WILSON PICKETT - R.I.P.

03/18/1941 - 01/19/2006

His love has come tumbling down. Rest in Peace!!
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Soul/R&B legend Wilson Pickett died of a heart attack today (Jan.
19) at a hospital near his Virginia home, according to a spokesperson.
He was 64.

Born in Pratville, Ala., Pickett moved to Detroit as a teen and joined
the Falcons, singing on their 1962 hit "I Found a Love." By 1965, he
had signed a solo deal with Atlantic, scoring a No. 21 pop hit with "In
the Midnight Hour," which he co-wrote with legendary sessions musician
Steve Cropper.

A slew of late '60s R&B/soul hits followed, including "Land of 1,000
Dances," "Funky Broadway," "634-5789," "She's Lookin' Good" and "Mustang
Sally." As the '70s dawned, Pickett scored three consecutive top 20 pop
singles with "Engine Number 9," "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You"
and "Don't Knock My Love Pt. 1."

In all, five of his singles reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts.
Pickett associated himself with some of the top sessions musicians of
the time, and was a frequent visitor to Stax and Muscle Shoals Studios.
He even hired the late Duane Allman to play guitar on his 1969 cover of
the Beatles' "Hey Jude."

Pickett recorded regularly into the mid 1980s and was a 1991 inductee
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That year, his career was revived
thanks to the film "The Commitments," which followed an unknown Irish
soul band of the same name pursuing its dream of performing with Pickett.
The artist also joined the band for performances at the Los Angeles and
New York film premieres.

The artist's last studio album, 1999's "It's Harder Now," won WC Handy
Awards for soul/blues album of the year and comeback album of the year,
while Pickett was named soul/blues male artist of the year.

Pickett is survived by his fiance and four children. He will be buried
beside his mother Lena in Louisville, Ky.