Friday, October 2, 2015

The Stylistics~ "I'm Stone in Love With You"


The Stylistics are a soul music vocal group, and were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s.

They formed in 1968, and were composed of singers Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn.

All of their US hits were ballads, graced by the soaring falsetto voice of Russell Thompkins, Jr. and the lush productions of Thom Bell, which helped make the Stylistics one of the most successful soul groups of the first half of the 1970s."[1]

During the early 1970s, the group had twelve consecutive U.S. R&B top ten hits, including "Stop, Look, Listen", "You Are Everything", "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "People Make the World Go Round", "I'm Stone in Love with You", "Break Up to Make Up", and "You Make Me Feel Brand New".[1]



The Stylistics
The Stylistics on Soul Train 1974.jpg
The group performing on Soul Train in 1974.
Background information
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres R&B, soul
Years active 1968–present
Labels Avco, H&L
Members Airrion Love
Herbie Murrell
Harold Eban Brown
Jason Sharp
Past members Russell Thompkins, Jr.
James Dunn
James Smith
Raymond Johnson
Van Fields

Career

Early years

The Stylistics were created from two Philadelphia groups, The Percussions and The Monarchs.[2]

Russell Thompkins Jr., James Smith, and Airrion Love came from the Monarchs, and James Dunn and Herbie Murrell came from the Percussions. 

In 1970, the group recorded "You're a Big Girl Now", a song their road manager Marty Bryant co-wrote with Robert Douglas, a member of their backing band Slim and the Boys, and the single became a regional hit for Sebring Records.[1] 

Producer Bill Perry spent $400 to record the number in the Virtue Studios in Philadelphia. The larger Avco Records soon signed the Stylistics, and the single eventually climbed to number seven on the US Billboard R&B chart in early 1971.[1]


Success: The Bell/Creed years

After signing to Avco, the record label approached producer Thom Bell, who had already produced a catalogue of hits for The Delfonics, to work with the group.[3] 

The Stylistics auditioned for Bell, but he was initially unimpressed.[3] 

He ultimately agreed to produce the group because he believed in the potential of lead singer, Russell Thompkins, Jr.'s distinctive, nasal high tenor & falsetto voice.[3] 

Avco gave Bell complete creative control over the Stylistics and he proceeded to focus the group's sound exclusively around Thompkins's voice.[3] 

On most of the group hits, Bell would have Thompkins sing virtually solo.[3]


The first song recorded with Bell and his collaborator, lyricist Linda Creed, was the lush "Stop, Look, Listen".[4] 

Bell imported techniques he had perfected with The Delfonics and his musical arrangements worked perfectly with Thompkins' falsetto vocals.


Their hits from this period —distilled from three albums— included "Betcha by Golly, Wow" (U.S. #3), "I'm Stone in Love with You", "Break Up to Make Up" (U.S. #5), "You Make Me Feel Brand New" featuring Thompkins singing a rare lead vocal duet with Airron Love, the aforementioned "Stop, Look, Listen", "You Are Everything", and the Top 20 Pop hit "Rockin' Roll Baby" (U.S. #14). 

"You Make Me Feel Brand New" was the group's biggest U.S. hit, holding at No. 2 for two weeks just as the spring of 1974 turned to summer, and was one of the group's five U.S. gold singles.


The Stylistics' smooth sound also found an easier path on to adult contemporary airwaves than many other soul artists and the group made Billboard magazine's Easy Listening singles chart twelve times from 1971 to 1976, with three entries ("Betcha by Golly, Wow", "You Make Me Feel Brand New", and "You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)") reaching the Top 10. 

Every single that Bell produced for the Stylistics was a Top Ten R&B hit, and several—"You Are Everything", "Betcha by Golly Wow!", "I'm Stone in Love with You", "Break Up to Make Up", and "You Make Me Feel Brand New"—were also Top Ten pop chart hits.[1] 

The band also enjoyed commercial success with big hits with this material throughout Europe.


Changing style: Continuing international success

Thom Bell stopped working with the Stylistics in 1974,[1] and the split proved commercially difficult for the group in the U.S. 

Just as with the Delfonics, the Stylistics were to some extent a vehicle for Bell's own creativity. 

They struggled to find the right material although their partnership with label owners Hugo & Luigi as producers and arranger Van McCoy started well with "Let's Put It All Together" (#18 pop, No. 8 R&B) and "Heavy Fallin' Out" (#4 R&B, No. 41 pop). 

