Al Wilson
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Allen LeMar "Al" Wilson (born June 19, 1939 in Meridian , Mississippi , † April 21, 2008 in Fontana , California ) was an American soul singer .
Life
Al Wilson's singing career began in his youth. As a member of a church choir , he was the head of a gospel quartet at the age of twelve. After school and moving to California, he did some odd jobs and spent two years in the military, during which he also sang in a soldiers' choir.
He then performed in clubs in Los Angeles and eventually joined the band Jewels . Via two other bands, the Rollers and the Souls , he finally came to Johnny Rivers ' record label Soul City in 1968 and made his first solo recordings. His first hit was the same year that of Oscar Brown Jr. written and recorded title The Snake . This title was also a success in the British Northern Soul movement and entered the charts there - albeit only a few years later.
After the initial success, however, it took five years before a second album followed with Weighing In in the USA. The first single from it was Show and Tell . This song was originally recorded by Johnny Mathis . Al Wilson had his biggest hit with the song; it sold over a million copies and made it to number 1 on the Billboard charts. As a result, the album also sold over two million times.
Another album, La La Peace Song , followed in the following year , the title track of which was another Top 40 hit. The album song Baby I Want Your Body also became Wilson's greatest R&B success and was listed at number 3 on the R&B charts, even if it did not make the pop charts.
The album I've Got a Feeling followed in 1976 . The title song of this album came in the official pop charts to number 29; it was Al Wilson's last chart placement.
In 1979 he released Count the Days, his last album, which was only moderately successful. He has been a club and concert singer since the 1980s.
Discography
Albums
- Searching for the Dolphins (1968)
- Weighing In (1973)
- La La Peace Song (1974)
- Show and Tell (1974, Rocky Road Records)
- I've Got a Feeling (1976)
- Count the Days (1979)
Singles
- The Snake (1968)
- Lodi (1969)
- Poor Side of Town (1969)
- Show and Tell (1974)
- Touch and Go (1974)
- La La Peace Song (1974)
- I Won't Last a Day Without You / Let Me Be the One (1975)
- Baby I Want Your Body (1976)
- I've Got a Feeling (We'll Be Seeing Each Other Again) (1976)
literature
- Irwin Stambler: The Encyclopedia Of Pop, Rock And Soul . 3rd revised edition, New York City, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, pp. 741 f. ISBN 0-312-02573-4 .
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Web links
- The Mississippi Writers and Musicians Project at Starkville High School ( April 30, 2008 memento on the Internet Archive )
- Al Wilson at Allmusic (English)
- Al Wilson in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wilson, Al |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wilson, Allen LeMar (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American soul singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 19, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Meridian (Mississippi) |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 21, 2008 |
| Place of death | Fontana (California) |