"I remember back in 1965, when everyone was still alive. I'm a soul survivor" thus sang Wilson Pickett in "Soul Survivor". I just finished dancing to this and several other Wilson Pickett songs. I reconnected with Wilson and the people and music in my life in 1966. I am a Soul Survivor.
When I went away to College in the Fall of 1966 I had a roommate named Bruce. Bruce introduced me to wrestling. We would get drunk, gather however many of us were available and willing, and have impromptu wrestling matches in the lounge of our dorm. I had never been exposed to real wrestling, only Pro Wrestling. I found it fascinating, challenging, and not really very much fun, from my perspective. I hated when he dug his chin into my back, to further immobilize me.
Another gift he gave me was an introduction to Soul Music. Not just the Top 40 hits, but all of the gritty, inspired genre. It was at a peak time in the creativity of many of the artists. Bruce played bass in a band and had an extensive collection. One of the artists that really captured me was Wilson Pickett. Bruce gave me the chance to listen to his work in a much more complete way than had been available to a white, country boy growing up in Ohio.
I never met Wilson Pickett or saw any of his concert, but I did listen and dance in "The Land of a Thousand Dances" "In the Midnight Hour" on many a night. Thank You Wilson for making my life more vibrant, funky and full of love.
Wilson Pickett's musical legacy
Soul legend Wilson Pickett, who has died at the age of 64, was known for his enduring soul hits, which helped move the genre into a more energetic period.
His biggest hits Mustang Sally and In the Midnight Hour have transcended the decades since their release in the 1960s and are seen as the corner stone of soul music.
Born in Alabama in 1941, Pickett had 10 brothers and sisters in a household heavily influenced by gospel music. His grandfather was a preacher who refused to allow Pickett to sing non-religious songs in the house.
In his mid-teens, Pickett moved to Detroit to live with his father, and began to be inspired by local singers such as Jackie Wilson.
He gravitated away from gospel singing to join an R&B group called the Falcons, honing his songwriting skills.
He had several early solo hits, including If You Need Me, which went on to be covered by the Rolling Stones and Solomon Burke, with whom he became great friends.
Pickett signed with Atlantic Records in 1964, releasing In the Midnight Hour the following year.
The song was said to be co-written by him and Booker T and the MGs guitarist Steve Cropper but later became the subject of a dispute when Pickett claimed he should have been given a sole writing credit.
Cropper called this "crazy" and that Pickett "had nothing to do with writing that music".
Other hits during the 1960s included the much-covered 634-5789, Land of the 1,000 Dances and Funky Broadway.
As well as raucous soul music, Pickett was also known for his experimental cover versions of songs including the Beatles Hey Jude and Steppenwolf's Born to Be Wild.
By the 1970s his popularity and marketability was on the wane, with a switch in labels doing little to revive his music career.
When Irish-set film The Commitments was released in 1991 featuring his most popular songs, Pickett's musical legacy was rejuvenated.
The same year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, cementing his role in the history of music.
But around the same time, Pickett's personal life was going through a torrid period.
In 1991 he was arrested for driving over a mayor's front lawn while allegedly yelling death threats. He was also charged with assaulting a girlfriend.
Two years later he was jailed for one year for hitting an 86-year-old man while drunk-driving.
Cocaine possession and carrying a loaded gun charges were also levelled at him.
But close friend Solomon Burke said Pickett had turned his life around and they were planning to write and record an album with Ben E King and Don Covay.
Pickett, a father of four, released his last album in 1999, the Grammy-nominated It's Harder Now.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/4630684.stm
Published: 2006/01/20 10:49:11 GMT
© BBC MMVI
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