R&B/Soul
United States
Wilson Pickett
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About Wilson Pickett
A pioneer of ’60s soul music, singer and songwriter Wilson Pickett defined an era with hits like “In the Midnight Hour” and “Mustang Sally.”
• Born in Alabama, Pickett moved to Detroit as a teenager to live with his father. He got his start singing in church, and in 1955, he joined the gospel group The Violinaires.
• Pickett joined the R&B group The Falcons in 1959. He cowrote and sang lead vocals on 1962’s “I Found a Love,” a Top 10 R&B hit.
• In 1963, he sent a solo demo track titled “If You Need Me” to Atlantic Records, hoping to swing a record deal. Instead of signing Pickett, Atlantic gave the song to their artist Solomon Burke.
• Later that year, a determined Pickett notched a Top 10 R&B hit with the single “It’s Too Late.” Impressed by the track, Atlantic finally signed the promising artist.
• He topped the R&B charts and notched his first Top 40 pop hit with 1965’s gold-certified, Grammy-nominated “In the Midnight Hour.”
• Pickett managed two Top 10 pop hits before the decade was out: “Land of 1000 Dances” (1966) and “Funky Broadway” (1967).
• Pickett collaborated with Philadelphia superproducers Gamble and Huff on 1970’s In Philadelphia. His career began to decline soon after.
• He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.
• In 1999, Pickett released It’s Harder Now, his first studio album in a decade and his last before retirement. The LP earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.
• Pickett died from a heart attack in 2006. He was 64.
Musical InfluencesWilson Pickett's musical influences include James Brown, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and more.
Influenced by Wilson PickettWilson Pickett has influenced the music of Rod Stewart, The Who, Al Green and more.
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