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Home , In the Midnight Hour, Jerry Wexler, Wilson Pickett

When died on January 19, 2006, passionate obituaries poured in from all over the English speaking world. USA Today described him as “…..one of the greatest soul singers of all time… [A] fiery soul legend who promised to put a twinkle in a lover‟s eye."1 reported: As a child, he… “ran out and hollered…his voice echoing in the swamps…He established himself as an indomitable presence

…whose voice, barely distinguishable from an insinuating growl, never lost the fearsome hoodoo of those swamps.”2 Time magazine opined: “Wilson Pickett, 64, volatile R&B star whose gravelly, raunchy delivery on such 1960s hits as „Mustang Sally‟ and „In the

Midnight Hour‟…helped earn him the moniker Wicked Pickett.”3 The Boston Herald reported: “Soul Great Pickett was wicked good …He set himself apart from other stars of the mid-sixties golden age with a voice just a bit tougher...No one exuded more sheer virility than Pickett, whose menacing potency was captured by his nickname.”4 The

Canadians added “he often punctuated his songs with shouts, screams, and grunts, giving his music a visceral quality that few others could match….and with a rough, sweating undertone that contained more than a hint of danger and lust.”5 I quote our friends across the pond: “famed for his trademark screams and flamboyant costumes…Pickett was a leading exponent of the hard-edged Memphis sound.”6 The Aussies concurred with:

“[Pickett‟s] gleeful swagger and raw sexuality earned him the nickname wicked.”7 And so it goes from New York to Los Angeles and to New Orleans, from London to

Liverpool and Sydney to Perth. A major tribute. Perhaps the most compelling comment,

1 Jones, Steve. “Soul Legend Wicked Wilson Pickett 64, Dies of Heart Attack” USA Today January 20, 2006, A2. 2 Decurtis, Anthony. “Wilson Pickett: Wilson Pickett‟s Greatest Hits” Rolling Stone, June 10, 2006. 3 August, Melissa et all. “Milestones” Time, January 30, 2006. 4 Katz, Larry. “Appreciation, Soul Great Pickett Was Wicked Good” Boston Herald, January 20, 2006, E7. 5 Schudel, Matt. “Visceral Voice Defines ” The Ottawa Citizen, January 20, 2006, D1. 6 Foster, Alistair. “Wicked Wilson Pickett Dies at 64” London Evening Standard, January 20, 2006, 18. 7 “Giant of Soul was Self-made Success” Perth Sunday Times, January 22, 2006, 67. however, came from his son Michael who said “…. I loved him... I just hope that he is given his props.”8 Michael that is why I am here.

Mr. Wilson Pickett‟s “props” have been in my head since 1994 when I hoped to explore the impact of his work. His then agent liked the idea of Pickett„s immersion into academia. Initially Pickett liked it as well; at that time, nobody had written extensively about him. But on the eve of my sabbatical leave, he changed his mind, citing his desire to make money by to telling his own story—the autobiography. (Later research bears this out—he was famous for getting his proper share). But when he died last year, he had not followed through—and neither had anybody else. Here is my delayed attempt to argue that he belongs in the pantheon with other late great African American soul singers:

James Brown, , Sam Cooke, , and .

But why? What is his legacy? Why does he belong in this august circle, and in your courses and curricula? His distinctive voice notwithstanding is it the troubled but spectacular rags-too-riches ride that resulted in the achievement of the “American

Dream?” Is his the story of an unscripted black artist with huge cross-over appeal? An in- depth examination of his rich and unique voice as a treasure of gospel music secularized?

All of these proposals work and have been tested by other scholars. , more commonly referred to soul music as it mutated throughout the 1960s, has long been established as a cultural vehicle that was both inspired by and contributed to the Civil

Rights movement of the same era. In this vein, scholars and fans have pointed to the lives and careers as such luminaries as James Brown, , and

Marvin Gaye. All made major political statements with their music and culturally

8 Jones, Steve. “Soul Legend Wicked Wilson Pickett 64, Dies of Heart Attack” USA Today January 20, 2006, A2. epitomized the “Southern Dream of Freedom.”9 While Wilson Pickett‟s life and works could be examined in a similar paradigm, this paper argues that his legacy is less political and far more cultural. It fully represents the counter-culture‟s immersion in a sexual revolution. Pickett„s “…cut in his strut and glide in his stride set him apart from his soul- searing contemporaries. If the term legend hasn‟t been sucked dry of all relevance, The

“Wicked” Pickett surely qualifies.”10

He worked his gospel-rooted background and hollering into a more menacing one: he sang like he was making love, his well timed unrestrained shrieking was sexual, imploring his fans to let go, and feel good. And his timing was phenomenal. He skyrocketed to the top in 1965, just as the “sexual revolution” invaded American culture.

