by Richie Unterberger
Jackie Wilson was one of the most important agents of black pops transition from R&B into soul. In terms of vocal power (especially in the upper register), few could outdo him; he was also an electrifying on-stage showman. He was a consistent hitmaker from the mid-50s through the early 70s, although never a crossover superstar. His reputation isnt quite on par with Ray Charles, James Brown, or Sam Cooke, however, because his records did not always reflect his artistic genius. Indeed, there is a consensus of sorts among critics that Wilson was something of an underachiever in the studio, due to the sometimes inappropriately pop-based material and arrangements that he used.
Wilson was well-known on the R&B scene before he went solo in the late 50s. In 1953 he replaced Clyde McPhatter in Billy Ward & the Dominoes, one of the top R&B vocal groups of the 50s. Although McPhatter was himself a big star, Wilson was as good as or better than the man whose shoes he filled. Commercially, however, things took a downturn for the Dominoes in the Wilson years, although they did manage a Top 20 hit with St. Therese of the Roses in 1956. Elvis Presley was one of those who was mightily impressed by Wilson in the mid-50s; he can be heard praising Jackies on-stage cover of Dont Be Cruel in between-song banter during the Million Dollar Quartet session in late 1956.
Wilson would score his first big R&B (and small pop) hit in late 1956 with the brassy, stuttering Reet Petite, which was co-written by an emerging Detroit songwriter named Berry Gordy Jr. Gordy would also help write a few other hits for Jackie in the late 50s, To Be Loved, Lonely Teardrops, Thats Why (I Love You So), and Ill Be Satisfied; they also crossed over to the pop charts, Lonely Teardrops making the Top Ten. Most of these were upbeat, creatively arranged marriages of pop and R&B that, in retrospect, helped set the stage both for 60s soul and for Gordys own huge pop success at Motown. The early Gordy-Wilson association has led some historians to speculate how much differently (and better) Jackies career might have turned out had he been on Motowns roster instead of the Brunswick label.
In the early 60s, Wilson maintained his pop stardom with regular hit singles that often used horn arrangements and female choruses that have dated somewhat badly, especially in comparison with the more creative work by peers such as Charles and Brown from this era. Wilson also sometimes went into out-and-out operatic pop, as on Danny Boy and one of his biggest hits, Night (1960). At the same time, he remained capable of unleashing a sweaty, up-tempo, gospel-soaked number: Baby Workout, which fit that description to a T, was a number five hit for him in 1963. Its true that you have to be pretty selective in targeting the worthwhile Wilson records from this era; 1962s At the Copa, for instance, has Jackie trying to combine soul and all-around entertainment, and not wholly succeeding with either strategy. Yet some of his early Brunswick material is also fine uptown soul; not quite as earthy as some of his fans would have liked him to sound, no doubt, but worth hearing.
Wilson was shot and seriously wounded by a female fan in 1961, though he made a recovery. His career was more seriously endangered by his inability to keep up with changing soul and rock trends. Not everything he did in the mid-60s is totally dismissible; No Pity (In the Naked City), for instance, is something like West Side Story done uptown soul style. In 1966, his career was briefly revived when he teamed up with Chicago soul producer Carl Davis, who had been instrumental in the success of Windy City performers like Gene Chandler, Major Lance, and Jerry Butler. Davis successfully updated Wilsons sound with horn-heavy arrangements, getting near the Top Ten with Whispers, and then making number six in 1967 with Higher and Higher. And that was really the close of Wilsons career as either a significant artist or commercial force, although he had some minor chart entries through the early 70s.
While playing a Dick Clark oldies show at the Latin Casino in New Jersey in September 1975, Wilson suffered an on-stage heart attack while singing Lonely Teardrops. He lapsed into a coma, suffering major brain damage, and was hospitalized until his death in early 1984.