This week's Oldies blog will be on R&B and Soul singer Jackie Wilson. Enjoy!
What do Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson have in common? They both idolized Jackie Wilson. Jackie Wilson was a premiere showman (nicknamed Mr. Excitement) with dazzling dance moves and stage presence. Wilson could somersault backwards and do a split on cue. He was an amazing entertainer with original dance moves and natural charisma. He left his audience in awe.
Jackie Wilson was born Jack Leroy Wilson on June 9, 1934 in Detroit Michigan. Wilson was a mama’s boy and he was very popular among the ladies. Wilson was a snazzy dresser and he was known to serenade women. Early on, he decided to pursue a career as a singer.
He started out doing gospel music, though he wasn't very religious. Soon he joined a group called Billy Ward & The Dominoes in 1953. Eventually, Wilson gained many more fans with the band, including Elvis Presley.
Jackie's solo career begin with 1956’s “Reet Petite,” written by Berry Gordy Jr. who would later go on to write many of Wilson's other hits, such as “Lonely Teardrops” and “I'll Be Satisfied.”
Wilson's brand of pop, 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 is considered a classic. Women were swooning and fainting in the audience. The media began referring to him as the "Black Elvis."
In the 1960’s, Wilson continued to record singles, many of them operatic and overblown, such as “Danny Boy” or “Night,” others were up-tempo and exciting, such as “Baby Workout” in 1963.
Jacie even became good friends with Elvis, because Presley was so impressed by Wilson that he made it a point to meet Mr. Excitement, and the two instantly became good friends. Presley once dubbed Jackie "The Black Elvis."
His live performances consisted of knee-drops, splits,spins, one-footed across-the floor slides, basic boxing steps (advance and retreat shuffling) and teasing the ladies by letting one of the least attractive girls in the audience come up and kiss him. Wilson also admitted he was influenced by Presley too, saying "“A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.” However, unlike Presley, Jackie, incredibly, could somersault backward in mid air, and land into a split on cue, just one of many dynamic dance moves he was famous for.
Offstage, despite being married and keeping his wife pregnant every nine months, Wilson was a ladies man with women all over the world.
Jackie could never pass a mirror without looking in it. He was obsessive about his hair, every strand of hair had to be in place. His pompadour was his pride and joy. He was also obsessive about his appearance, his suits had to be tailored, with a silk scarf in the chest pocket and he always wore silk shirts. He also wore designer shoes.
Wilson’s career began to suffer in the mid 60’s. Due to bad management, Wilson wasn’t as popular as his peers. He also began to drink heavy and gain weight.
He managed a brief revival that resulted in two hits, “Whispers” and “Higher and Higher.” These would be his last hits. He rarely charted in the 1970’s.
According to published reports, allegedly, Wilson began taking drugs, the drinking had increased and he was in dire financial straits. He was now overweight and playing small venue’s just to make ends meet.
Wilson’s wife would eventually divorce him due to years of womanizing. Throughout the years, Wilson had also fathered kids outside the marriage.
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. Dick Clark paid the majority of his medical bills and several R&B singers organized charity events to help with the expenses.
Jackie Wilson died in 1984. Wilson was one of the greatest entertainers in the world yet he was buried in a pauper’s grave until money was raised to buy a headstone.
Jackie Wilson was one of the most important artists 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 hit maker 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.
Some of Jackie's Hits:
Lonely Teardrops~ Kind of sad, not the song itself, but that Jackie had a heart attack singing this on stage.
By @JaMusicGurl16
This week's Oldies blog will be on R&B and Soul singer Jackie Wilson. Enjoy!