(Whether he accomplished this deliberately or not remains a mystery.) His naughty nature and contributions to dance as an important hedonistic outlet stand as both a vector and reflection of those remarkable times. He exuded a raw sexuality that perfectly fit the new sexual mindset of the 1960s. For this, he deserves a resurrection.

Pickett began as a gospel singer, moved on through doo-wop—a street corner combination of gospel and barbershop that featured melody and harmony--, and soul.

Born in Prattville Alabama in 1941, he moved to Detroit when he was fourteen. The teenager toured the gospel road but it did not suit his sensibilities. He founded a great doo-wop group, and after the success of a couple self penned hits, he went solo and

9 , : Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1986). 10 Bill Dahl, Liner Notes Wilson Pickett: The Definitive Collection ( Company, 2006). eventually signed with . Under the tutelage of famed producer, Jerry

Wexler, the two headed to the Stax recording studio in Memphis in 1965.11

It was then, in 1965, that Wilson Pickett became the Wicked Pickett. This christening is often misunderstood. Many people erroneously believed that his volatile personality created his moniker. Not only was he difficult to work with, problems with the law plagued him. He drove across the front lawn of the mayor of Englewood New

Jersey‟s home screaming death threats. On another occasion, he was charged with assaulting his lover,12 followed by an arrest on cocaine possession,13 then convicted of drunk driving for which he spent a year in jail,14 and was allegedly embroiled in a shoot out with the rival Isley Brothers.15 But the truth lies in this anecdote. Once while visiting

Jerry Wexler in his New York office at Atlantic records, Pickett made a comment about the length of secretary Lurleen‟s skirt. Pickett yelled “when that chick bent over you could see clear to San Francisco.” Lurleen retorted: “oooh you are so wicked.” Wexler shot out of his seat screaming “That‟s it, you‟re the Wicked.”16

Counter culture followers of the 1960s loved things institutionally wicked: reefer, uninhibited dance, political agitation, sex and rebelling against 1950s mores. This lifestyle change had its roots in the 1950s, and found inspiration from the Beats. The seeds they planted grew exponentially, capturing the imagination of largely white middle class students in their late teens and twenties. The Beat legacy included, “a desire for sexual adventure, untethered to the values of monogamy and heterosexuality that had

11 Ibid. 12 Leeds, Jeff. “Wilson Pickett, 64, Soul Singer of Great Passion Dies” New York Times January 20, 2006, 13 Schudel, Matt. “Visceral Voice Defines Soul Music” The Ottawa Citizen January 20, 2006, D1. 14 Leeds, Jeff. “Wilson Pickett, 64, Soul Singer of Great Passion Dies” New York Times January 20, 2006, 15 Winston Salem Journal 16 Phinney, Kevin. Liner Notes, The Very Best of Wilson Pickett (Rhino Records 2004). reigned supreme since the dawn of humanity. Another was the glorification of the outlaw spirit. The cultural downscaling of middle class white youths would take place most energetically through the mushrooming medium of rock and roll.”17

Although this rough and tumble time is complex, it is succinctly understood by repeating the mantra of the era: drugs, sex and rock and roll. Fundamentally, the sexual revolution advocated that “the erotic should be celebrated as an utterly normal part of life.”18 Discussions of sexuality were common and many young people indulged in rampant experimentation with LSD, mescaline, psilocybin mushrooms, hashish and marijuana. But the music outdistanced the other two parts of the motto: it went main stream. The general public adored the rock icons of the 1960s: Elvis, Chuck Berry, the

Beatles, , and as the nation moved through the Civil Rights movement, it learned to love the great soul performers like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Otis

Redding and Wilson Pickett.19

The sexual revolution was not just about prevailing sexual mores and practices; it admonished young people to disabuse themselves of old fashioned puritanical attitudes towards fashion and body consciousness. In particular, it encouraged a more sensual awareness that, among other things, could be heightened through dance. This is where

Wilson Pickett„s work becomes particularly significant. His notorious rise began with the monster hit “.” The change in beat was not an insignificant occurrence according to Susan McClary, a musicologist who considers “music‟s impact

17 Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin, America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960’s (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 154. 18 Ibid, 155. 19 Ibid, 163-164. on the body, and the resulting panic it has stimulated in arbiters of taste from Plato to the

Present.”20

The scope of her article “Same as it ever Was” is broad; throughout time she argues, the establishment interpreted more sensual dance as rebellion. “In the Midnight

