Jackie Wilson

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Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson

Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American soul and R&B singer born in Detroit, Michigan.

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[edit] Career

Wilson became active in the music business in Detroit. He joined Billy Ward & the Dominoes in 1953, replacing Clyde McPhatter. After losing McPhatter, the group's only recording success with Wilson came in June of 1956 with the single "St. Therese of The Roses" that reached number 13 on the Pop charts.

Wilson's solo career begin with 1957's "Reet Petite", written by the then unknown Berry Gordy, Jr. and recorded on the Brunswick Records label with whom Wilson would remain throughout his career. He had his first top 40 hit in 1958 with "To Be Loved". At the end of that year he had his first big success with "Lonely Teardrops" that went to #7 on the charts. The song, also written by Gordy, became his signature tune. That same year saw Wilson release his first LP titled He's So Fine.

Wilson's brand of soul and R&B helped him cross over to the mainstream, having several pop hits. His dynamic stage performances earned him the nickname "Mr. Excitement". His performance of "Lonely Teardrops" on the Ed Sullivan Show is considered one of the show's classics. In the 1960s, Wilson continued to record singles, many of them operatic, such as "Danny Boy" or "Night", others were up-tempo and exciting, such as "Baby Workout" in 1963.

His career began to suffer in the mid-60s, though he managed a brief revival by collaborating with Carl Davis, a legendary Chicago producer. This resulted in two hits, "Whispers" and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher". The revival was short-lived, though, and Wilson rarely charted in the 1970s.

[edit] Personal Life

Wilson converted to Judaism as an adult.

Although married to Frida Hood since 1951, Wilson was a notorious womanizer and was shot and wounded by one of his alleged lovers, Juanita Jones, on February 15, 1961, in a jealous rage as he returned to his apartment with another woman, fashion model Harlean Harris, an ex-girlfriend of singer Sam Cooke. As a married man conducting extra-marital affairs, his management decided, as a way not to damage his career, to concoct a story that Jones was an obsessed fan who threatened to shoot herself, and that Wilson's intervention concluded in him being shot. Astonishingly, the story was accepted, and no charges were brought against Jones. He was divorced from his wife in 1965, and married Harlean Harris in 1967. He stayed with her until his death.

[edit] Death

Wilson suffered a massive heart attack while playing a Dick Clark show at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on September 29, 1975, falling head-first to the stage; he was singing "Lonely Teardrops". A comatose Wilson lived in a hospital until his death at age 49. His medical costs were paid for by Dick Clark.

Wilson is interred in the Westlawn Cemetery in Wayne, Michigan.

[edit] Tributes and Legacy

In 1985, successful soul/funk band The Commodores recorded "Nightshift" in memory of Wilson, as well as soul singer Marvin Gaye, who died in the same year as Wilson.

Van Morrison also recorded a tribute song called "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" on his 1972 hit album Saint Dominic's Preview. This song was later covered by Dexys Midnight Runners. When the track was performed on the British TV show Top of the Pops, a picture of Wilson was intended to be used in the background - but an intentional joke by the band and the production staff meant that a picture of darts player Jocky Wilson was used instead.

Wilson is also mentioned in the rap song "Thugz Mansion" featuring Tupac Shakur and Nas. The exact lyric is:

"Seen a show with Marvin Gaye last night,
It had me shook, sippin' peppermint schnapps
With Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke."

Wilson scored a posthumous hit when "Reet Petite" reached number one in the United Kingdom in 1986, this was likely due in part to a new animated video made for the song which featured a model of Wilson made from clay that became hugely popular on television. The following year,he also hit the UK charts again with "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" (No.3), and "Higher and Higher" (No.11).

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; that same year, he was portrayed in the Richie Valens biopic La Bamba by Howard Huntsberry.

In 1989, "Higher and Higher" was featured heavily in the film Ghostbusters II, the soundtrack album of which featured a cover version of the song by Howard Huntsberry.

[edit] Discography

  • 1987 Through the Years
  • 1986 Higher and Higher--Greatest Hits
  • 1985 Reet Petite
  • 1983 The Jackie Wilson Story, Pt. 2
  • 1983 The Jackie Wilson Story
  • 1982 Jackie Wilson: Standing Room Only
  • 1978 Innovations
  • 1976 Nobody But You
  • 1974 Nowstalgia
  • 1973 This Love Is Real
  • 1971 Its All a Part of Love
  • 1971 You Got Me Walking
  • 1971 Beautiful Day
  • 1970 Do Your Thing
  • 1969 It's All Part of Love
  • 1968 Two Much
  • 1968 Manufacturers of Soul
  • 1968 I Get the Sweetest Feeling
  • 1967 Whispers
  • 1967 Higher and Higher
  • 1966 Soul Galore
  • 1965 Soul Time
  • 1965 Spotlight
  • 1964 Somethin' Else
  • 1963 Merry Christmas from Jackie Wilson
  • 1963 Baby Workout
  • 1963 Shake a Hand
  • 1962 The World's Greatest Melodies
  • 1962 Body and Soul
  • 1962 Jackie Wilson at the Copa
  • 1961 By Special Request
  • 1961 Try a Little Tenderness
  • 1961 You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet
  • 1960 So Much
  • 1960 Dynamic Jackie Wilson
  • 1960 A Woman, a Lover, a Friend
  • 1960 Sings the Blues
  • 1960 Night
  • 1960 Jackie Sings the Blues
  • 1959 Dogging Around
  • 1959 Jackie Wilson
  • 1959 Lonely Teardrops
  • 1958 He's So Fine

[edit] External links

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