Wilson Pickett
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Wilson Pickett (born March 18, 1941 in Prattville , Alabama , † January 19, 2006 in Reston , Virginia ) was an American singer. He was one of the most popular soul singers of the 1960s .
Life
In 1955 Pickett moved to Detroit , where he sang in various church choirs; he also belonged to the gospel group The Violinaires . In 1961 he joined the rhythm-and-blues formation The Falcons, who were looking for a new lead singer after Eddie Floyd had turned his back on them. In 1962 he wrote the mini-hit I Found a Love for her , as a result of which the Falcons producer Robert Bateman Pickett incited a solo career. Pickett then separated from the Falcons and signed to Lloyd Price 's Double L Records label in 1963 . With the single If You Need Me , Pickett first appeared in the US pop charts. The song was later covered a lot , including by Solomon Burke and the Rolling Stones .
1964 Pickett got from Jerry Wexler a contract with Atlantic Records , which he accepted. In The Midnight Hour from 1965 was followed by hit after hit until 1971, including the well-known Everybody Needs Somebody to Love , which was also interpreted by the Rolling Stones and later became a big hit for the Blues Brothers . Pickett wrote many of his hits himself, with Steve Cropper assisting him as co-writer. In March 1971 Pickett toured Ghana with many other musicians from the USA and Africa . In Germany Pickett had no notable commercial success; only two of his titles reached the sales hit lists. His highest ranking there was a number 32 with the title Stagg-O-Lee in 1968 .
In 1973 Pickett left Atlantic at the zenith of his career and switched to RCA Records , which he later regretted very much. With his debut single Take a Closer Look at the Woman You're With on the new label, he appeared for the last time in the US pop charts, but then his success fell sharply. Pickett continued to appear and also released new material, but he was unable to place himself in the US singles or album charts .
From the early 1980s, Pickett came into conflict with the law more frequently. He beat up promoters, managers and musicians, ended up in jail after threatening a person with a gun, and was hospitalized in 1987 for fighting with members of his band. In the same year Pickett came with a re-release of In The Midnight Hour ( Motown ) to position 62 in the British singles chart - it was his first significant placement since the early 1970s.
In 1991 Pickett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . He became more and more addicted to alcohol. In January 1992 he had to leave his home in Englewood due to arrears in rent. The following April, while drunk, he hit an 86-year-old pedestrian and seriously injured him. In May, he was fined and sentenced to rehab after beating his girlfriend. In 1993 he ended up in prison for one year with a five-year probationary period due to the traffic accident the previous year. In April 1996, Pickett was arrested again for possessing two grams of cocaine.
He returned to the studio a few years after his release and received a Grammy nomination for his 1999 album It's Harder Now .
A new recording of his title 634-5789 can be heard with him and other singers in the film Blues Brothers 2000 .
Wilson Pickett died in a hospital in Reston , Virginia , from a heart attack .
In 2008 Rolling Stone listed him as 68th of the 100 best singers of all time .
Discography
Studio albums
| year | Title music label |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 US
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1965 | In the Midnight Hour Atlantic Records |
DE34 (4 weeks) DE |
US107 (6 weeks) US |
R&B3 (7 weeks) R&B |
First published: 1965
Chart entry in DE only in August 1967 |
| 1966 | The Exciting Wilson Pickett Atlantic Records |
- |
US21 (29 weeks) US |
R&B3 (27 weeks) R&B |
First published: August 1966
Producers: Jerry Wexler , Jim Stewart , Rick Hall , Steve Cropper , Tom Dowd |
| 1967 | The Wicked Pickett Atlantic Records |
- |
US42 (31 weeks) US |
R&B5 (21 weeks) R&B |
First published: 1966
Producer: Jerry Wexler |
| The Sound of Wilson Pickett Atlantic Records |
- |
US54 (11 weeks) US |
R&B7 (8 weeks) R&B |
First published: July 1967
Producers: Rick Hall, Tom Dowd, Jerry Wexler |
|
| 1968 | I'm in Love Atlantic Records |
- |
US70 (15 weeks) US |
R&B9 (16 weeks) R&B |
First published: 1967
Producers: Tom Dowd, Tommy Cogbill |
| The Midnight Mover Atlantic Records |
- |
US91 (13 weeks) US |
R&B10 (10 weeks) R&B |
First published: 1968
Producers: Tom Dowd, Nesuhi Ertegün , Wilson Pickett |
|
| 1969 | Hey Jude Atlantic Records |
- |
US97 (14 weeks) US |
R&B15 (18 weeks) R&B |
First published: 1969
Producers: Tom Dowd, Rick Hall |
| 1970 | Right On Atlantic Records |
- |
US197 (3 weeks) US |
R&B36 (13 weeks) R&B |
|
| In Philadelphia Atlantic Records |
- |
US64 (19 weeks) US |
R&B12 (32 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1972 | Don't Knock My Love Atlantic Records |
- |
US132 (14 weeks) US |
R&B23 (10 weeks) R&B |
First published: 1971
Producers: Dave Crawford, Brad Shapiro |
| 1973 | Mr. Magic Man RCA Records |
- |
US187 (3 weeks) US |
R&B30 (7 weeks) R&B |
First published: 1973
Producers: Dave Crawford, Brad Shapiro |
| Miz Lena's Boy RCA Records |
- | - |
R&B34 (9 weeks) R&B |
First published: 1973
Producers: Brad Shapiro, Wilson Pickett |
|
| 1980 | I want you EMI America |
- | - |
R&B69 (13 weeks) R&B |
First published: 1980
Producer: Andre Perry |
| 1987 | American Soul Man Motown |
- | - |
R&B75 (1 week) R&B |
First published: October 1987
Producer: Robert Margouleff |
More studio albums
|
|
literature
- Irwin Stambler: The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul . 3rd revised edition. St. Martin's Press, New York City 1989, ISBN 0-312-02573-4 , pp. 521f.
Web links
- Wilson Pickett at Allmusic (English)
- Wilson Pickett at Discogs (English)
- Wilson Pickett
- In the midnight hour .
- Wilson Pickett. In: Encyclopedia of Alabama
Individual evidence
- ↑ Soul Pioneer Wilson Pickett Dies at 64 . Los Angeles Times
- ↑ Wilson Pickett in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- ↑ 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Rolling Stone , December 2, 2010, accessed August 9, 2017 .
- ↑ Chart sources: Singles Albums UK US
- ^ The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
- ^ Joel Whitburn : Top R&B Albums 1965–1998, ISBN 0-89820-134-9 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pickett, Wilson |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wicked Pickett (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American soul singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 18, 1941 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Prattville , Alabama , USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 19, 2006 |
| Place of death | Reston , Virginia , USA |