Jackie Wilson

src: wdet.org

Jack Leroy " Jackie " Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 - January 21, 1984) is an American singer and soul player. A tenor with a four octave vocal range, he is nicknamed "Master Spirit", and is important in the transition of rhythm and blues into the soul. He is considered a master showman, and one of the most dynamic and influential singers and performers in R & D history B and rock 'n' roll. Gained fame in his early years as a member of the vocal group R & amp; B, Billy Ward and his Domino, he went solo in 1957 and recorded over 50 hit singles that spanned R & B, pop, soul, doo-wop and easy listening. This includes 16 hit R & amp; B Top 10, including six R & amp; B. On Billboard Hot 100, he scored 14 Top 20 Pop hits, six of which made it into Pop Top 10. Wilson was one of the most influential artists of his generation.

Twice Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee, Wilson was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Jackie Wilson # 69 on the list 100 Greatest Artist of All Time.

Video Jackie Wilson

Biography

Early years and careers

Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. born on June 9, 1934, in Detroit, Michigan, the only son of singer-songwriter Jack Leroy Wilson, Sr. (1903-1983) and Eliza Mae Wilson (1907-1984), when she lost two children before. Eliza Mae was born at Billups-Whitfield Place in Columbus, Mississippi. His parents are Tom and Virginia Ransom. Jackie often visits his family in Columbus and is strongly influenced by the choir at Billups Chapel. Growing up in the Detroit Highland Park enclave in the suburbs, Wilson joins a gang called Shakers and gets into trouble often. Wilson's alcoholic father is often absent and usually does not work. Wilson began singing at an early age, accompanying his mother, once a choir singer, to church. In his teenage years, Jackie joined the quartet, the Ever-Ready Gospel Singer, which became a popular feature of churches in the area. Jackie is not very religious, but she enjoys singing; the money he and his group earn from the show is usually spent on cheap wine, which Wilson starts drinking at the age of nine. Jack Sr. and Eliza parted shortly after Jackie was nine years old.

Wilson dropped out of high school at the age of 15, has been sentenced to jail in the Lansing correction system for teens twice. During the second task in custody, he studied to the box and started competing around the Detroit amateur circuit at the age of 16. His record in Gold Gloves is 2 and 8. After his mother forced him to stop boxing, Wilson married Freda Hood and fathered at 17. It is estimated Wilson inherited at least 10 other children before marriage, and that he was forced to marry Hood by his father. He gave up boxing for music, first working at Club Sensation Lee as a solo singer, then formed a group called Falcons (the same Falcons Wilson Pickett was later part of), which included cousin Levi Stubbs, who then proceeded to lead the Four Peaks ( two more Wilson's cousins, Hubert Johnson and Levi's brother, Joe, then a contingent member). Other members join Hank Ballard as part of Midnighters. including Alonzo Tucker and Billy Davis, who will work with Wilson a few years later as a solo artist. Tucker and Wilson collaborated as songwriters on several songs recorded by Wilson.

Wilson was soon discovered by talent agent Johnny Otis, who assigned him to join a group called Thriller. The group would later become known as Royals (which later evolved into an R & amp; B, Midnighters, but Wilson group was not part of the group when it was renamed and signed with King Records). LaVern Baker, Little Willie John, Johnnie Ray and Della Reese are acts run by Al Green (not to be confused with R & B Al Green singers, or Albert "Al" Green of the now defunct National Records). Al Green has two music publishing companies, Pearl Music and Merrimac Music, and the Flames Show Bar in Detroit where Wilson met Baker.

After recording his first version of "Danny Boy" and several other songs on the record label Dizzy Gillespie Dee Gee Records under the name Sonny Wilson (nickname), Wilson was eventually hired by Billy Ward in 1953 to join the Ward group formed in 1950 called Domino, after Wilson's successful audition to replace the very popular Clyde McPhatter, who left Domino and formed his own group, Drifters. Wilson nearly lost his chances that day, appearing to call himself "Dammit" Wilson and boasting to be a better singer than McPhatter.

Billy Ward felt the stage name would match the image of Domino, then the Jackie Wilson. Before leaving Domino, McPinkter coached Wilson to the sound that Billy Ward wanted for his group, which influenced Wilson's singing and stage style. "I learned a lot from Clyde, the very high choke he uses and stuff... Clyde McPhatter is my man Clyde and Billy Ward." The 1940s blues singer Roy Brown also had a big effect on him, and Wilson grew up listening to Mills Brothers, Spots Ink, Louis Jordan and Al Jolson.

