****JACKIE WILSON:"MR. EXCITEMENT"****

Tributes and legacy (Wikipedia)

In 1985, the soul/funk band the Commodores recorded "Nightshift" in memory of Wilson and soul singer Marvin Gaye, who had both died in 1984. Reaching No. 1 R&B and No. 3 pop in the US, and topping the Dutch singles chart, it was the group's biggest post-Lionel Richie hit.

Van Morrison also recorded a tribute song called "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" on his 1972 album Saint Dominic's Preview. This song was later covered by Dexy's Midnight Runners. When the track was performed on the British TV show Top of the Pops, a picture of darts player Jocky Wilson was used instead. This has often been speculated to be a mistake but Dexy's frontman Kevin Rowland stated that it was a deliberate joke by the band.

Michael Jackson honored Jackie Wilson at the 1984 Grammy Awards. Jackson dedicated his Album of the Year Grammy for Thriller to Wilson, saying, "In the entertainment business, there are leaders and there are followers. And I just want to say that I think Jackie Wilson was a wonderful entertainer...I love you and thank you so much."

Until Jackson's comments, Wilson's recording legacy had been dormant for almost a decade. Tarnopol owned Wilson's recordings due to Brunswick's separation from MCA, but the label had essentially closed down, essentially deleting Wilson's considerable recorded legacy. But when Jackson praised Wilson at the Grammys, interest in the legendary singer stirred, and Tarnopol released the first Wilson album (a two-record compilation) in almost nine years through Epic Records, Jackson's label at the time. Through Tarnopol's son, Wilson's music has become more available.
In the VH-1 5-part television special, Say It Loud: A Celebration of Black Music in America, fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Smokey Robinson and Bobby Womack both paid tribute to Wilson. Smokey explained that "Jackie Wilson was the most dynamic singer and performer that I think I've ever seen. Bobby added "He was the real Elvis Presley, as far as I'm concerned...and Elvis took a lot from him too."[30]
In his autobiography To Be Loved (named for one of the hit tunes he wrote for Wilson) Motown founder Berry Gordy stated that Wilson was "The greatest singer I've ever heard. The epitome of natural greatness. Unfortunately for some, he set the standard I'd be looking for in singers forever".
Wilson is mentioned in the song "Gone But Not Forgotten" sung by artist TQ, which is a song dedicated to the memory of famous musicians who have died. The lyric goes "..and Jackie, will you teach me how to glide across the stage?"
Wilson is mentioned in the rap song "Thugz Mansion" by Tupac Shakur. The lyric is:

"Seen a show with Marvin Gaye last night,
It had me shook, sippin' peppermint schnapps
With Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke."

Wilson scored a posthumous hit when "Reet Petite" reached number one in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands in 1986. This success was likely due in part to a new animated video made for the song, featuring a clay model of Wilson, that became hugely popular on television. The following year he hit the UK charts again with "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" (No. 3), and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (No. 15).
Rita Coolidge covered "Higher and Higher" in 1977; her version reached No. 2 on the US pop charts, earning a gold record.
In 1999, Wilson's original version of "Higher and Higher" and "Lonely Teardrops" were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; both are on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; that same year, he was portrayed in the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba by Howard Huntsberry.
Wilson is referenced in the 1986 song "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." by John Mellencamp.
Wilson and "Lonely Teardrops" are referenced in the 1993 song "Jupiter and Teardrop" by Grant Lee Buffalo on their debut album Fuzzy.
In 1988, his version of "To Be Loved" was featured in the film Coming to America, when Akeem and Lisa were falling in love. Akeem (Eddie Murphy) later came back home singing the song loudly, waking up and infuriating his neighbors.
In 1989, "Higher and Higher" was featured in the film Ghostbusters II, the soundtrack album of which featured a cover version of the song by Howard Huntsberry.
In 1992, Wilson was portrayed in the ABC miniseries by Grady Harrell in The Jacksons: An American Dream.
In 1994, Monkee Peter Tork recorded a bluegrass-rock cover of "Higher and Higher" on his first solo album Stranger Things Have Happened. Tork regularly performs the song in concert.
In 2007, Wilson's music was featured in a film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's book Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.
In September 2010, Wilson's song "That's Why (I Love You So)" appeared on Dick Clark's Rock, Roll and Remember.
On November 18, 2011 the Black Ensemble Theater of Chicago produced a musical about Wilson's life.

