Well, this is a major bummer announcement, friends. Wilson Pickett, one of the greatest singers ever to grace our humble planet, is dead of a heart attack, aged 64.
Pickett first achieved national fame with a song co-written with guitarist Steve Cropper at the Lorraine Motel called "In The Midnight Hour." He cut this song, plus "634-5789 (Soulsville U.S.A.)" and "Don't Fight It" with Booker T. & The MGs at Stax Records in Memphis, TN. He recorded his subsequent classics at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, AL with an all-caucasian backing band (almost unheard of in 1965) consisting of Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, Eddie Hinton, David Hood, Jimmy Johnson and Spooner Oldham. These included "Land Of 1000 Dances," "Funky Broadway," "Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won't Do)" and my personal favorite, "Mustang Sally."
In 2003, I had a golden opportunity to see a concert at the Odeon Theater in Memphis commemorating the opening of the Stax Museum. Scheduled to appear was Mr. Pickett, who cancelled at the last minute due to an "illness." I was very angry at the time. Now I just regret that I never got a chance to see him live.
Wilson Pickett's records are some of the greatest ever in the history of American Music. There will never be another Wilson Pickett, or anything close.
No comments:
Post a Comment