Following singles were notably less successful, but as U.S. success began to wane, their popularity in Europe, and especially the United Kingdom, increased.[1] 

Indeed, the lighter 'pop' sound fashioned by McCoy and Hugo & Luigi gave the group a UK #1 in 1975 with "Can't Give You Anything".[1][5] 

Further successes with "Sing Baby Sing", "Na Na Is The Saddest Word", "Funky Weekend" and "Can't Help Falling in Love" consolidated the group's European popularity.[1][5] 

They are one of the few U.S. acts to have two chart-topping greatest hits albums in the UK.[5]


The Stylistics switched record labels during this period as Avco Records transitioned into H&L Records in 1976.[1]

Notwithstanding this, the band began to struggle with increasingly weak material, and although the singles and albums came out as before, by 1978 chart success had vanished. 

A move to Mercury in 1978 for two albums produced by Teddy Randazzo failed to produce any major success. 

 Russell Thompkins Jr. wrote (in the sleevenotes for the re-issue of the 1976 album, Fabulous) that the group began to feel that the music they were recording was becoming dated and not in keeping with the popular disco sound of the late 1970s.


In 1979, they had a small part in the movie Hair, directed by Miloš Forman, where they play conservative army officers. 

They double Nell Carter in singing a tongue-in-cheek song called "White Boys".


Later years

Both James Dunn and James Smith departed in 1980 due to conflicts over the direction of the group.[6] 

The group continued, recruiting new member Raymond Johnson. 

They would also reunite with Thom Bell and sign with Philadelphia International Records subsidiary, TSOP Records in 1980. 

They released the single, "Hurry Up This Way Again", that year which brought them back into the R&B Top 20 (peaking at #18). 

Johnson departed in 1985, leaving the group a trio. Love, Murrell, and Thompkins continued to tour until 2000, when Russell Thompkins, Jr. left the group.


Love and Murrell brought in two new members from one set of the Delfonics – (Harold) Eban Brown as lead singer, and tenor singer Van Fields who also sang with an a cappella group called A Perfect Blend. 

In 2011, Fields departed from the group due to creative differences and was replaced by Jason Sharp (formerly with the band Heatwave). 

The group, prior to Fields' departure, was featured live on the DVD The Stylistics Live at the Convocation Center (2006), as well as with other artists of the 1970s on the DVD, 70s Soul Jam. They recorded their latest album, That Same Way, in 2008.


Russell Thompkins, Jr. launched his own group in 2004, the New Stylistics, with the returning Raymond Johnson, plus James Ranton and Jonathan Buckson. 

They were featured on the DVD Old School Soul Party Live!, which was part of the PBS My Music series.


In 2006 their hit single, "Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)", was used as the base for a Japanese advertisement campaign by Gatsby, to launch their new male hair styling product, 'Moving Rubber'.

The campaign was successful and featured one of Japan's most popular celebrities Takuya Kimura of the pop group SMAP. 

They were also featured guests on SMAP's television show, SMAP×SMAP, one of the highest rated shows in Japan to promote the 'Moving Rubber' product.


In October 2009, they featured on the UK BBC One television program, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.


Their song, "People Make the World Go Round", was used by Spike Lee in the soundtrack for 1994 film Crooklyn, as performed by Marc Dorsey.

Personnel

Current members
Former members
  • Russell Thompkins, Jr. – born March 21, 1951, Philadelphia (1968–2000)
  • James Dunn – born February 4, 1950, Philadelphia (1968–1980)
  • James Smith – born June 16, 1950, New York City (1968–1980)
  • Raymond Johnson (1980–1986)
  • Van Fields – born November 12, 1952, Philadelphia (2000–2011)

Discography

Main article: The Stylistics discography

Awards and recognition

Source: Wikipedia.org

Somebody Come and Play in Traffic with Me! Earn as You Learn, Grow as You Go!


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Jackie Wilson~ "Lonely Teardrops"


Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American soul singer-songwriter and performer.

A tenor with a four octave vocal range, he was nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", and was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul.

He was considered a master showman, and one of the most dynamic and influential singers and performers in R&B and rock 'n' roll history.[1][2]

Gaining fame in his early years as a member of the R&B vocal group Billy Ward and His Dominoes, he went solo in 1957 and recorded over 50 hit singles that spanned R&B, pop, soul, doo-wop and easy listening.

This included 16 R&B Top 10 hits, including 6 R&B # 1's.

