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Jan 27, 2006

R.I.P. Wilson Pickett · by Rafi Kam

Legendary soul singer Wilson Pickett passed away last week. Pickett is best known for two classic R&B hits from the mid-60s, “Mustang Sally” and “In The Midnight Hour”.

Pickett was a great singer but even better as a shouter. He could punctuate his songs with a high-pitched shout of exultation or build up to a soul-wrenching plea for love. There’s a certain joy that comes from shouting at your worries. The hoarse cries that appear on so many of his greatest hits let the world know this was a man who could sing from his very heart, bypassing the throat entirely.

The tracks he sang over also had that quality to them. They grooved but they also ached. Maybe thats why they made for good sample material…


Get Me Back on Time, Engine No. 9 – Wilson Pickett

Hey Jude – Wilson Pickett

I’m In Love – Wilson Pickett

Mustang Sally – Wilson Pickett

99 and a half won’t do – Wilson Pickett

Thanks to HipHoppin and R.H.S. for help with the audio.

Comments for "R.I.P. Wilson Pickett"

  1. I was basically asleep when I posted this last night and a few of the links were off. They’re fixed now so if you missed them try again.


    — Rafi    Jan 27, 09:20 AM   

  2. Just a heads up, I’m pretty sure that Madlib sampled Fever Tree’s cover of that same song on America’s most blunted, not Wilson Pickett’s original.

    Regardless, a great artist that’ll be missed.


    — Sach    Jan 27, 01:57 PM   

  3. Egads, you might be right.


    — rafi    Jan 27, 06:08 PM   

  4. I’d like to recommend the movie Soul To Soul to everybody who is a Pickett fan (i.e. anybody with decent or better taste). It’s a 1971 concert documentary in Accra, Ghana featuring him, Ike & Tina Turner, The Staples Singers and a bunch of others. The performances range from mediocre to incredible and that includes some traditional Ashanti and other Ghanaian musicians who are all the shit. Wilson Pickett definitely steals the show, that guy was unbelievable.


    — Nikhil P. Yerawadekar    Jan 27, 07:12 PM