Jackie Wilson
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| Jackie Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Image:Replace this image male.svg | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jack Leroy Wilson, Jr. |
| Also known as | Mr. Excitement |
| Born | June 9 1934 |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | January 21 1984 (aged 49) |
| Genre(s) | R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1953 - 1975 |
| Label(s) | Brunswick |
| Associated acts | The Dominoes |
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer important in the development of rhythm and blues into soul. Gaining fame in his early years as a member of the R&B vocal group, The Dominoes, after going solo in 1957, he will record over fifty hit singles over a repertoire that included R&B, pop, soul, doo-wop and easy listening before relapsing into a coma following a collapse on stage during a 1975 benefit concert. By the time of his death in 1984, he had become one of the most influential soul artists of his generation.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early years and career
Jack Leroy Wilson, Jr. was born the only son of Jack, Sr. and Eliza Mae Wilson in Detroit, Michigan. Growing up in the Highland Park area of North End, Jackie, who was also called "Sonny" by friends, grew up rough joining a gang called the Shakers and often getting in trouble. He dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and by that time had been sentenced to juvenile detention twice. After his second trip to detention, he discovered boxing and began to box around the Detroit area eventually winning the Golden Gloves division in Detroit at the age of 16. After marrying his first wife and becoming a father at 17, Wilson traded the gloves for singing forming a group that included future Four Tops member and his cousin Levi Stubbs. He was soon discovered by talent agent Johnny Otis, who put him up on his wing and assigned him to join a group called the Thrillers. That group would later be known as The Royals but Wilson wasn't part of the group when they changed their name and signed with King. After recording a few sides with Dizzy Gillespie's label, he joined The Dominoes after a successful audition to replace Clyde McPhatter, who had left to join The Drifters. Wilson was the group's lead singer producing the pop hit, "St. Therese of the Roses" for over a year before he began a solo career in 1957.
[edit] Solo stardom
In 1957, Wilson signed a solo contract with Brunswick Records, a subsidiary division of Decca and released his first single, "Reet Petite", which became a modest R&B success. The song was written by another former boxer named Berry Gordy, Jr., who co-wrote it with partner Roquel Davis. Soon the duo composed and produced a sizeable collection of hit singles for Wilson including "To Be Loved", "That's Why", "I'll Be Satisfied" and his late-1958 single, "Lonely Teardrops". The latter single established him as an R&B superstar. Wilson was as exciting onstage as he was in the studio performing dance moves and singing with such a fervor that he was soon christened "Mr. Excitement", a title he'll keep for the remainder of his career. In 1958, Davis and Gordy left Wilson after royalty disputes escalated between them and Wilson's manager Nat Tarnpol. Davis soon became a successful staff songwriter for Chess Records while Gordy used the money earned from his work with Wilson to form Motown Records in his native Detroit. Meanwhile, convinced that Wilson could venture out of R&B and rock and roll, Tarnpol had the singer record operatic ballads and easy listening material. Wilson scored hits as he entered the sixties with the soon-to-be standard, "Doggin' Around", the ballad "Night", and the dance hit, "Baby Workout". After experiencing a lull in his career between 1964 and 1967, he scored two comeback singles with Chicago soul producer Carl Davis with the songs, "Whispers (Gettin' Louder)" and his signature staple, "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher', which became one of his final pop hits followed by "I Get the Sweetest Feeling". Between then and 1975, Wilson recorded more singles that found success on the R&B chart. His final hit, "You Got Me Walkin'", was released in 1972.
[edit] Personal life
Wilson was shot and wounded by one of his alleged lovers, Juanita Jones, on February 15, 1961. Allegedly, Jones shot Wilson in a jealous rage as he returned to his apartment with another woman, fashion model Harlean Harris, an ex-girlfriend of singer Sam Cooke. In order to protect his reputation, his management concocted a story that Jones was an obsessed fan who threatened to shoot herself, and that Wilson's intervention concluded in his being shot. Astonishingly, the story was accepted, and no charges were brought against Jones. Freda Hood, Jackie's first wife with whom he had 4 kids with, divorced him in 1965 after fourteen years of marriage. He married Harlean Harris in 1967. He and Harlean split soon after. Jackie met and lived with Lynn and had 2 children with her. They had a civil marriage union. He was with Lynn up until Wilson's 1975 on stage accident. Since he and Harris never officially divorced, Harris was soon playing the role of Wilson's caretaker for the singer's remaining nine years of life.