Posted by Bill G. on Saturday, 08/17/2013 @ 21:42pm

Jackie Wilson was one of the most important singers in black music's transition from R&B to soul. People called him "Mr. Excitement," and with good reason as Jackie was a gifted singer of range with few rivals and a charismatic showman who could command a stage in a way that few could or have since.

He possessed a natural voice and sang with the grace of Sam Cooke and moved with the frantic dynamism of James Brown. With all this flair and physical skill at his disposal, Jackie could drive an audience to the brink of hysteria.

A mainstay on the R&B and pop charts from 1958 to 1968 although never a cross-over superstar, he scored two dozen Top 40 hits.

His reputation wasn't quite as great as Ray Charles or Sam Cooke, however, because his albums didn't always reflect his artistic genius.

On record, however, Jackie was often in control with grandiose arrangements and outdated songs, but he transcended even the blandest with the powerful excitement of his vocals and while he did over record, putting out two albums a year between 1959 and 1974, some of those albums are noteworthy such as "Lonely Teardrops" and "Soul Time".

Wilson's unrivaled success and output was amazing, impacting the charts between 1958 and 1973. Scattered among an excessive number of sentimental ballads were a few R&B jewels like "Baby Workout," "Lonely Tear Drops," "Think Twice," and "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher". All together, Jackie had 47 R&B hits with 24 songs crossing over the Billboard Top 40.

He was also versatile, too handling up-tempo R&B and mainstream balladry with style and charisma. Not only was Wilson "Mr. Excitement" but also "the black Elvis" as some called him.

He tore up the stage wherever he went with an act that radiated excitement and sex appeal. His popularity expanded overseas, where, in 1963 he headlined a show in Britain where The Beatles were the opening act.

When the hits stopped coming and musical tastes changed in the late 60s, Jackie remained active on the perfroming stage. In fact, he was performing "Lonely Teardrops" on a stage in New Jersey when he suffered a heart attack that put him in a coma and a few mouths and left him permanently incapacitated.

He passed away in 1984.

Jackie Wilson to me is one of the two most charismatic performers in soul music. His stagemenship is some of the finest I've ever seen. Only James Brown could rival him.

Jackie's influence can still be heard and seen in the music and stage presence of singers like Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Just look at Jackson's stage power and dance moves.

Posted by Andrew on Saturday, 02/8/2014 @ 23:23pm

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8528204/jackie-wilson-star-hollywood-walk-of-fame

JACKIE WILSON , the legendary singer and performer billed as "MISTER EXCITEMENT", will be awarded a posthumous STAR on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Sept. 4th 2019 !!!

The singer and that Smokey Robinson once called " The MOST DYNAMIC SINGER and PERFORMER THAT I HAVE ever SEEN", will be awarded his star,some 35 years after his death in 1975, in Hollywood, on Sept. 4, 2019.
Jackie has had some 60 U.S. chart hits,spanning the years 1957-1971...and continued charting internationally until 1987.He had 14 Top 20 Hits on the Billboard Hot 100,6 of which hit The Top 10....including: "LONELY TEARDROPS" (his signature song)"BABY WORKOUT)","NIGHT","HIGHER AND HIGHER","ALONE AT LAST" , and "MY EMPTY ARMS".Top 20 Hits included such classics as "WHISPERS (Getting Louder),"I'LL BE SATISFED", "THAT'S WHY (I Love You So","DOGGING AROUND","PLEASE TELL ME WHY",and "A WOMAN, A LOVER, A FRIEND".On the US R&B Chart, Jackie boasted some 48 Chart Hits,including 14 Top 10's, and 6 # 1's.
A singer with an incredible FOUR OCTAVE vocal range, and dancing abilities rivaled only by James Brown, Michael Jackson listed him as one of his TWO BIGGEST INFLUENCES.
Jackie was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in it's very SECOND CLASS,in 1987, is a two-time Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee,was inducted into the National R&B Music Hall of Fame in 2013,Winner of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's special "Legacy Tribute Award" in 2003, and is listed by Rolling Stone Magazine as # 69 in it's list of "THE 100 GREATEST ARTISTS OF ALL TIME".

