Biography of Wilson Pickett

The Wicked Pickett, as he dubbed himself, first achieved a measure of success as the apoplectic lead tenor on The Falcons's "I Found a Love" in 1962. Fleeting success followed (his original of "If You Need Me" was scooped up by Solomon Burke), before he signed with Atlantic Records in 1964. After a couple of false starts, he was shipped down to Memphis and came back with "In the Midnight Hour." It was followed by similarly compelling entries such as "Don't Fight It," "634-5789," "Mustang Sally," and a hysterical revival of Chris Kenner's mid-tempo shuffle, "Land of 1000 Dances." Scouring old albums, one will also notice that Pickett never lost his feel for a slow ballad, despite his reputation as the prince of the dance floor. Some have charged that Pickett went on to reduce spontaneous emotion to a cliché, and most of his later records certainly reinforce that notion, but at his considerable best, Pickett was an immensely compelling performer at any tempo. The hit movie The Commitments hinted broadly at the esteem in which vintage Pickett is held. Sampled at his best, he was a titan. ~ Colin Escott