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Jackie Wilson

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Wikimp3 information about the music of Jackie Wilson. On our website we have 42 albums and 70 collections of artist Jackie Wilson. You can find useful information and download songs of this artist. We also know that Jackie Wilson represents Soul genres.

Biography

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Jackie Wilson was one of the most important agents of black pop's transition from R&B into soul. In terms of vocal power (especially in the upper register), few could outdo him; he was also an electrifying on-stage showman. He was a consistent hitmaker from the mid-'50s through the early '70s, although never a crossover superstar. His reputation isn't quite on par with Ray Charles, James Brown, or Sam Cooke, however, because his records did not always reflect his artistic genius. Indeed, there is a consensus of sorts among critics that Wilson was something of an underachiever in the studio, due to the sometimes inappropriately pop-based material and arrangements that he used.

Wilson was well-known on the R&B scene before he went solo in the late '50s. In 1953 he replaced Clyde McPhatter in Billy Ward & the Dominoes, one of the top R&B vocal groups of the '50s. Although McPhatter was himself a big star, Wilson was as good as or better than the man whose shoes he filled. Commercially, however, things took a downturn for the Dominoes in the Wilson years, although they did manage a Top 20 hit with "St. Therese of the Roses" in 1956. Elvis Presley was one of those who was mightily impressed by Wilson in the mid-'50s; he can be heard praising Jackie's on-stage cover of "Don't Be Cruel" in between-song banter during the Million Dollar Quartet session in late 1956.

Wilson would score his first big R&B (and small pop) hit in late 1956 with the brassy, stuttering "Reet Petite," which was co-written by an emerging Detroit songwriter named Berry Gordy Jr. Gordy would also help write a few other hits for Jackie in the late '50s, "To Be Loved," "Lonely Teardrops," "That's Why (I Love You So)," and "I'll Be Satisfied"; they also crossed over to the pop charts, "Lonely Teardrops" making the Top Ten. Most of these were upbeat, creatively arranged marriages of pop and R&B that, in retrospect, helped set the stage both for '60s soul and for Gordy's own huge pop success at Motown. The early Gordy-Wilson association has led some historians to speculate how much differently (and better) Jackie's career might have turned out had he been on Motown's roster instead of the Brunswick label.

In the early '60s, Wilson maintained his pop stardom with regular hit singles that often used horn arrangements and female choruses that have dated somewhat badly, especially in comparison with the more creative work by peers such as Charles and Brown from this era. Wilson also sometimes went into out-and-out operatic pop, as on "Danny Boy" and one of his biggest hits, "Night" (1960). At the same time, he remained capable of unleashing a sweaty, up-tempo, gospel-soaked number: "Baby Workout," which fit that description to a T, was a number five hit for him in 1963. It's true that you have to be pretty selective in targeting the worthwhile Wilson records from this era; 1962's At the Copa, for instance, has Jackie trying to combine soul and all-around entertainment, and not wholly succeeding with either strategy. Yet some of his early Brunswick material is also fine uptown soul; not quite as earthy as some of his fans would have liked him to sound, no doubt, but worth hearing.

Wilson was shot and seriously wounded by a female fan in 1961, though he made a recovery. His career was more seriously endangered by his inability to keep up with changing soul and rock trends. Not everything he did in the mid-'60s is totally dismissible; "No Pity (In the Naked City)," for instance, is something like West Side Story done uptown soul style. In 1966, his career was briefly revived when he teamed up with Chicago soul producer Carl Davis, who had been instrumental in the success of Windy City performers like Gene Chandler, Major Lance, and Jerry Butler. Davis successfully updated Wilson's sound with horn-heavy arrangements, getting near the Top Ten with "Whispers," and then making number six in 1967 with "Higher and Higher." And that was really the close of Wilson's career as either a significant artist or commercial force, although he had some minor chart entries through the early '70s.

While playing a Dick Clark oldies show at the Latin Casino in New Jersey in September 1975, Wilson suffered an on-stage heart attack while singing "Lonely Teardrops." He lapsed into a coma, suffering major brain damage, and was hospitalized until his death in early 1984.

Title: Busy As A Bee

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: Sexy Lady

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Hip Hop/R&B

Title: In The Spotlight

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: Shadow

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock, Punk Rock

Title: Unusual Sounds

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: This Spring Feeling

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: Golden Moments

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: Legendary

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Hip Hop/R&B

Title: At High Altitude

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: Nobody Home

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: Bouquet

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: Scenic Flight

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: Wood Love

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Blues

Title: NYC 1961-1966 (CD1)

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Soul

Title: Profoundly Love

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: World Of Super Hits

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Pop

Title: Out Of Mind

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Blues

Title: Headman

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Blues

Title: The Balloon

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock, Punk Rock

Title: Hit Story

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul

Title: Out There

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Blues

Title: Hidden Insights

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Rock

Title: Tango

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Hip Hop/R&B

Title: Tropicana

Artist: Jackie Wilson

Genre: Blues

Collections

Title: 100 Soul Hits

Genre: Rock

Title: Tear Jerkers, Vol.2

Genre: Pop

Title: Beat Generation

Genre: Rock, Pop

Title: The Million Airs

Genre: Pop

Featuring albums

Title: Best of 60's

Artist: Various Artists

Genre: Pop, Pop Rock

Title: Stompin Party (CD1)

Artist: Stompin Party

Genre: Pop

Title: Sweet Soul Music

Artist: Solid Gold

Genre: Soul

Title: Crooners - Best Of

Artist: The Crooners

Genre: Jazz, Pop, Retro

Genres