On the Billboard Hot 100, he scored 14 Top 20 Pop hits, 6 of which made it into the Pop Top 10.

On September 29, 1975 while headlining a Dick Clark Oldies Concert, he collapsed on stage from what was later deemed to be a massive heart attack, and subsequently slipped into a coma slowing awakening over a period of 8 months.

He remained semi-comatose for the 9 years preceding his death in 1984, at the age of 49; he was deemed conscious but incapacitated in early June, 1976.

Wilson was an inspiration to Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, James Brown and Michael Jackson to name a few. He was one of the most influential artists of his generation.

A two-time Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee, Wilson was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.[3]

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Jackie Wilson #69 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[4]

Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson 1961.jpg
Wilson in 1961
Background information
Birth name Jack Leroy Wilson, Jr.
Also known as Mr. Excitement
Born June 9, 1934
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Died January 21, 1984 (aged 49)
Mount Holly, New Jersey, United States
Genres R&B, soul, pop, rock and roll
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1953–1975
Labels Dee Gee Records, King, Federal, Brunswick
Associated acts

Early years and career

Jack Leroy Wilson, Jr. was born on June 9, 1934, in Detroit, Michigan, the only son of Jack Sr. and Eliza Mae Wilson, as she lost two previous children.

Eliza Mae was born on The Billups-Whitfield Place in Columbus, Mississippi.

Her parents were Tom and Virginia Ransom.

Jackie often visited his family in Columbus and was greatly influenced by the choir at Billups Chapel.

Growing up in the rough Detroit area of Highland Park, Wilson joined a gang called the Shakers and often found himself in trouble.

Wilson's father was frequently absent, as he was alcoholic and usually out of work.

Wilson began singing at an early age, accompanying his mother, once a choir singer, to church. In his early teens Jackie joined a quartet, the Ever Ready Gospel Singers, which became a popular feature of churches in the area.

Jackie was not very religious, but enjoyed singing and used the money he and his group earned performing to buy cheap wine which he began drinking at the age of nine.[5]

Jack Sr. and Eliza separated shortly after Jackie turned nine.

Wilson dropped out of high school at the age of 15, having already been sentenced to detention in the Lansing Corrections system for juveniles twice.

During his second stint in detention, he learned boxing and started performing in the amateur circuit in the Detroit area at the age of 16.

His record in the Golden Gloves was 2 and 8. After his mother forced him to quit, Wilson got married to Freda Hood and became a father at 17.

It is rumored that he fathered at least 10 other children prior to getting married and was forced to marry Hood by her father.

He gave up boxing for music, first working at Lee's Sensation club as a solo singer,[6] then forming a group called the Falcons (not to be confused with The Falcons Wilson Pickett was part of), that included cousin Levi Stubbs, who later went on to lead the Four Tops (two more of Wilson's cousins, Hubert Johnson and Levi's brother Joe, later became members of The Contours).

The other members joined Hank Ballard as part of The Midnighters.[7] including Alonzo Tucker & Billy Davis, who would work with Wilson several years later as a solo artist.

Tucker and Wilson collaborated as songwriters on a few songs Wilson recorded.

Jackie Wilson was soon discovered by talent agent Johnny Otis, who assigned him to join a group called the Thrillers.

That group would later be known as The Royals (who would later evolve into R&B group, The Midnighters, but Wilson wasn't part of the group when it changed its name and signed with King Records).

LaVern Baker, Little Willie John, Johnnie Ray and Della Reese were acts managed by Al Green (not to be confused with R&B singer Al Green, nor Albert "Al" Green of the now defunct National Records).

Al Green owned two music publishing companies, Pearl Music and Merrimac Music, and Detroit's Flame Show Bar where Wilson met Baker.

After recording his first version of "Danny Boy" and a few other tracks on Dizzy Gillespie's record label Dee Gee Records under the name Sonny Wilson (his nickname), Wilson was eventually hired by Billy Ward in 1953 to join a group Ward formed in 1950 called The Dominoes, after Wilson's successful audition to replace the immensely popular Clyde McPhatter, who left the Dominoes and formed his own group, The Drifters.[8]

Wilson almost blew his chance that day, showing up calling himself "Shit" Wilson and bragging about being a better singer than McPhatter.[9]

Billy Ward felt a stage name would fit The Dominoes' image, hence Jackie Wilson.