Posted by Bill G on Friday, 08/23/2019 @ 19:26pm

*********JACKIE WILSON: TRIBUTES and LEGACY********

from Wikipedia:
Tributes and legacy

The 1972 Brunswick compilation Jackie Wilson's Greatest Hits was included in Robert Christgau's "basic record library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981).[43]

In 1987, Jackie Wilson was inducted into the second class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 2005, Jackie Wilson was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.[44]

On August 17, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio, Jackie Wilson was inducted into the Official R&B Music Hall of Fame.

* In 1985, the Commodores recorded "Nightshift" in memory of Wilson and soul singer Marvin Gaye, who had both died in 1984. Reaching No. 1 R&B and No. 3 pop in the U.S., and topping the Dutch singles chart, it was the group's biggest hit after the departure of Lionel Richie.

* Van Morrison recorded a tribute song called "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" on his 1972 album Saint Dominic's Preview. This was later covered by Dexys Midnight Runners. When the track was performed on the British TV show Top of the Pops, a picture of darts player Jocky Wilson was used instead. This has often been speculated to be a mistake but Dexys frontman Kevin Rowland stated that it was a deliberate joke by the band.

* Michael Jackson honored Jackie Wilson at the 1984 Grammy Awards Jackson dedicated his Album of the Year Grammy for Thriller to Wilson, saying, "In the entertainment business, there are leaders and there are followers. And I just want to say that I think Jackie Wilson was a wonderful entertainer...Jackie, where you are I want to say I love you and thank you so much."

* In the VH-1 5-part television special, Say It Loud: A Celebration of Black Music in America, fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Smokey Robinson and Bobby Womack both paid tribute to Wilson. Smokey explained that "Jackie Wilson was the most dynamic singer and performer that I think I've ever seen. Bobby added "He was the real Elvis Presley, as far as I'm concerned...and Elvis took a lot from him too."

*In his autobiography To Be Loved (named for one of the hit tunes he wrote for Wilson) Motown founder Berry Gordy stated that Wilson was "The greatest singer I've ever heard. The epitome of natural greatness. Unfortunately for some, he set the standard I'd be looking for in singers forever".

* Wilson is mentioned in the song "Gone But Not Forgotten" sung by artist TQ, which is a song dedicated to the memory of famous musicians who have died. The lyric goes "..and Jackie, will you teach me how to glide across the stage?"

Wilson scored a posthumous hit when "Reet Petite" reached number one in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands in 1986. This success was likely due in part to a new animated video made for the song, featuring a clay model of Wilson, that became popular on television. The following year he hit the UK charts again with "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" (No. 3), and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (No. 15).

Rita Coolidge covered "Higher and Higher" in 1977; her version reached No. 2 on the US pop charts, earning a gold record.

In 1999, Wilson's original version of "Higher and Higher" and "Lonely Teardrops" were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; both are on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987;[48] that same year, he was portrayed in the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba by Howard Huntsberry.

*Wilson is referenced in the 1986 song "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." by John Mellencamp.[citation needed]

* In 1989, "Higher and Higher" was featured in the film Ghostbusters II, the soundtrack album of which featured a cover version of the song by Howard Huntsberry. "Higher and Higher" was also featured in Eddie Murphy's 2007 movie "Norbit."[citation needed] The films Death to Smoochy (2002) and Date Night (2010) also feature the song.

* In 1992, Wilson was portrayed in the ABC miniseries by Grady Harrell in The Jacksons: An American Dream.

* In 1994, Monkee Peter Tork recorded a bluegrass-rock cover of "Higher and Higher" on his first solo album Stranger Things Have Happened.

On November 18, 2011, the Black Ensemble Theater of Chicago produced a musical about Wilson's life.

In 2014, artist Hozier released a song titled "Jackie and Wilson", a play on Wilson's name. The song includes the lyrics "We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson and raise them on rhythm and blues."[

The Jackie Wilson Hologram Tour 2018 was announced by Hologram USA on Billboard.

A ceremony was held on Saturday, August 20, 2016 at WHPR TV & Radio. At the ceremony, Cottage Grove Street officially became "Jackie Wilson Lane".
*Jackie Wilson will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Sept. 4 ,2019.

