with other instruments he had learned, there was always a constant “tugging” at his heart to sing. After being baptized in 1994, and joining the church choir, Wiley soon realized that God had gifted him with the ability to sing. It was then that he finally realized the “something special” God had planned for him.