Wilson Pickett Dead at the age of 64

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Wilson Pickett, the soul pioneer best known for the fiery hits “Mustang Sally” and “In The Midnight Hour,” has died.

Pickett — known as the “Wicked Pickett” — became a star with his soulful hits in the 1960s. “In the Midnight Hour” made the top 25 on the Billboard pop charts in 1965 and “Mustang Sally” did the same the following year.

“A fellow Detroiter, Wilson Pickett was one of the greatest soul singers of all time,” Aretha Franklin said in a statement. “He will absolutely be missed. I am thankful that I got the chance to speak to him not too long ago.”

Pickett was defined by his raspy voice and passionate delivery. But the Alabama-born Pickett got his start singing gospel music in church. After moving to Detroit as a teen, he joined the group the Falcons, which scored the hit “I Found a Love” with Pickett on lead vocals in 1962.
He went solo a year later, and would soon find his greatest success. In 1965, he linked with legendary soul producer Jerry Wexler at the equally legendary soul label Stax Records in Memphis, and recorded one of his greatest hits, “In the Midnight Hour,” for Atlantic Records. A string of hits followed, including “634-5789,” “Funky Broadway” and “Mustang Sally.”

Besides his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1991, he was also given the Pioneer award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation two years later. He also cast a long shadow and served as a role model in “The Commitments” in 1991.

“If I wasn’t in show business I don’t know what I would have been — a wanderer or something, you know?” he said in a 2001 interview. “But God blessed me with the talent and the chance. I knocked on enough doors, and this is what I can give myself credit for.”