Wilson Pickett - In The Midnight Hour | Soul Sunday

*Wilson Pickett* spoke of his “cornbread” vocals, the muscular rasp he brought to material, a sound downhome yet sophisticated, as joyous as it was fierce. Famous at his peak as _“The Wicked Pickett,”_ he came up as a journeyman gospel performer aiming at the secular spotlight. Born in 1941 in Prattville, Alabama, he was the fourth of 11 children. In 1955 he moved to Detroit to live with his father. His singing shone on street corners and in church, and within the year he was one of The Violinaires, a touring gospel group. He next joined The Falcons, a worldly outfit that included Eddie Floyd, with whom he formed a songwriting bond. Pickett co-wrote and sang lead on the group’s “I Found A Love,” spurring him to go solo, a decision that brought him to Atlantic Records in 1964. He broke big in 1965 with “In The Midnight Hour,” which he recorded at the Stax Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee, earning a Grammy nomination and a gold record. That year he also hit with “634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)” and “Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won’t Do).” From Stax, Pickett pivoted to FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where he laid down his biggest and most enduring hits “Land Of 1000 Dances,” “Funky Broadway,” and “Mustang Sally.” In addition to his catalog of originals, Pickett regularly applied his skills and sound to versions of songs by such rock artists as The Beatles (“Hey Jude”), The Archies (“Sugar, Sugar”), and Free (“Fire And Water”) that crackled with cornbread soul. Wilson Pickett "In The Midnight Hour" _'In The Midnight Hour'_ (Atlantic Records 1965) Written By: Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett _Performed By:_ Wilson Pickett – vocals Joe Hall – keyboards, piano Steve Cropper – guitar Donald “Duck” Dunn – bass guitar Al Jackson Jr. – drums Wayne Jackson – trumpet Andrew Love – tenor saxophone Charles “Packy” Axton – tenor saxophone Floyd Newman – baritone saxophone _Produced By:_ Wilson Pickett & Steve Cropper Recorded at Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee Artist Bio by Michael Dolan Subscribe to the Rhino Channel! https://Rhino.lnk.to/YouTubeSubID Check Out Our Favorite Playlists: Classic Rock https://Rhino.lnk.to/YTClassicRockID 80s Hits https://Rhino.lnk.to/YT80sHitsID 80s Hard Rock https://Rhino.lnk.to/YT80sHardRockID 80s Alternative https://Rhino.lnk.to/YT80sAlternativeID 90s Hits https://Rhino.lnk.to/YT90sHitsID Stay connected with RHINO on... Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RHINO/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rhino_records Twitter https://twitter.com/Rhino_Records https://www.rhino.com/ RHINO is the official YouTube channel of the greatest music catalog in the world. Founded in 1978, Rhino is the world's leading pop culture label specializing in classic rock, soul, and 80's and 90's alternative. The vast Rhino catalog of more than 5,000 albums, videos, and hit songs features material by Warner Music Group artists such as Van Halen, Madonna, Duran Duran, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, The Doors, Chicago, Black Sabbath, John Coltrane, Yes, Alice Cooper, Linda Ronstadt, The Ramones, The Monkees, Carly Simon, and Curtis Mayfield, among many others. Check back for classic music videos, live performances, hand-curated playlists, the Rhino Podcast, and more!