Hour” offers just such an example. When Wexler and Pickett went to Memphis, Wexler suggested to guitarist , that they work the beat of Pickett‟s song to accommodate a new dance craze called the jerk. Cropper remembers:

Basically [the beat] was like „boom dah,‟ but here this was a thing that went „un- chaw‟, just the reverse as far as the accent goes. The back beat was somewhat delayed, and it just put it in that rhythm.21 (play Midnight hour here)

McClary continues that with this shift, “Midnight Hour” gave the public an opportunity to experience the body in a new way, which “soon became part of a widely shared vocabulary of physical gestures and expression.”22 The key though, it that these movements, egged on by Pickett‟s growling vocals and amorous promises, mimicked a series of moves already well known by African American teens—and now millions of others danced that way too. “Midnight Hour,” with its great beat, “does not address social issues”,23 but its awesome crossover appeal and staying power sent African American music and dance mainstream—in 1965. And this was while White Citizen‟s Councils declared this music rife with “sex, barbarism and jungle rhythms.”24 She concludes this part of the essay by confirming that white kids began to adopt an African American

20 Susan McClary, Same as it Ever Was: Youth Culture and Music, Microphone Friends (1994), 440. 21 Ibid, 447. 22 Ibid, 447. 23 Ibid, 448. 24 Ibid, 448. understanding of their bodies. This augmented the ongoing Civil Rights movement, as well as the sexual revolution and the search for feeling good.25

Slide show

Please note the images behind me as they bring the descriptions of Pickett to life

Pickett looked and performed in a manner so suggestive, exciting and dynamic, it was difficult not to lose it all when he sang to you---or whatever it was! His success and symbolic significance was not confined to his voice; his looks, demeanor and personality amplified his sexuality and hence, during this time of increased sexual awareness, his mass appeal. In his memoirs, Rhythm and the Blues, Gerry Wexler gushed about his difficult star “…Pickett was a pistol. I called him the black panther… before the phrase was political. He had matinee-idol looks, flaming eyes, lustrous ebony skin, a sleek muscular torso. His temperament was fire, his flash and fury singing style a study in controlled aggression, and his…scream always in tune….midnight hour was a stone smash, Wilson‟s vocal a cyclone of conviction.”26 Others who knew the wicked one concurred. In Nowhere to Run, Gerri Hirshey recalls her many experiences with Pickett.

Also mesmerized by his look and style, she declares that “…he still wears silk better than

Rita Hayworth, still looks the part of the mean, libidinous mythical „man and a half.”27

She continues “...for sheer ferocity and conscious management of the soul man mystique, nobody looked, walked and talked the part like Wilson Pickett.”28 And fans could not

25 Ibid, 449. 26 and , Rhythm and Blues: A Life in American Music (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993), 175-176. 27 Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere to Run: the Story of Soul Music (New York: Penguin Publishers, 1985), 43. 28 Ibid. 313. control themselves—yes, especially females but grandmothers and boys too--who frequently jumped on stage with or without invitation.29

The Wilson Pickett starter kit I gave you suggests a sort of progression. Beginning with “In the Midnight Hour,” Pickett scored big with an evocative itinerary—he‟s going to “let his love come tumbling down.” Look at the lyrics—in 1965 this was not banned in Boston (listen)30—and it remains one of the defining songs of the decade. “I‟m a

Midnight Mover” released in 1968 is more suggestive and the more incendiary “Man and a Half” is downright explicit. During this period, every song released was more provocative than the one that preceded it, reflecting the progress of the sexual revolution.

Pickett‟s expressions of sexuality were more than a call for foreplay— he invited his listeners to shake, shake, and shake. In “Land of a Thousand Dances,” and other of his famous songs, (please check your starter kits again) he references many of the dances of the day, all of which should be executed with joy and abandon.

In your classrooms, this realization might prompt you to get up and dance—and ask the students to do the same. This pedagogical technique may seem silly—even awkward at first, but experience has taught me that that students love these sessions—and they never forget them. Not only do they learn something about this era,

„they feel it too.

At this point in my talk, I had planned to instruct you to get up and dance. But in the eleventh hour, I stumbled upon a newly remastered 1971 concert documentary entitled Soul to Soul. This 1971 concert-- held in celebration of ‟s political independence, features Pickett headlining an all star cast of African-American and

29 Ibid, 311-312. 30 Phinney, Kevin. Liner Notes, The Very Best of Wilson Pickett (Rhino Records 2004). Ghanaian artists. Here is Pickett at his wickedest, long past the midnight hour, working

“Land of A Thousand Dances” with 100,000 enthralled and aroused folks, who just can‟t sit still.

I rest my case.