[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". The blow to the head Wilson suffered left him comatose. For the next eight years and four months he was in a vegetative state until his death at age 49. Al Green, the soul singer, was one of the few artists who regularly visited a bed-ridden Jackie.
According to the biography, Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops[1], he received a well-publicized funeral attended by approximately 1,500 relatives, friends and fans. He is interred in the Westlawn Cemetery in Wayne, Michigan.
[edit] Tributes and legacy
In 1985, soul/funk band The Commodores recorded "Nightshift" in memory of Wilson and soul singer Marvin Gaye, who both died in 1984. Reaching No. 1 R&B and No. 3 pop in the US, it was the group's biggest post-Lionel Richie hit.
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.
Michael Jackson honored Jackie Wilson at the 1984 Grammy Awards. Jackson dedicated his Album of the Year Grammy for Thriller to Jackie, saying, "In the entertainment business, there are leaders and there are followers. And I just want to say that I think Jackie Wilson was a wonderful entertainer...I love you and thank you so much."[2]
Wilson is also mentioned in the rap song "Thugz Mansion" by Tupac Shakur. 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 success was likely due in part to a new animated video made for the song, featuring a clay model of Wilson, that became hugely popular on television. The following year he hit the UK charts again with "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" (No.3), and "Higher And Higher" (No.11).
Rita Coolidge covered "Higher and Higher" in 1977; her version outcharted Wilson's original on the US pop charts, reaching No. 2 and earning a gold record.
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.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #68 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[3]
In 2007, Wilson's music will be featured in a film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's book Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.
[edit] Discography
For a detailed listing of singles and albums, see Jackie Wilson discography.
[edit] US and UK Top Ten singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
| US Top 10 pop | US Top 10 R&B | UK Top 10 | ||
| 1957 | "Reet Petite" | - | - | #6 |
| 1957 | "To Be Loved" | - | #7 | - |
| 1958 | "Lonely Teardrops" | #7 | #1 | - |
| 1959 | "That's Why (I Love You So)" | - | #2 | - |
| 1959 | "I'll Be Satisfied" | - | #6 | - |
| 1959 | "You Better Know It" | - | #1 | - |
| 1959 | "Talk That Talk" | - | #3 | - |
| 1960 | "A Woman, A Lover, A Friend" | - | #1 | - |
| 1960 | "Night" | #4 | - | - |
| 1960 | "Alone At Last" | #8 | - | - |
| 1960 | "Stop Doggin' Around" | - | #1 | - |
| 1960 | "Am I The Man" | - | #10 | - |
| 1961 | "My Empty Arms" | #9 | - | - |
| 1961 | "The Tear of the Year" | - | #10 | - |
| 1961 | "I'm Comin' On Back to You" | - | #9 | - |
| 1963 | "Baby Workout" | #5 | #1 | - |
| 1966 | "Whispers (Gettin' Louder)" | - | #5 | - |
| 1967 | "(Your Love Keeps Liftin' Me) Higher and Higher" | #6 | #1 | - |
| 1970 | "(I Can Feel These Vibrations) This Love is For Real" | - | #9 | - |
| 1972 | "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" (UK re-release) | - | - | #9 |
| 1986 | "Reet Petite" (UK re-release) | - | - | #1 |
[edit] Hit albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
| US pop | US R&B | |||
| 1963 | Baby Workout | #36 | * | |
| 1963 | Merry Christmas from Jackie Wilson | #6 | * | |
| 1966 | Whispers | - | #15 | |
| 1967 | Higher and Higher | - | #28 | |
| 1968 | Manufacturers of Soul | - | #18 | |
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0415974305/qid=1113300805/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-4172926-1268912
- ^ Lisa D. Campbell, Michael Jackson: The King of Pop, p. 77
- ^ The Immortals: The First Fifty. Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
[edit] External links
- Jackie Wilson discography
- Jackie Wilson at the Internet Movie Database
- Jackie Wilson's Gravesite
- History-of-Rockda:Jackie Wilson
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