[audiobook] Silvermine (Images of America) by Samuel A. Schmitt at Arts-Photography

Description

He was the Wicked Wilson Pickett; the legendary soul man whose forty-plus hits included "In the Midnight Hour;" "634-5789;" "Land of 1000 Dances;" "Mustang Sally;" and "Dont Let the Green Grass Fool You." Remarkably handsome and with the charisma to match; Wilson Pickett was considered by many to be the greatest; the most visceral and sensual of the classic 1960s soul singers; and as a man who turned screaming into an art form; the most forceful of them all. He was the living embodiment of soul.More than that; Wilson Picketts journey reads like a guide to popular black American music in the late 20th century. From the gospel-rich cotton fields of Alabama to the pre-Motown metropolis of Detroit; and throughout his career at Atlantic Records--he was the first artist on that label to record at Stax in Memphis; Fame in Muscle Shoals; and Sigma in Philadelphia; and rehabilitated an exiled Bobby Womack and introduced Duane Allman along the way--Wilson Pickett led the shifts in Rhythm and Blues and soul music.Picketts downfall; precipitated by the move towards softer soul and then disco in the 1970s; proved equally dramatic; leading to a heavy alcohol and drug addiction; a reputation for violence and gun use; a no-show for his induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1991; and two jail terms later in the decade. Nonetheless; the "Wicked" Pickett climbed out of these depths to end his career with a Grammy-nominated album before his death in 2006.For this first-ever accounting of Wilson Picketts life; bestselling biographer Tony Fletcher interviewed members of the singers family; friends and partners; along with dozens of his studio and touring musicians. Offering equal attention to Picketts personal and professional life; with detailed insight into his legendary studio sessions and his combative road style; In the Midnight Hour: The Life and Soul of Wilson Pickett is the essential telling of an epic life.