Wilson was the group's top singer for three years, but Domino lost some of their pace with McPhatter's departure. They were able to make an upward appearance on the strength of the group that had previously been hits, until 1956 when Domino recorded Wilson with an unlikely interpretation of the hit pop "St Therese of the Roses", giving Domino another moment in the spotlight (The only successful post-McPhatter Their Wilson was "Stardust", released July 15, 1957, and "Deep Purple", released October 7, 1957.) In 1957 Wilson set out to start his solo career, leaving Domino and collaborating with Levi's cousin and getting a job at Detroit's Flame Show Bar. Then, Al Green made a deal with Decca Records, and Wilson signed a contract with the label of their subsidiary, Brunswick.

Solo star

Shortly after Wilson signed a solo contract with Brunswick, Green suddenly died. Green's business partner, Nat Tarnopol, took over as manager of Wilson (and later rose to president of Brunswick). Wilson's first single was released, "Reet Petite" (from his first album Dia So Fine ), which became a successful R & B (and many years later, a huge international success). The song was written by Berry Gordy Jr. (another former boxer born in Detroit), who co-wrote with partner Roquel "Billy" Davis (who also uses the pseudonym Tyran Carlo) and Gordy's sister, Gwendolyn. The trio consisted and produced six further singles for Wilson, which included "To Be Loved", "I'm Wanderin '", "We Have Love", "That's Why (I Love You So)", "I'll Be Satisfied" and his 1958 song "Lonely Teardrops", which reached number 7 on the pop charts, No. 1 on the R & amp charts B in the US, and set it as an R & amp; B known for its extraordinary, operatic multi-octave vocals. "Lonely Teardrops" sold over a million copies, and was awarded a gold disk by the RIAA.

Due to his enthusiasm when performing, with his dynamic dance moves, his singing and his perfect clothes, he was immediately baptized "Mr. Excitement", a title he would retain for the rest of his career. His stagecraft in the show inspired James Brown, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley, as well as a number of other artists who followed. Presley was so impressed with Wilson that he could meet him, and the two instantly became good friends. In a photo of two people posing together, Presley's title on the signature reads, "You have a friend for life." Wilson is sometimes called "The Black Elvis". Reportedly, when asked about this Presley, say, "I guess that makes me a white Jackie Wilson." Wilson also said he was influenced by Presley as well, saying "Many people accuse Elvis of stealing black music, when in fact, almost every solo black entertainer imitates his stage behavior from Elvis."

Wilson's powerful and thrilling performances rarely failed to bring audiences to a frenzy. His live performances consisted of a drop of knee, split, twist, back-flips, one-story slide on the floor, removing his tie and jacket and throwing it off the stage, and many basic boxing steps (forward and backward dragging feet, and one of his favorite routines, the less attractive woman in the audience to go up to the stage and kiss her.Wilson often said "if I get the ugliest girl in the audience to come and kiss me, they'I'll think they can have me and keep going back and buy my notes. "

Wilson is also regular on TV, making regular appearances on shows like The Ed Sullivan Show, American Bandstand, Shindig! , Shivaree and Hullabaloo . The only movie appearance is in the rock and roll movies Go, Johnny, Go! , where he performed his hit song in 1959 "You Better Know It".

In 1958, Davis and Gordy left Wilson and Brunswick after an increasing royalty dispute between them and Nat Tarnopol. Davis soon became a successful songwriter and staff producer for Chess Records, while Gordy borrowed $ 800 from his family and used the money he earned from royalty writing for Wilson to start his own recording studio, Hitsville USA, the Detroit Motown Records foundation. In the meantime, sure that Wilson can get out of R & amp; B and rock and roll, Tarnopol has singer opera ballads and easy-to-hear material, pairing them with Decca Records veteran Dick Jacobs.

Wilson scored hits as he entered the 1960s with No. 15 "Doggin 'Around", No pop ballad. 1 "Night", millions of other salespeople, and "Baby Workout", another Top 10 hit (No. 5), she made with Midnighters member Alonzo Tucker. The songwriting alliance with Tucker also produced other songs, including "No Pity (In The Naked City)" and "I'm So Lonely." Top 10 hits followed by "Alone At Last" (No. 8 in 1960) and "My Empty Arms" (No. 9 of 1961).

Also in 1961, Wilson recorded a tribute album for Al Jolson, Nowstalgia... You Is not Heard Nothin 'Yet , which included the only album liner notes he once wrote: "... for the greatest entertainers of this era or any other... I think I have almost every recording ever made, and I rarely miss listening to it on the radio... For three years I made a note, I've had the ambition to make a song album, which for me, representing Jolson's great legacy... It's just my reverence to the person I admire most in this business... to keep Jolson's legacy alive. "The album failed commercially.