Prior to leaving The Dominoes, McPhatter coached Wilson on the sound Billy Ward wanted for his group, influencing Wilson's singing style and stage presence.

"I learned a lot from Clyde, that high-pitched choke he used and other things...Clyde McPhatter was my man. Clyde and Billy Ward."[6]

Forties blues singer Roy Brown was also a major influence on him, and Wilson grew up listening to The Mills Brothers, The Ink Spots, Louis Jordan and Al Jolson.

Wilson was the group's lead singer for three years, but the Dominoes lost some of their stride with the departure of McPhatter.

They were able to make appearances riding on the strength of the group's earlier hits, until 1956 when the Dominoes recorded Wilson with an unlikely interpretation of the pop hit "St. Therese of the Roses", giving The Dominoes another brief moment in the spotlight.

Their only other post-McPhatter/Wilson successes were "Stardust", released July 15, 1957, and "Deep Purple", released October 7, 1957.[10]

 In 1957 Wilson set out to begin a solo career, leaving the Dominoes and collaborating with cousin Levi and got work at Detroit's Flame Show Bar.

Later, Al Green worked out a deal with Decca Records, and Wilson was signed to their subsidiary label, Brunswick.

Solo stardom

Shortly after Wilson signed a solo contract with Brunswick, Al Green suddenly died.

Green's business partner, Nat Tarnopol, took over as Wilson's manager (and later rose to president of Brunswick).

Wilson's first single was released, "Reet Petite" from the album He's So Fine, which became a modest R&B success (and many years later, an international smash hit).

The song was written by another former boxer, Berry Gordy, Jr.,[11] who co-wrote it with partner Roquel "Billy" Davis (who also went by the pseudonym Tyran Carlo) and Gordy's sister Gwendolyn. 

The trio composed 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 late-1958 signature song, "Lonely Teardrops", which peaked at No. 7 on the pop charts, No. 1 on the R&B charts in the U.S., and established him as an R&B superstar known for his extraordinary, operatic multi-octave vocal range.[12]

"Lonely Teardrops" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.[13]

Due to his fervor when performing, with his dynamic dance moves, singing and impeccable dress, he was soon christened "Mr. Excitement", a title he would keep for the remainder of his career.

His stagecraft in his live shows inspired James Brown, Michael Jackson[14] and Elvis Presley, and a host of other artists that followed.

Presley was so impressed by Wilson that Elvis made it a point to meet him, and the two instantly became good friends.

In a photo of the two posing together, Presley's caption in the autograph reads "You got you a friend for life."

Wilson was sometimes called "The Black Elvis".[15]

Reportedly, when asked about this Presley said, "I guess that makes me the white Jackie Wilson."

Wilson also said 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."[16]

Wilson's powerful, electrifying live performances rarely failed to bring audiences to a state of frenzy.[17]

His live performances consisted of knee-drops,[18][19] splits, spins, back-flips,[20][21] one-footed across-the-floor slides, removing his tie and jacket and throwing them off the stage, a lot of basic boxing steps (advance and retreat shuffling)[22] and one of his favorite routines, getting some of the less attractive girls in the audience to come up and kiss him.

"If I kiss the ugliest girl in the audience," Wilson often said, "they'll all think they can have me and keep coming back and buying my records."

Having women come up to kiss him is one reason Wilson kept bottles of mouthwash in his dressing room.

Another reason was probably his attempt to hide the alcohol on his breath.

Wilson was also a regular on TV, making regular appearances on such shows as The Ed Sullivan Show, American Bandstand, Shindig, and Hullabaloo.

His only movie appearance was in the forgettable rock and roll film ′′Go Johnny Go′′, where he performed his 1959 hit song ′′You Better Know It′′.

In 1958, Davis and Gordy left Wilson and Brunswick after royalty disputes escalated between them and Nat Tarnopol.

Davis soon became a successful staff songwriter and producer for Chess Records, while Gordy borrowed $800 from his family and used money he earned from royalties writing for Wilson to start his own recording studio, Hitsville USA, the foundation of Motown Records in his native Detroit.

Meanwhile, convinced that Wilson could venture out of R&B and rock and roll, Tarnopol had the singer record operatic ballads and easy listening material, pairing him with Decca Records' veteran arranger Dick Jacobs.

Wilson scored hits as he entered the 1960s with the No. 15 "Doggin' Around", the No. 1 pop ballad "Night", another million-seller,[23] and "Baby Workout", another Top 10 hit (No. 5), which he composed with Midnighters member Alonzo Tucker.

