Wilson Pickett

American rhythm-and-blues singer and songwriter

• Born: March 18, 1941
• Birthplace: Prattville, Alabama
• Died: January 19, 2006
• Place of death: Near Reston, Virginia

Pickett’s unique sound, combining elements of rhythm and blues, blues, rock, jazz, and gospel, paved the way for soul.

Member of The Violinaires; the Falcons

The Life

One of eleven children, Wilson Pickett was born March 18, 1941, in Prattville, Alabama. After his parents separated, the family moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and when he was fourteen Pickett went to Detroit to live with his father. Pickett discovered music at church, and he made his first recording, for Chess Records, in 1957 as part of the gospel quartet the Violinaires. In 1961 he replaced Joe Stubbs as lead singer for the Detroit group the Falcons, whose members included Eddie Floyd and Mack Rice, who both became famous as singer-songwriters. In 1962 Pickett wrote and sang lead on the Falcons’ second hit, “I Found a Love,” after which he left to begin his solo career.

After the solo hits “If You Need Me” and “It’s Too Late,” Pickett signed a contract in 1964 with Atlantic Records, a pioneer in recording rhythm-and-blues performers. Disappointed with Pickett’s initial sessions in New York, legendary producer Jerry Wexler wanted Pickett to work with Atlantic subsidiary Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, suggesting that working with Southern musicians would better suit Pickett’s gospel-influenced style.

The resulting Stax sessions with members of the label’s house band—Booker T. and the MGs, including guitarists Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn, drummer Al Jackson, and the Memphis Horns—produced four hits in 1965: “In the Midnight Hour,” “Don’t Fight It,” “634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.),” and “Ninety-nine-and-a-half (Won’t Do).” When Stax banned outside productions, Wexler transferred Pickett’s recording sessions to the soulful Muscle Shoals, Alabama, studio of Fame Records, where he continued to flourish. By the mid-1970’s, he had more than forty songs on the rhythm-and-blues and pop charts, but no hits after “Fire and Water” in 1972. Pickett told interviewers that labels such as RCA did not know how to market the songs of African American artists.

Pickett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, the same year his music was prominently used in Alan Parker’s film The Commitments (1991). The plot involved young Irish musicians hoping to meet Pickett while he is performing in Dublin, but they just miss him. (Pickett is unseen in the film.) In the 1990’s, “Wicked” Pickett, a nickname bestowed by Wexler, had several altercations with the law while living in Teaneck, New Jersey. He was charged with assaulting his girlfriend, convicted of drunk driving after hitting a pedestrian, and arrested while driving his car over the mayor’s front lawn.

Pickett made a comeback with It’s Harder Now, nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Rhythm and Blues Performance. In 2003 he appeared in Chris Hegedus and D. A. Pennebaker’s tribute to Stax Records, Only the Strong Survive. He stopped performing because of poor health at the end of 2004, and he died of a heart attack at a hospital in Reston, Virginia, near his home in Ashburn, on January 19, 2006. Little Richard presented the eulogy at his funeral in Louisville.

The Music

Pickett frequently sang in a gospel style, employing a shout of indefinite pitch. This type of shouting contributes to the rhythmic complexity of his singing, as he shifts back and forth between high and low notes. While some have described Pickett’s voice as harsh, it has, beyond the shouting, considerable range, with soft, tender, and quite melodic qualities.

“In the Midnight Hour.” Pickett cowrote several songs with Cropper, including “In the Midnight Hour,” which became a number-one rhythm-and-blues hit and reached number twenty-one on the pop charts. The song’s combination of an impassioned vocal with loping beats has been credited with helping rhythm and blues make the transition to soul. The pulsating horns opening this and other tunes sung by Pickett helped create a template for soul extended by Stax’s arrangements for Otis Redding, whose voice had a plaintive quality missing from Pickett’s.

Danceable Soul. Pickett’s signature style—soulful and seemingly effortless—stood out in an era dominated by the Motown sound of the Supremes and the British Invasion sound inspired by 1950’s American blues and rock. The Stax arrangements stood out as well for emphasizing the versatility of horn sections at a time when the guitar was the dominant pop instrument. The music achieved a perfect balance among Pickett’s voice, the guitars of Cropper and Dunn, and the Memphis Horns. While Redding and Aretha Franklin sang of the pains of love, Pickett showed that soul could be danceable as well.

“Mustang Sally.” Pickett had a huge hit in 1966 with “Mustang Sally,” which Rice had written and recorded a year earlier. It has remained one of the most popular and frequently recorded songs from the 1960’s. “Land of One Thousand Dances,” previously recorded by Cannibal and the Headhunters, became Pickett’s biggest pop hit, reaching number six on the charts. Moving to American Studios in Memphis in 1967 and working with legendary recording engineer Tom Dowd, Pickett recorded several hits written by Bobby Womack. Pickett’s success continued after he left Stax and Atlantic for other labels, where he released “Don’t Knock My Love” and “Engine No. 9.” Ballads by Womack. After a period of hard-driving songs, Pickett returned to his original style with ballads written by Womack: “I Found a Love,” “I’m in Love,” and “Jealous Love.” He alternated between ballads and funky songs for the rest of his career. His 1971 rhythm-and-blues hit “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You” was also a hit on the country charts.

Versatility. Pickett further showed his versatility by recording a mournful version of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” and he brought a soulful bounce to the Archies’ hit “Sugar, Sugar.” During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, Pickett frequently recorded songs originated by others, including Randy Newman’s “Momma Told Me Not to Come,” the Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey, Joe,” bringing his distinctive rhythms to each.

Musical Legacy

Pickett performed with many musicians who became famous later. Isaac Hayes played piano on some of his Stax recordings, and Duane Allman played guitar on “Hey Jude,” a song he had recommended to the soul singer. Songs written by Pickett have been recorded by Aerosmith, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Los Lobos, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and Van Halen.

Pickett’s vocal style had a notable impact. He clearly learned from Hank Ballard, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and Little Richard, and just as obviously he influenced numerous others, including Redding, Franklin, Al Green, Etta James, and Tina Turner. Pickett arguably recorded the most energetic and danceable type of soul, and he was instrumental in making it a major force in American popular music.

Principal Recordings

albums:It’s Too Late, 1963; In the Midnight Hour, 1965; The Exciting Wilson Pickett, 1966; The Wicked Pickett, 1966; The Sound of Wilson Pickett, 1967; I’m in Love, 1968; The Midnight Mover, 1968; Hey Jude, 1969; Right On, 1970; Wilson Pickett in Philadelphia, 1970; Don’t Knock My Love, 1971; Engine No. 9, 1971; Miz Lena’s Boy, 1973; Mr. Magic Man, 1973; Pickett in My Pocket, 1974; A Funky Situation, 1978; I Want You, 1979; Right Track, 1981; American Soul Man, 1987; It’s Harder Now, 1999.

Bibliography

Bowman, Rob. Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997. This history of the label includes comments from those who worked with Pickett about his difficult personality.

Guralnick, Peter. Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom. New York: Harper & Row, 1986. This outstanding musical history includes interviews with Pickett.

Hirshey, Gerri. “Wilson Pickett, 1941-2006.” Rolling Stone (February 9, 2006): 17-18. In this article, Hirshey recalls her often tempestuous interviews with the singer.

Wexler, Jerry, and David Ritz. Rhythm and the Blues: A Life in American Music. New York: Knopf, 1993. The producer’s autobiography includes anecdotes about Pickett.