Dim the lights on funky Broadway
A mover, a groover, a teaser, a pleaser, hugger, lover, walker, talker... they called him the Midnight Mover.
Pickett lived in North Jersey, where the cops will tell you, he had his problems later in life. But those dozen or more hit singles never stopped glowing, and they will live forever.
| Posted at 6:13 AM | Permalink |
|
Comments (7)
Hi Jack,
One of the local radio stations did a tribute to him last night. Along with those hit singles, they played his cover version of "Hey Jude". You should check it out, it was really good.
Posted by annie | January 20, 2006 7:50 AM
He was very good and never got the credit he was due just like Otis Redding, but who the heck know what keeps musicians popular? I never thought anyone would pay $450 a ticket to see Mick Jagger at age 62.
Posted by Steve | January 20, 2006 8:19 AM
Very sad, Great loss to all of us.
I met him on a double bill in Talahasee In the early 80's. He was very high but man that voice.
Sounded like gravel meets butter. Amazing.
Ya know Jack, we are starting to lose the baby boomer heroes in music.
mazoc
Posted by John Mazzocco | January 20, 2006 9:57 AM
Click on my "Obituaries" category in the main page sidebar, and you'll see one after another slipping away. That's why it's so cool that people like Bonnie Raitt and Steve van Zandt seek out the ones who are still around and encourage them to get out and keep going.
Did you see Howard Tate when he came through the Blues Festival? God bless him, he had been lost, and he could still hit it.
Posted by Jack Bog | January 20, 2006 10:04 AM
I was just listening to Stern on SSR, and they were talking about that Hey Jude cover (which they unfortunately couldn't find a copy of in their library). Apparently Duane Allman was on guitar. Makes me want to look for that one.
Posted by Erik | January 20, 2006 11:59 AM
What gets me about these musical heroes, is how they’ve survived in our hearts. I mean when I first heard Midnight Hour, I had no concept of the disappointing side of humanity. I was so young, I didn’t even know what kind of trouble was out there. These records were my heroes. I could not imagine the people who made them just walking down the street like anyone else. To me people like Wilson Pickett floated through the air, they were so great. To grow up and learn the inherent failings that we all have, but then have the love of the music endure and override all that, has been a real cool thing. It helps you keep your faith in humanity. If anything these guys seem more heroic than ever, because I know about life now. And today Wilson Pickett is right back as I saw him as a kid: Floating through the air.
Posted by Bill McDonald | January 20, 2006 12:19 PM
I've got that version "Hey Jude." It's on a Beatles tribute album called "Meet the Covers." Not a bad disc all around.
Posted by Andy | January 20, 2006 5:18 PM