His songwriting alliance with Tucker also turned out other songs, including "No Pity (In The Naked City)" and "I'm So Lonely."

Top 10 hits continued with "Alone At Last" (No. 8 in 1960) and "My Empty Arms" (No. 9 in 1961).

Also in 1961, Wilson recorded a tribute album to Al Jolson, Nowstalgia...You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet, which included the only album liner notes he ever wrote: "...to the greatest entertainer of this or any other era...I guess I have just about every recording he's ever made, and I rarely missed listening to him on the radio...During the three years I've been making records, I've had the ambition to do an album of songs, which, to me, represent the great Jolson heritage...This is simply my humble tribute to the one man I admire most in this business...to keep the heritage of Jolson alive."[24][25]

The album was a commercial failure.

Following the success of "Baby Workout", Wilson experienced a lull in his career between 1964 and 1966 as Tarnopol and Brunswick Records released a succession of unsuccessful albums and singles.

Despite the lack of sales success, he still made artistic gains as he recorded an album with Count Basie, as well as a series of duets with rhythm and blues legend Lavern Baker and gospel singer Linda Hopkins.

In 1966, he scored the first of two big comeback singles with established Chicago soul producer Carl Davis with "Whispers (Gettin' Louder)" and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher", a No. 6 Pop smash in 1967, which became one of his final pop hits.

This was followed by "I Get the Sweetest Feeling", which, despite its modest initial chart success in the US (Billboard Pop #34), has since become one of his biggest international chart successes, becoming a Top 10 hit in the UK twice, in 1972 and in 1987, and a Top 20 hit in the Dutch Top 40, and has spawned numerous cover versions by other artists such as Edwin Starr, Will Young, Erma Franklin (Aretha's sister) and Liz McClarnon.

A key to his musical rebirth was that Davis insisted that Wilson no longer record with Brunswick's musicians in New York; instead, he would record with legendary Detroit musicians normally employed by Motown Records and also Davis' own Chicago-based session players.

The Detroit musicians, known as The Funk Brothers, participated on Wilson's recordings due to their respect for Davis and Wilson.

By 1975, Wilson and The Chi-Lites were Brunswick's only significant artists left on the aging label's roster.

Until then, Wilson continued to record singles that found success on the R&B chart, but found no significant pop chart success.

His final hit, "You Got Me Walkin' ", written by Eugene Record of the Chi-Lites, was released in 1972 with the Chi-Lites backing him on vocals and instruments.

Personal life

Wilson's personal life was laced with tragedy.

In 1960 in New Orleans, he was arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer when fans tried to climb on stage.

He assaulted a policeman who had shoved one of the fans.

Wilson had a reputation for being short-tempered.[6]

On February 15, 1961, in Manhattan, Wilson was injured in a shooting.

It is said the story behind this incident is that one of his girlfriends, Juanita Jones, shot and wounded him in a jealous rage when he returned to his Manhattan apartment with another woman, fashion model Harlean Harris, an ex-girlfriend of Sam Cooke's.

Wilson's management supposedly concocted a story to protect Wilson's reputation; that Jones was an obsessed fan who had threatened to shoot herself, and that Wilson's intervention resulted in him being shot.[26]

 Wilson was shot in the stomach: The bullet would result in the loss of a kidney, and lodged too close to his spine to be operated on.[5]

 However, in early 1975, in an interview with author Arnold Shaw, Wilson maintained it actually was a zealous fan whom he did not know that shot him.

 "We also had some trouble in 1961. That was when some crazy chick took a shot at me and nearly put me away for good..."[27] Nonetheless, the story of the zealous fan was accepted, and no charges were brought against Jones.

A month and a half later after the shooting incident, Jackie was discharged from the hospital,
At the time Jackie had declared annual earnings of $263,000, while the average salary a man earned then was just $5,000 a year.

But he discovered that, despite being at the peak of success, he was broke.

Around this time the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seized Jackie's Detroit family home.

Tarnopol and his accountants were supposed to take care of such matters.

Fortunately, Jackie made arrangements with the IRS to make restitution on the unpaid taxes; he also re-purchased the family home at auction.[5]

As far as money troubles went, this was not even the beginning for Wilson.

Nat Tarnopol had taken advantage of Wilson's naïveté, mismanaging his money since becoming his manager.

Tarnopol also had power-of-attorney over Wilson's finances, giving him complete control over Wilson's money.

