Wilson Pickett 1941-2006: Funeral celebrates the life of a musical marvel

By Jeffrey Lee Puckett

29 January 2006

Soul legend Wilson Pickett was laid to rest yesterday beside his mother, Lena, on a warm winter's afternoon in Louisville, following an emotional service that honored his legacy with tears, laughter and powerful song.

Pickett died of a heart attack Jan. 19 at age 64, and his funeral drew several hundred visitors to Canaan Christian Church on Hikes Lane, as family, friends and fans gathered for a deeply religious tribute.

Stories were told. Some were intimate, such as when Pickett's sister, Emily Rochelle of Louisville, told of walking hand in hand with her brother to Sunday school in their hometown of Prattville, Ala.

Some were tied to memories of transistor radios blaring Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" on a summer night.

Afterward, Pickett's brother, Maxwell Pickett Sr., stood in the parking lot beside of row of limousines as a steady stream of people reached out to him following the service.

"All of the fans and friends and everybody who came out helped make this celebration outstanding," the Decatur, Ga., resident said before leaving to entomb his brother at Evergreen Cemetery. "There are so many fond memories."

Aretha Franklin and Solomon Burke were expected to participate in the services but couldn't make it because of other obligations, Maxwell Pickett Sr. said.

But Little Richard was there, wearing multi colored, sequined cowboy boots and a black shirt with a silver-sequined collar. As he shook hands with fans and handed out religious self-help books stuffed with autographed pictures of himself, he offered a succinct testimonial to Pickett.

"I just want to say, 'I love him, and he's always been my friend,'" he said.

Little Richard was more verbose later, when he turned a planned 1-minute tribute into a comic 10-minute sermon on the glories of Jesus, Wilson Pickett and, of course, Little Richard.

"Wilson was an innovator and an emancipator," he said at one point. "He paved the way for all of these young musicians today. He paved the way for Puff Daddy. And people forget that."

Early days

Like many early soul and R&B artists, Wilson "Wicked" Pickett learned his craft in the church, using his gift to connect on Sunday mornings years before discovering Saturday nights.

He grew up singing in Baptist choirs and moved in 1955 to Detroit, the budding soul capital of the North, as a 16-year-old.

He formed The Violinaires, a gospel group good enough to tour with the Soul Stirrers, featuring Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls. But there wasn't any money in gospel, and the Pickett family was short of money.

At 19, Pickett joined The Falcons, one of the first gospel groups to embrace secular music. By 1962, The Falcons' "I Found a Love" was a Top 10 R&B hit, thanks in large part to Pickett's pleading lead vocal.

"To me, he was one of the most soulful singers I ever knew," said Sir Mack Rice, a member of The Falcons who attended yesterday's service with fellow member Willie Schofield. "When he left the group, we broke up, because he set a tone for us that was our signature."

Pickett's solo career took off quickly.

His first hit, the self-penned "It's Too Late," reached No. 7 on the R&B charts in 1963.

That convinced Atlantic Records, the home of Ray Charles and soul music, to sign the 24-year-old in 1964. Then in 1965, Pickett found the formula that would make him a star.

During a single recording session in Memphis, Pickett cut "In the Midnight Hour," "Don't Fight It," "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)" and "Ninety-Nine and One-Half (Won't Do)."

His style was now fully formed: His singing was raw and direct, accented by a potent scream that was both challenge and celebration. He didn't croon like Cooke or seduce like Otis Redding, but came at you head-on.

With success came more money, and Pickett moved much of his family to Louisville because it seemed more upscale than Prattville, Maxwell Pickett Jr. said.

Wilson Pickett's stage show was sexually charged. Music writer Gerri Hirshey wrote in Rolling Stone that Pickett "marauded a stage like a panther, clawing the air, slinking in and out of the light, screaming, gold lame leather melded to his thighs, shirt hanging open, sweat pouring down his chest."

That was where the "Wicked" came from, and - for better or worse - Pickett never let that reputation down. His later years were riddled with brushes with the law.

In 1991, the same year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was arrested on suspicion of yelling death threats while driving through the mayor's front yard in Englewood, N.J.

In 1992, he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend, and in 1993, he was convicted of drunken driving and sentenced to a year in jail and five years' probation after hitting an 86-year-old man with his car.

He also had several drug-related convictions.

Music lives on at service

Hirshey, who wrote extensively about Pickett, felt that his demons were stirred by the mainstream public's abandonment of soul music. Pickett's last hit was 1972's "Fire and Water" and, despite a lasting legacy, his struggle to reconnect with a fickle audience plagued him for decades.

Yesterday, Pickett's music was very much alive, especially in the hands of the Rev. Steve Owens, a family friend from Bethel Family Church in Decatur. As Owens' dynamic eulogy drew to a close, he built to an image of Pickett approaching the Pearly Gates, singing "Land of 1000 Dances" as he drew near.

Owens suddenly began singing the song's famous chorus - "Naaaah, nah, nah, nah, naaaah, nah, nah, nah, naaaaah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, naaaah!" - and then had everyone sing along until the sound filled the church .

"It was wonderful, really beautiful," said Pickett's son, Michael Wilson Pickett, of Philadelphia. "All of the people who showed up, who came to the hotel to show love and respect and pay homage. It's really appreciated."

PICKETT'S MUSIC

Wilson Pickett's greatest sales success was reflected on the Billboard rhythm & blues charts, where he had five No. 1 hits and 12 others that landed in the Top 10. He also had eight Top 10 R&B albums.

The best introduction to Pickett is the highly recommended "A Man and a Half: The Best of Wilson Pickett," a two-disc, 44-track set released in 1992.

No. 1 hits (R&B)

"In the Midnight Hour" (1965), "Land Of 1000 Dances" (1966), "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)" (1966), "Funky Broadway" (1967), "Don't Knock My Love - Pt. 1" (1971).

Top 10 hits (pop)

"Land Of 1000 Dances" and "Funky Broadway ."

Top 10 hits (R&B)

"Don't Fight It" (1965), "Soul Dance Number Three" (1967), "Mustang Sally", "I Found a Love - Part 1" (1967), "I'm in Love" (1967), "She's Lookin' Good" (1968), "I'm a Midnight Mover" (1968), "Engine No. 9" (1970), "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You" (1971), "Call My Name, I'll Be There" (1971), "Fire And Water" (1972).

Top 10 albums (R&B)

"In the Midnight Hour" (1965), "The Exciting Wilson Pickett" (1966), "The Wicked Pickett" (1967), "The Sound of Wilson Pickett" (1967), "The Best of Wilson Pickett" (1967), "The Midnight Mover" (1968), "I'm in Love" (1968), "The Best of Wilson Pickett, Vol. II" (1971).