Following the success of "Baby Workout", Wilson experienced a quiet period in his career between 1964 and 1966 when Tarnopol and Brunswick Records released a string of unsuccessful albums and singles. Despite his lack of sales success, he still made artistic gains as he recorded albums with Count Basie, as well as a series of duets with rhythm and blues artist LaVern Baker and gospel singer Linda Hopkins.

In 1966, he scored two of his two major comeback genres with established Chicago soul producer Carl Davis with "Whispers (Gettin 'Louder)" and "(Love Me Lifting Me) Higher and Higher", pop no. 6 in 1967, which became one of his last hits. This was followed by "I Get the Sweetest Feeling", which, despite the early success of a simple chart in the US (Billboard Pop # 34), has since become one of the greatest international chart successes, becoming the Top 10 hit in Britain twice, 1972 and in 1987, and 20 Top hits in the Top 40 of the Netherlands, and has spawned numerous cover versions by other artists such as Edwin Starr, Will Young, Erma Franklin (Aretha Franklin's brother) and Liz McClarnon.

The key to the rebirth of his music is that Davis insisted that Wilson no longer recorded with Brunswick musicians in New York; on the contrary, he will record with the legendary Detroit musicians usually employed by Motown Records and also Davis's own Chicago based session player. The Detroit musicians, known as the Funk Brothers, participated in Wilson's recording because of their respect for Davis and Wilson.

In 1975, Wilson and the Chi-Lites were the only important artists left on the Brunswick list. Wilson continued to record singles that found success on the R & D chart; B, but did not find the success of a significant pop chart. His final hit, "You Got Me Walkin", written by Eugene Records of the Chi-Lites, was released in 1972 with Chi-Lites supporting it on vocals and instruments.

Death

On September 29, 1975, Wilson was one of the actors who played a role in Dick Clark's Good Ol 'Rock and Roll Revue, organized by the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She was singing "Lonely Teardrops" when she suffered a heart attack. When he collapsed on stage, the audience initially thought it was part of acting. Clark felt something was wrong, then ordered the musicians to stop the music. Cornell Gunter of the Coasters, who was backstage, saw Wilson not breathing. Gunter was able to resuscitate him and Wilson was then rushed to the nearest hospital.

The medical worker works to stabilize his vital signs, but lack of oxygen to his brain causes him to go into a coma. He recovered briefly in early 1976, and was even able to take some shaky steps but returned to semi-coma. He was considered conscious but paralyzed in early June 1976, unable to speak but aware of his surroundings. He was a resident of Medford Leas Retirement Center in Medford, New Jersey, when he entered Burlington County Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly, New Jersey, due to difficulty in getting food, according to Wilson lawyer John Mulkerin.

Jackie Wilson died on January 21, 1984, at the age of 49 due to complications of pneumonia. He was originally buried in an unnamed grave in Westlawn Cemetery near Detroit. In 1987, fundraising by a Detroit radio station garnered enough money to buy a headstone.

Maps Jackie Wilson

Personal life

Wilson's personal life was filled with tragedy. In 1960 in New Orleans, he was arrested and charged with attacking a police officer when fans tried to get on stage. He attacked a policeman who encouraged one of his fans. Wilson has a reputation for being angry. Patti LaBelle accused Wilson of sexually assaulting her at a theater in Brooklyn.

On February 15, 1961, in Manhattan, Wilson was injured in the shootings. Media reports state the true story behind this incident is one of her female friends, Juanita Jones, shooting and wounding her in anger of jealousy when she returns to Manhattan apartment with another woman, Harlean Harris fashion model, ex-boyfriend Sam Cooke. Wilson's management should make up stories to protect Wilson's reputation; that Jones is an obsessed fan who threatens to shoot himself, and that Wilson's intervention caused him to be shot. Wilson was shot in the stomach: The bullet would result in kidney loss, and lodged too close to his spine for surgery. In early 1975, during an interview with author Arnold Shaw, Wilson stated that it was a fanatical fan that he did not know who shot him. "We also had trouble in 1961. That's when some crazy girl shot me and almost made me go away for good..." The passionate fan story was accepted, and no charges were filed against Jones.