Sadly, Wilson was a rather trusting soul, trusting people he shouldn't have like Tarnopol and some of Wilson's other managers.[28]

Tarnopol and 18 other Brunswick executives were indicted on charges of mail fraud and tax evasion stemming from bribery and payola scandals in 1975.

Also in the indictment was the charge that Tarnopol owed at least $1 million in royalties to Wilson.

In 1976 Tarnopol and the others were found guilty; an appeals court overturned their conviction 18 months later.

Although the conviction was overturned, judges went into detail, outlining that Tarnopol and Brunswick Records did defraud their artists of royalties, and that there was sufficient evidence for Wilson to file a lawsuit.

However, a trial to sue Tarnopol for royalties never took place, as Wilson lay in a nursing home semi-comatose.

Wilson died riddled with debt to the IRS and Brunswick Records.[29]

In March 1967, Wilson and friend/drummer Jimmy Smith were arrested in South Carolina on "morals charges"; the two were entertaining two 24-year-old white women in their motel room.[9]

Freda Hood, Wilson's first wife, with whom he had four children, divorced him in 1965 after 14 years of marriage, frustrated with his notorious womanizing.

Although the divorce was amicable, Freda would regret her decision.[5]

His 16-year-old son, Jackie Jr, was shot and killed on a neighbor's porch in 1970.

The death of Jackie Jr. devastated Wilson.

He sank into a period of depression, and for the next couple of years remained mostly a recluse, drinking and using marijuana and cocaine.

After coming out of this slump he quit his drinking and drug use.

More tragedy hit when two of Wilson's daughters died at a young age.[30]

His daughter Sandra died in 1977 at the age of 24 of an apparent heart attack.

Jacqueline Wilson was killed in 1988 in a drug related incident in Highland Park, Michigan.[31]
Wilson's second marriage was to model Harlean Harris in 1967 with whom he had three children, but they separated soon after.

Wilson later met and lived with Lynn Guidry, a fan who tried to take the role of Wilson's caregiver while he was in the nursing home.

He was with Guidry until his heart attack in 1975.

However, as he and Harris never officially divorced, Harris took the role of Wilson's caregiver for the singer's remaining nine years.

Wilson converted to Judaism as an adult.[32]

Patti LaBelle wrote in her autobiography that Wilson once tried to force himself on her in her teenage years, as she waited backstage to meet him after one of his performances.[33]

Wilson is also said to be the father of author and speaker Alexyss K. Tylor, who claims that her mother was raped and impregnated by the entertainer.[34]

Death

On September 29, 1975, Wilson was one of the featured acts in Dick Clark's Good Ol' Rock and Roll Revue, hosted by the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

He was in the middle of singing "Lonely Teardrops" when he suffered a heart attack, reportedly during the middle of the line "My heart is crying."

When he collapsed on stage, audience members initially thought it was part of the act.

Clark sensed something was wrong, then ordered the musicians to stop the music.

Cornell Gunter of the Coasters, who was backstage, noticed Wilson was not breathing.

Gunter was able to resuscitate him and Wilson was then rushed to a nearby hospital.[9]

Medical personnel worked nearly 30 minutes to stabilize his vitals, but the lack of oxygen to his brain caused him to slip into a coma.

He briefly recovered in early 1976, and was even able to take a few wobbly steps[35] but slipped back into a semi-comatose state.

He was a resident of the Medford Leas Retirement Center in Medford, New Jersey when he was admitted into Memorial Hospital of Burlington County in Mount Holly, New Jersey due to having trouble taking nourishment, according to Wilson's attorney John Mulkerin.[36]

Jackie Wilson died on January 21, 1984, at age 49 from complications of pneumonia.

He initially was buried in an unmarked grave at Westlawn Cemetery near Detroit.[37]

In 1987, a fundraiser collected enough money to purchase a headstone.[9]

Tributes and legacy

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

In 1985, The Commodores recorded "Nightshift" in memory of Wilson and soul singer Marvin Gaye, who had both died in 1984.

Reaching No. 1 R&B and No. 3 pop in the U.S., and topping the Dutch singles chart, it was the group's biggest hit after the departure of Lionel Richie.

Van Morrison also recorded a tribute song called "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" on his 1972 album Saint Dominic's Preview.

This song was later covered by Dexy's Midnight Runners.

When the track was performed on the British TV show Top of the Pops, a picture of darts player Jocky Wilson was used instead.

