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Wilson
Pickett
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1941-2006
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The "Wicked" Wilson Pickett was one of the most successful, dynamic and energetic soul singers of the 1960s. Born March 18, 1941 in Prattville, Alabama, Pickett started singing in the Baptist choirs of his home town before moving to Detroit at the age of sixteen. In the late 50s, he made his professional debut as lead singer of The Violinaires, a popular gospel-harmony group from the Detroit area, and from 1961 to 1964 performed with The Falcons, a vocal group which also featured future soul star Eddie Floyd. Pickett wrote The Falcons' 1962 hit, I Found a Love, and after a four-year stint with the group, decided to embark on a solo career, signing with Lloyd Price's Double L Records. At the onset he met with marginal success, but it was his signing with Atlantic Records that turned his career around, especially his association with Atlantic's Jerry Wexler, who arranged the 1965 sessions at the famous Stax recording studios in Memphis. Pickett came into his own as a songwriter and collaborated with Booker T. and the M.G.'s guitarist Steve Cropper on several huge hits including In the Midnight Hour, one of the most enduring soul classics of all time. This legendary entertainer had nineteen Top 40 hits from 1965 to 1972 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Sadly, he passed away on January 19, 2006 at the age of 64 after suffering a heart attack. He may no longer be with us, but his high-energy style of soul and rhythm & blues will live on forever.
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Lou
Rawls
1935-2006
Another great soulful voice silenced last month was that of Lou Rawls,
who passed away after a long bout with lung cancer on January 6. His vocal
style ranged from gospel and early R&B to soul and jazz to blues and
straight-up pop. Rawls was a consummate master of African-American vocal
music who was blessed with a four-octave vocal range, which was considered
to be a cross between Sam Cooke and Nat King Cole. He made his name as
a crooner, first by singing jazz standards, then moving on to soul in
the mid-'60s, then entering the most commercial phase of his career with
a very successful run at Philadelphia International during the mid-to-late
'70s. Even after his record sales started to decline, Rawls remained a
highly visible figure in the entertainment world, pursuing an acting and
voice-over career in addition to his continued concert appearances. Lou
Rawls was 70 years old.
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What's new this month . . .
CD
Reviews:
All The Right Reasons
– Nickelback
Days of Horses – Aztec Two Step
Joe Perry – Joe Perry
The Great Divide – Scott Stapp
Bullet in a Bible – Green Day
Gone Ain't Gone – Tim Fite
Round Midnight – The Coffin
Lids
Down In Albion – Babyshambles
Live at the Longhorn – Hypstrz
Feature
Article:
Lookin' For The Heart of Saturday Night:
One Man's Search For Dion
by Ray D'Ariano
Best
of the Best:
Buddy
Holly
Otis Redding