Wilson Pickett

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm Jumpin' John, and in this podcast episode I will review the career of the great soul singer and songwriter, Wilson Pickett!

All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott. The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John. It was initially recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004 with several revisions since then.
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Transcript

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm Jumpin' John, and in this podcast episode I will review the career of the great soul singer and songwriter, Wilson Pickett!

Wilson Pickett was born in 1941 in Prattville, Alabama.  His childhood was not happy, as his mother beat him regularly.  Pickett began his musical career performing in Baptist church choirs.  In 1955, 14 year old Wilson moved to Detroit, where his father worked in an auto plant.  Pickett's forceful, passionate style of singing was further developed in the church and on the streets of Detroit.  In late 1955 Pickett joined a gospel group called the Violinaires.  The Violinaires played with another gospel group, the Spiritual Five, on concert tour in North America.  After four years of gospel singing, Picket saw the potential for greater financial success in the lucrative secular music market.  So in 1959 Pickett joined an R&B group called the Falcons, who had just had a hit single called "You're So Fine."  The Falcons were an early vocal group bringing gospel into a popular context, thus paving the way for soul music.  In 1962 the Falcons had another minor hit, "I Found a Love", which was co-written by Wilson Pickett and featured his vocals.  While only a minor hit for the Falcons, it paved the way for Pickett to embark on a solo career. 

Soon after recording "I Found a Love", Pickett recorded a demo for a soul ballad he co-wrote, "If You Need Me".  Pickett sent the demo to Jerry Wexler, a producer at Atlantic Records.  Wexler gave it to Atlantic's biggest recording star at the time, Solomon Burke.  Burke's recording of "If You Need Me" hit #2 on the R&B chart.  Pickett's version of "If You Need Me" was released on Double L Records as his debut solo single.  It was only a moderate hit, peaking at #30 R&B and #64 in the pop chart.

Pickett's first significant success as a solo artist came with an original composition called "It's Too Late".  Entering the charts on July 27th, 1963, it peaked at #7 on the R&B chart and #49 on the pop chart.  The same title was used for Pickett's debut album, released in the same year. Compiling several of Pickett's single releases for Double L, the It's Too Late LP showcased a raw, soulful sound that foreshadowed the singer's performances throughout the coming decade.  The single's success persuaded Wexler and Atlantic to buy Pickett's recording contract from Double L in 1964.  Wexler would nickname Wilson Pickett the “the Wicked Pickett”.

Pickett's Atlantic career began with the self-produced single, "I'm Gonna Cry".  His second Atlantic single was "Come Home Baby", a duet with singer Tami Lynn.  However, neither single charted.  Pickett's breakthrough came when Jerry Wexler took Wilson Pickett to record at Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.  Session guitarist Steve Cropper was familiar with the Falcons' 1962 song "I Found a Love," on which Pickett sang the line "and sometimes I call in the midnight hour!"  Pickett and Steve Cropper then composed a new song around that theme.  It was called "In the Midnight Hour".  At Stax Studios on May 12th, 1965 Pickett recorded the new song.  Besides Cropper, the band on the "In the Midnight Hour" recording featured Stax session regulars Al Jackson on drums, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, and the Stax house band horn players.  Released by Atlantic in June 1965, the song would become Pickett's first big hit, peaking at #1 on the R&B chart, #21 in the Billboard Hot 100, and #12 in the UK.  

[Here is Wilson Pickett's version of "In the Midnight Hour"]

The song was also released on his 1965 album of the same name and on the 1966 album The Exciting Wilson Pickett.  The single sold more than one million copies, was awarded a gold disc, and garnered Pickett his first Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording at the 8th Annual Grammy Awards.  "In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett has become an iconic R&B track, placing at #134 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  It is also one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.  In 2017, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".  In 1999, the version of "In the Midnight Hour" recorded in 1965 on Atlantic Records by Pickett was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

From that moment on, Wilson Pickett was a star.  His years with Atlantic proved to be the most fruitful of his career.  Pickett would record three sessions at Stax in May and October 1965.  He was joined by keyboardist Isaac Hayes for the October sessions.  In addition to "In the Midnight Hour", Pickett's 1965 recordings at Stax included three other singles that charted.  They were "Don't Fight It" which reached #4 in R&B and #53 in pop, "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)" which reached #1 in R&B and #13 in pop, and "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)" which reached #13 in R&B and #53 in pop.

For his next sessions, Wexler took Pickett to Fame Studios  in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.  Pickett would record some of his biggest hits at Fame Studios.  On May 11th, 1966 Wilson recorded his version of "Land of 1000 Dances", backed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and the Memphis Horns.  His recording was released as a single and appeared on his album, The Exciting Wilson Pickett.  Released in July 1966, "Land of 1000 Dances" was his third R&B #1 and his biggest pop hit, peaking at #6.  It was a million-selling disc.

[Here is Wilson Pickett's version of "Land of 1000 Dances"]

Another big hit from this era in Pickett's career was Wilson's cover of Mack Rice's "Mustang Sally".  Recorded at Fame Studios, "Mustang Sally" was released in 1966 and appeared on the 1966 album The Wicked Pickett.  Pickett's version climbed to #6 on the R&B chart and #23 on the Pop chart in 1966, #4 in Canada on the RPM chart, and #28 in the UK Singles Chart.  In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked Wilson Pickett's recording of the song at #441 on a list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  Another successful single from his 1966 album The Wicked Pickett was "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love".  His version made it to #29 pop, and #19 R&B in early 1967.