One and a half months later after the shooting incident, Jackie Wilson was discharged from the hospital. By then Wilson had announced an annual income of $ 263,000, while the average salary earned by a man was only $ 5,000 per year. But he found that, despite being at the peak of success, he went bankrupt. Around this time the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) confiscated the Wilson family home in Detroit. Tarnopol and his accountants should take care of such things. Wilson made arrangements with the IRS to restitution on unpaid taxes; he also bought back the family home at the auction. Nat Tarnopol has taken advantage of Wilson's na'domain, mismanaged his money since becoming his manager. Tarnopol also had financial powers over Wilson, giving him complete control over Wilson's money. Wilson is a trusting soul, trusting people he should not have like Tarnopol and some other Wilson managers.

Tarnopol and 18 other Brunswick executives were indicted on federal allegations of letter fraud and tax evasion stemming from a pay-off scandal and payola scandal in 1975. Also in the indictment were allegations that Tarnopol owed at least $ 1 million in royalties to Wilson. In 1976, Tarnopol and others were found guilty; the appeals court overturned their conviction 18 months later. Although the verdict was dropped, the judge detailed that Tarnopol and Brunswick Records committed fraud against their artists, and they felt confident that there was enough evidence for Wilson to file a lawsuit. However, attempts to sue Tarnopol for royalty never occurred, as Wilson lay in a semi-coma nursing home. Tarnopol never paid Wilson the money he came to him, and Wilson died of debt to the IRS and Brunswick Records.

One of the key points of the federal tax fraud trial from Tarnopol and other Brunswick executives came when Eugene Record of the Chi-Lites testified that he had been attacked during a contract negotiation at Brunswick's office in New York. The record states that he asked Tarnopol for an advance on the recording in 1972 when a colleague from Tarnopol, whose Records were identified as Johnny Roberts, asked Tarnopol "should I turn his nose? Before any answer came up, Rekam said Roberts "suddenly started twisting my nose, and as I pushed his arm away, he punched my face, turned off my glasses." A similar story concerns Wilson, who was reportedly hanged out of Tarnopol's office window near his feet when Wilson asked about money, according to Chuck Barksdale of The Dells.

In March 1967, Wilson and friend/drummer Jimmy Smith were arrested in South Carolina with "moral accusations"; both entertaining two 24-year-old white women in their motel room.

Freda Hood, Wilson's first wife, with whom she had four children, divorced her in 1965 after 14 years of marriage because she was frustrated with a notorious woman. Even though the divorce is friendly, Freda will regret his decision. Her 16-year-old son, Jackie Jr., was shot and killed on a neighbor's patio near their home in Detroit in 1970. Jackie Jr.'s death destroy Wilson. He drowned in a period of depression, and for the next few years remained largely a recluse. More tragedy struck when two Wilson daughters died at a young age. Her daughter Sandra died in 1977 at the age of 24 because of a heart attack. Jacqueline Wilson was killed in 1988 in a drug-related incident in Highland Park, Michigan.

Wilson's second marriage was to Harlean Harris's model in 1967 with whom he had three children, but they also split up in 1970. Wilson later met and lived with Lynn Guidry, a woman who would have two children with her. There was also a woman named Joyce McCrae, a fan who tried to take on the role of Wilson's caregiver when she was in a nursing home. He was with Guidry, who got the impression that he was his legal wife, until his heart attack in 1975. However, when he and Harris were never officially divorced, Harris took on Wilson's nanny role for the singer's remaining nine years.

Wilson converted to Judaism as an adult.

C.C. Rider Venerates: Jackie Wilson | TheBluesMobile

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Tribut and inheritance

On August 17, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio, Jackie Wilson was inducted into R & amp; B Official Music Hall of Fame.

In 1985, Commodores recorded "Nightshift" in memory of Wilson and soul singer Marvin Gaye, both of whom died in 1984. Reached No. 1 R & amp; B and No. 3 pop in the US, and topping the Dutch singles chart, was the group's biggest hit after Lionel Richie's departure.

Van Morrison recorded a tribute song called "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" on his 1972 album Saint Dominic's Preview . This is then covered by Dexys Midnight Runners. When the song was performed on the British TV show Top of the Pops, dock image player Jocky Wilson was used instead. This is often speculated as a mistake, but Dexys frontman Kevin Rowland states that it was a deliberate joke by the band.

Michael Jackson honors Jackie Wilson at Grammy Awards 1984 Jackson presents Wilson's Album of the Year Grammy for Thriller to Wilson, saying, "In the entertainment business, there are leaders and followers, and I just want to say that I think Jackie Wilson is a wonderful entertainer... Jackie, where you are, I want to say that I love you and thank you very much. "

Until Jackson's comments, Wilson's record legacy has been inactive for nearly a decade. Tarnopol has Wilson's recordings because of the separation of Brunswick from the MCA, but the label has been closed, essentially removing Wilson's considerable legacy. When Jackson praised Wilson at the Grammy, the interest of the legendary singer was stirred, and Tarnopol released the first Wilson album (a two-tape compilation) in nearly nine years through Epic Records, Jackson's label at the time. Through Tarnopol's son, Wilson's music became more available.