This has often been speculated to be a mistake but Dexy's frontman Kevin Rowland stated that it was a deliberate joke by the band.

Michael Jackson honored Jackie Wilson at the 1984 Grammy Awards. Jackson dedicated his Album of the Year Grammy for Thriller to Wilson, 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...Jackie, where you are I want to say I love you and thank you so much."[38]

Until Jackson's comments, Wilson's recording legacy had been dormant for almost a decade.

Tarnopol owned Wilson's recordings due to Brunswick's separation from MCA, but the label had closed down, essentially deleting Wilson's considerable recorded legacy.

When Jackson praised Wilson at the Grammys, interest in the legendary singer stirred, and Tarnopol released the first Wilson album (a two-record compilation) in almost nine years through Epic Records, Jackson's label at the time.


Through Tarnopol's son, Wilson's music has become more available.
  • In the VH-1 5-part television special, Say It Loud: A Celebration of Black Music in America, fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Smokey Robinson and Bobby Womack both paid tribute to Wilson. Smokey explained that "Jackie Wilson was the most dynamic singer and performer that I think I've ever seen. Bobby added "He was the real Elvis Presley, as far as I'm concerned...and Elvis took a lot from him too."[39]
  • In his autobiography To Be Loved (named for one of the hit tunes he wrote for Wilson) Motown founder Berry Gordy stated that Wilson was "The greatest singer I've ever heard. The epitome of natural greatness. Unfortunately for some, he set the standard I'd be looking for in singers forever".[40]
  • Wilson is mentioned in the song "Gone But Not Forgotten" sung by artist TQ, which is a song dedicated to the memory of famous musicians who have died. The lyric goes "..and Jackie, will you teach me how to glide across the stage?"
  • Wilson is mentioned in the rap song "Thugz Mansion" by Tupac Shakur. The 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, Ireland and the Netherlands 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 popular on television. The following year he hit the UK 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; her version reached No. 2 on the US pop charts, earning a gold record.
  • In 1999, Wilson's original version of "Higher and Higher" and "Lonely Teardrops" were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; both are on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
  • Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; that same year, he was portrayed in the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba by Howard Huntsberry.
  • Wilson is referenced in the 1986 song "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." by John Mellencamp.
  • Wilson and "Lonely Teardrops" are 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 film Coming to America, when Akeem and Lisa were falling in love. Akeem (Eddie Murphy) later came back home singing the song loudly, waking up and infuriating his neighbors.
  • In 1989, "Higher and Higher" was featured in the film Ghostbusters II, the soundtrack album of which featured a cover version of the song by Howard Huntsberry.
  • In 1992, Wilson was portrayed in the ABC miniseries by Grady Harrell in The Jacksons: An American Dream.
  • In 1994, Monkee Peter Tork recorded a bluegrass-rock cover of "Higher and Higher" on his first solo album Stranger Things Have Happened. Tork regularly performs the song in concert.
  • In 2007, Wilson's music was featured in a film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's book Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.
  • In September 2010, Wilson's song "That's Why (I Love You So)" appeared on Dick Clark's Rock, Roll and Remember.
  • On November 18, 2011, the Black Ensemble Theater of Chicago produced a musical about Wilson's life.
  • In 2014, artist Hozier released a song titled "Jackie and Wilson", a play on Wilson's name. The song includes the lyrics "We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson and raise them on rhythm and blues."[41]

Source: Wikipedia.org



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Percy Sledge~ "When a Man Loves a Woman"


Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1941 – April 14, 2015) was an African American R&B, soul, gospel, and traditional pop singer.

He is best known for the song "When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 1966.

It was awarded a million-selling, Gold-certified disc from the RIAA.

Having previously worked as a hospital orderly in the early 1960s, Sledge achieved his strongest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a series of emotional soul songs.

In later years, Sledge received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Career Achievement Award.

He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.



Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Concert.jpg
Sledge at the 2010 Alabama Music Hall of Fame Concert
Background information
Birth name Percy Tyrone Sledge
Born November 25, 1941
Leighton, Alabama, U.S.
Died April 14, 2015 (aged 73)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres R&B, soul, traditional pop
Instruments Vocals
Labels Atlantic, Capricorn, Monument, Point Blank, Diablo Records
Website psledge.com

Biography

Early career

Sledge was born on November 25, 1941 in Leighton, Alabama.[1][2]

He worked in a series of agricultural jobs in the fields in Leighton before taking a job as an orderly at Colbert County Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama.