Then Pickett's next hit was 1967's "Funky Broadway".  Also produced by Jerry Wexler for Atlantic Records, the session again took place in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.  Pickett's version reached #1 on the R&B chart and #8 on the Hot 100 chart.  The song was also included on The Sound of Wilson Pickett album, issued by Atlantic in 1967. 

Towards the end of 1967, Pickett began recording at American Studios in Memphis with producers Tom Dowd and Tommy Cogbill.  He also began recording numerous songs by Bobby Womack.  The songs “I’m In Love,” “Jealous Love,” “I’ve Come A Long Way,” “I’m A Midnight Mover,” and “I Found A True Love” were all Womack penned hits for Pickett in 1967 and 1968. Pickett also recorded work by other songwriters during this era.  Rodger Collins’ “She’s Looking Good” and a cover of the traditional blues standard “Stagger Lee” were also Top 40 Pickett hits recorded at American.  Womack was the guitarist on all these recordings. 

Wilson Pickett returned to Fame Studios in late 1968 and early 1969, where he worked with a band that included guitarist Duane Allman.  A #16 pop hit cover of The Beatles‘ “Hey Jude” came from these Fame sessions, as well as the minor hits “Mini-Skirt Minnie” and “Hey Joe”. Late 1969 found Pickett at Criteria Studios in Miami.  His cover of The Supremes‘ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” reached #16 on the R&B chart and #92 on the Pop chart.  A cover of The Archie’s‘ “Sugar Sugar” reached #4 R&B and #25 Pop.  Another song that came from these sessions was the Pickett original composition, “She Said Yes”.  "She Said Yes" hit #20 R&B and #68 Pop.

In 1970 Pickett headed to Philadelphia to work with Gamble and Huff at Sigma Sound Studios. The resulting album, Wilson Pickett in Philadelphia, featured two of Pickett's most popular singles from the early 1970's.  "Engine No. 9" reached #14 on the Pop chart and #3 on the R&B chart.  "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You" sold over one million copies and hit #2 on the R&B chart and #17 on the Pop chart.

Following these two big hits, Pickett returned to Muscle Shoals and recorded his fifth and last R&B #1 hit, “Don’t Knock My Love, Pt. 1″.  It was another Pickett recording that achieved sales in excess of one million copies.  Two further hits followed in 1971: “Call My Name, I’ll Be There” went to #10 R&B and #52 Pop, and “Fire and Water” reached #2 R&B and #24 Pop.  Pickett recorded several tracks in 1972 for a planned new album on Atlantic, but after the single “Funk Factory” reached #11 R&B and #58 pop in June of 1972, he left Atlantic for RCA Records.  His final Atlantic single, a cover of Randy Newman‘s “Mama Told Me Not To Come,” was actually taken from Pickett’s 1971 album Don’t Knock My Love.

After 1973 Pickett's career began to decline.  The advent of funk bands and disco in the 1970's contributed to that decline in Pickett’s popularity.  However, he did have a successful disco recording with 1979's "Groove City” on EMI, and he continued to tour and record on occasion.  He also became more unstable in his personal life and developed a drinking problem.  In 1974, he was arrested for brandishing a gun during an argument in New York.  Thirteen years later, Pickett was arrested and sentenced to probation for possession of a loaded shotgun in his car.  Unfortunately, Pickett would continue to have more run-ins with the law.  He was arrested for cocaine possession several times and went to rehab.  

Throughout the 1980's and 1990's, despite his personal troubles, Pickett was repeatedly honored for his contributions to music.  During this period, he was invited to perform at Atlantic Records' 40th Anniversary concert in 1988.  In 1991, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  More attention was brought to his importance as an artist when the 1991 hit film The Commitments was released.  The film focused on a young Irish band obsessed with American soul music and a desire to meet Pickett himself.  Though Pickett performed at the New York and Los Angeles premieres of The Commitments movie, he did not appear in the film.  Pickett appeared in the 1998 film Blues Brothers 2000, in which he performed "634-5789" with Eddie Floyd and Jonny Lang. He was previously mentioned in the 1980 film Blues Brothers, which features several members of Pickett's backing band, as well as a performance of "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love".

In 1999 Pickett moved to Ashburn, Virginia and returned to the studio to record the comeback LP entitled It's Harder Now.  He received a Grammy Award nomination for traditional rhythm and blues vocal performance for that It's Harder Now album.  Also he was honored as the Soul/Blues Male Artist of the Year by the Blues Foundation in Memphis.  It's Harder Now was voted Comeback Blues Album of the Year and Soul/Blues Album of the Year by the Blues Foundation.  In 2002 Pickett co-starred in the documentary Only the Strong Survive.  The documentary was directed by D. A. Pennebaker, and was a selection of both the 2002 Cannes and 2002 Sundance Film Festivals.

Pickett continued to tour until the end of 2004, when he decided to take a year off from performing.  He planned on recording and touring again, but his health began to decline.  Wilson died after suffering a heart attack at the age of 64 on January 19th, 2006, in Reston, Virginia. 

Wilson Pickett's talent was undeniable, and he has had a powerful influence on younger generations of soulful singers.  Successful despite his personal problems, Pickett's recordings were often surpassed by his legendary live shows.  Performing live, he combined his gospel background with funk-like stylings that captivated his audiences.  Wilson Pickett's explosive style of singing helped define the soul music of the 1960's.

I will conclude this episode of Rock and Roll Flashback with Wilson Pickett's version of "Mustang Sally".  So, fellow travelers, may your path be smooth and your music always be rockin'!  And until next time...Rock On!