Posted by Bill G on Friday, 08/23/2019 @ 19:45pm

********* JACKIE WILSON: "MR EXCITEMENT" *********

HIGHER AND HIGHER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpCzeQCW7ao

LONELY TEARDROPS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eLdJ8MxOaE

BABY WORKOUT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBa81YSyshk

THAT'S WHY ( I LOVE YOU SO)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU-3bSKYAJk


YOU BETTER KNOW IT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mQ5m3oYSbY

TO BE LOVED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t99mJmbeLvU

Posted by Bill G on Friday, 08/23/2019 @ 20:49pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC6jQhH0YlQ
***************JACKIE WILSON*************

"Until Jackson's comments, Wilson's recording legacy had been dormant for almost a decade. Tarnopol owned Wilson's recordings due to Brunswick's separation from MCA, but the label had essentially closed down, essentially deleting Wilson's considerable recorded legacy. But when Jackson praised Wilson at the Grammys, interest in the legendary singer stirred, and Tarnopol released the first Wilson album (a two-record compilation) in almost nine years through Epic Records, Jackson's label at the time. Through Tarnopol's son, Wilson's music has become more available."

Nat Tarnopol was a snake with connections to The Mob...and literally STOLE millions of dollars from Jackie...and other artists on his label,Brunswick Records (like The Chi-Lites and others) since Jackie's death, his bio stated that his music has generated some 200 MILLION DOLLARS....and The Tarnopol Family gets ALL of it ...while Jackie's family gets little or NONE.According to a segment on ABC's 20/20,He was even indicted for tax evasion and mail fraud along with other Brunswick executives...plus the report stated that Brunswick made hundreds of thousands of record shipments that were never put on the books....so the artists were never paid royalties for them.

Posted by Bill G on Saturday, 08/24/2019 @ 19:25pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBa81YSyshk

***************JACKIE WILSON****************
As 20/20 pointed out,Jackie's song "DOGGIN' AROUND" one of his BIGGEST HITS, was NOT written by his son...because his son WASN'T EVEN BORN when it was recorded !! This was a move on Tarnopol's part to insure future royalites for HIS family ...at Jackie's expense !! It has recently been revealed that the song's TRUE author was ALONZO TUCKER. You know,the Founder of THE MIDNIGHTERS ? The one who was SNUBBED when the OTHER MEMBERS got inducted into the HoF in 2012 ?? He and Jackie also co-wrote his 1963 Top 10 smash, "BABY WORKOUT", as well as Jackie's hit "NO PITY (In The Naked City)". So, not only did ALONZO get CHEATED by the Rock Hall....He got cheated AGAIN out of royalties for HIS OWN SONGS !!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHnLohaGgM4

Posted by Bill G on Saturday, 08/24/2019 @ 20:12pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqH4K7AIjlc

************** JACKIE WILSON **************
The incredible "Mister Excitement" himself,
JACKIE WILSON,1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee,and 2013 R&B Hall of Fame Inductee, received his posthumous STAR on The HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME today, 9/4/2019, some 35 YEARS after his death. Jackie had some 60 R&B and Pop Chart hits, including 14 Pop Top 20 Hits, 6 of which reached the Top 10.
Referred to by Smokey Robinson as "The MOST-DYNAMIC Singer and Performer that I have EVER SEEN !!", Robinson was on hand to pay tribute, as well as Motown Records' founder Berry Gordy, and Marshall Thompson of The CHI-LITES . Other celebrities present, included Miracles' members Claudette Robinson, and Billy Griffin, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, and Jody Watley. You can see the ceremony by clicking on the ABOVE LINK. (NOTE:Move your cursor to 8:00 to hear the beginning of the sound)Jackie's son, John Wilson, will accept on behalf of his father.
********CONGRATULATIONS, JACKIE !!!**********

Posted by Bill G on Thursday, 09/5/2019 @ 04:08am

Amazing, Bill, that it took him this long to get that star! Shoulda had it 50 years ago.

Posted by Paul in KY on Thursday, 09/5/2019 @ 06:58am

Hearing Jackie Wilson was a joy. He was simply an electric performer with a voice like no other. The voice was extraordinary, and his stage presence was magnetic, just seeing it on TV. "Lonely Teardrops", and "Night" were two rock masterpieces which have never been surpassed for melody, neither before or after. His unique gifts would fit nicely today. You can't quite compare him to any other rock and roller, he was Jackie Wilson. To anyone who never saw him, please look at the tapes from the Ed Sullivan show where he usually sung live

Unforgettable voice from the tumultuous sixties. No one compares.

Posted by Ellis Saull on Wednesday, 07/5/2023 @ 16:40pm