In 5-part television special VH-1, Say It Loud: Black Music Festival in America, fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Smokey Robinson and Bobby Womack both paid homage to Wilson. Smokey explains that "Jackie Wilson is the most dynamic singer and player I think I've ever seen." Bobby adds "He's the real Elvis Presley, as far as I know...and Elvis also took a lot from him. "

In his autobiography To Be Loved (named for one of the hit songs he wrote for Wilson) Motown founder Berry Gordy stated that Wilson is "The greatest singer I've ever heard, the symbol of greatness of nature. some people, he set the standards I look for in singers forever ".

Wilson is mentioned in the song "Gone But Not Forgotten" sung by TQ artist, which is a song dedicated to the memory of famous musicians who have died. The lyrics go "..and Jackie, will you teach me how to slide on stage?"

Wilson scored a posthumous blow when "Reet Petite" reached number one in Great Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands in 1986. This success was most likely due to a new animated video made for the song, featuring a model of Wilson clay, which became popular on television. The following year he hit the British charts again with "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" (No. 3), and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (No. 15).

Rita Coolidge covered "Higher and Higher" in 1977; his version reached Number 2 on the US charts, producing a gold record.

In 1999, Wilson's original version of "Higher and Higher" and "Lonely Teardrops" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; both on the Rolling Stone magazine list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time .

Wilson was sworn in to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; in the same year, he was portrayed in the biography film Ritchie Valens La Bamba by Howard Huntsberry.

Wilson is referenced in the 1986 song "R.O.C.K. in the US." by John Mellencamp .

Wilson and "Lonely Teardrops" were referenced in the 1993 song "Jupiter and Teardrop" by Grant Lee Buffalo on their debut album Fuzzy .

In 1988, his version of "To Be Loved" was featured in the movie Coming to America, when Akeem and Lisa fell in love. Akeem (Eddie Murphy) then returns to the house singing the song out loud, waking up and angering his neighbor.

In 1989, "Higher and Higher" was featured in the movie Ghostbusters II, a soundtrack album featuring a cover version of the song by Howard Huntsberry. "Higher and Higher" was also featured in Eddie Murphy's 2007 film "Norbit."

In 1992, Wilson was depicted in the ABC miniseries by Grady Harrell at The Jacksons: An American Dream.

In 1994, Monkee Peter Tork recorded the cover of bluegrass-rock "Higher and Higher" on his first solo album Stranger Things Have Happened . Tork regularly performs songs in concert.
On November 18, 2011, the Black Ensemble Theater of Chicago produced a musical about the life of Wilson.
In 2014, Hozier artist released a song called "Jackie and Wilson", a drama on behalf of Wilson. The song included the lyrics "We will name our sons Jackie and Wilson and raise them with rhythm and blues."
The Jackie Wilson Hologram Tour 2018 was announced by Hologram USA on Billboard:

The singers behind 'Higher and Higher' and other hits join the growing list of USA Holograms.
Add another name to the growing list of recreational artists by Hologram USA: Jackie Wilson. Legend R & amp; B will star in a full-fledged stage show with a tour launch in 2018, co-produced by FilmOn TV Networks and distributed online by FilmOn.com. Nicknamed Mr. Excitement, Wilson is a dynamic entertainer whose stunning dance moves and pioneering crossover successes affect a number of future stars including Michael Jackson. In fact, after Thriller won a Grammy for the 1984 album, Jackson devoted his appreciation to Wilson.
Between 1958 and 1970, Wilson charted 16 top 10 R & amp; B hit and six hit pop top 10. She topped the R & amp; B six times, starting with "Lonely Teardrops" in 1958 (No. 7 on pop). Additional Detroit native No. 1 including "You Better Know It," "Doggin 'Around," "Women, Lovers, Friends," "Baby Workout" and Everlasting radio "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher." Wilson, inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, went into a coma after falling on stage in 1975. He died in 1984.
In a statement announcing the latest Hologram USA recreation artist, CEO Alki David said, "Everything you expect from an exciting rock star 'stage show is discovered by Jackie Wilson: leaps, laps and back-flips, not to mention the four amazing. " octave range. "David's partner in the installation of the new show is Plateau Music Nashville CEO, Tony Mantor, who is the Artist Manager for Bobby Brooks Wilson (Jackie's son) and Heir Jackie Wilson.