Through the mid-1960s, he toured the Southeast with the Esquires Combo on weekends,[3] while working at the hospital during the week.

A former patient and mutual friend of Sledge and record producer Quin Ivy introduced the two.

An audition followed, and Sledge was signed to a recording contract.[4]



Sledge performing on tour in 1974


Sledge's soulful voice was perfect for the series of soul ballads produced by Ivy and Marlin Greene, which rock critic Dave Marsh called "emotional classics for romantics of all ages".

"When a Man Loves a Woman" was Sledge's first song recorded under the contract, and was released in March 1966.[3]

 According to Sledge, the inspiration for the song came when his girlfriend left him for a modelling career after he was laid off from a construction job in late 1965,[5] and, because bassist Calvin Lewis and organist Andrew Wright helped him with the song, he gave all the songwriting credits to them.[6]

It reached No. 1 in the US and went on to become an international hit.

 "When a Man Loves a Woman" was a hit twice in the UK, reaching No. 4 in 1966 and, on reissue, peaked at No. 2 in 1987.

The song was also the first gold record released by Atlantic Records.[7]

The soul anthem became the cornerstone of Sledge's career, and was followed by "Warm and Tender Love" (covered by British singer Elkie Brooks in 1981), "It Tears Me Up", "Take Time to Know Her" (his second biggest US hit, reaching No. 11; the song's lyric was written by Steve Davis), "Love Me Tender", and "Cover Me".[3][6]

Sledge charted with "I'll Be Your Everything" and "Sunshine" during the 1970s, and became an international concert favorite throughout the world, especially in the Netherlands, Germany, and on the African continent; he averaged 100 concerts a year in South Africa.[8][9]

Later career

Sledge's career enjoyed a renaissance in the 1980s when "When a Man Loves a Woman" re-entered the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 2 behind the reissued Ben E. King classic "Stand by Me," after being used in a Levi's commercial.[3]

In the early 1990s, Michael Bolton brought "When a Man Loves a Woman" back into the limelight again on his hit album Time, Love, & Tenderness.

On the week of November 17 to November 23, 1991, Bolton's version also hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, exactly 25 and 1/2 years to the week after Percy's did in 1966.

In 1994, Saul Davis and Barry Goldberg produced Sledge's album, Blue Night, for Philippe Le Bras' Sky Ranch label and Virgin Records.

It featured Bobby Womack, Steve Cropper, and Mick Taylor among others.[3]

 Blue Night received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album, Vocal or Instrumental, and in 1996 it won the W.C. Handy Award for best soul or blues album.

In 2004, Davis and Goldberg also produced the Shining Through the Rain album, which preceded his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Songs on the CD were written by Mikael Rickfors, Steve Earle, the Bee Gees, Carla Olson, Denny Freeman, Allan Clarke and Jackie Lomax.[10]

In May 2007, Percy was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame in his home city of Baton Rouge, LA.

In December 2010, Rhino Handmade issued a four-CD retrospective, The Atlantic Recordings, which covers all of the issued Atlantic masters, as well as many of the tracks unissued in the United States (although some were simply the mono versions of songs originally issued in stereo; Disc 1 comprises Sledge's first two LPs which were not recorded on stereo equipment.)

In 2011 Sledge toured with Sir Cliff Richard during his Soulicious tour, performing "I'm Your Puppet".[11]

Personal life

Sledge married twice and was survived by his second wife, Rosa Sledge, whom he married in 1980.[12]

He had 12 children, two of whom became singers.[13]

Sledge died of liver cancer at his home in Baton Rouge on April 14, 2015 at the age of 73.[14][15]

His interment was in Baton Rouge's Heavenly Gates Cemetery.[16]

Accolades


Source: Wikipedia.org



Somebody Come and Play in Traffic with Me! Earn as You Learn, Grow as You Go!

The Man Inside the Man
from
Sinbad the Sailor Man
A
JMK's Production

 

Share this page, If you liked It Pass it on, If you loved It Follow Me!


TTFN
CYA Later Taters!
Thanks for watching.
Donnie/ Sinbad the Sailor Man

Somebody Come and Play in "Traffic" with me. If you would like to "Join" A Growing Biz Op! Here is Your Chance to get in an Earn While You Learn to Do "The Thing" with us all here at Traffic Authority.


P.S. Everybody Needs Traffic! Get Top Tier North American Traffic Here!
 
 
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