R&B/soul singer Wilson Pickett died of a heart attack on Thursday at age 64 in a Reston, Virginia hospital near his home. He had suffered through health problems for the last year.
Here at ChartAttack, instead of mourning a musician's death, we prefer to celebrate his or her life. Here are 10 reasons why Wilson Pickett was cool:
1. People called him "Wicked Pickett."
2. Unlike many of the biggest R&B/soul stars of the '60s, Pickett wrote or co-wrote many of his own hits, including "In The Midnight Hour."
3. "In The Midnight Hour" has been covered by The Jam, Tom Jones, Echo & The Bunnymen, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Rivers, Roxy Music, Rufus Thomas, Johnny Thunders, Jackie Wilson, The Young Rascals, Mary Wells, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, Martha Reeves, The Chocolate Watchband, The Chambers Brothers and John Holt — all of whom are cool.
4. Pickett covered The Archies' "Sugar, Sugar," which means that Andy Kim made some money from him.
5. Pickett joined The Falcons as a teenager and sang their 1962 hit, "I Found A Love." The Falcons also included Eddie Floyd (who wrote the classic "Knock On Wood" and "634-5789," which Pickett later had a major hit with) and Sir Mack Rice (who wrote another of Wilson's big solo hits, "Mustang Sally").
6. Pickett recorded at the Stax and Muscle Shoals Studios with some of the top session musicians ever, including guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn and organist Booker T. Jones.
7. Many people consider Pickett's version of The Beatles' "Hey Jude," which he recorded with guitarist Duane Allman, to be better than the original.
8. Although Pickett didn't appear in The Commitments, the film focused on a struggling Dublin soul band's comedic efforts to meet and perform with him.
9. Pickett was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1991.
10. Pickett wasn't just compared to James Brown because of their musical similarities. He also lived life on the edge and toured around the world almost non-stop until health problems forced him to retire.
—Steve McLean
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Jimi Hendrix Psychedelic Flying V On Show
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The Gibson Custom division have launched the ‘Inspired
By’ series limited-edition collection of
guitars inspired by and built to the exact specifications of some of the
most innovative guitarists of all time. The Jimi Hendrix, Peter Frampton, John
Sykes and Kiefer Sutherland (No! Really ?!?) models are among the offerings.
The ‘Inspired By’ guitars are all handmade instruments crafted by Gibson’s
famous Custom Shop, featuring one-of-a-kind looks, style, and tone. The Jimi
Hendrix Psychedelic Flying V will be on display throughout NAMM at the Gibson
Guitar Booth. In addition to the guitar, guests will have a chance to view
rare Hendrix memorabilia on loan from Experience
Music Project. The mythical Jimi Hendrix Psychedelic Flying V, purchased in
1967 and used on tour in Europe during 1967 and 1968 with its swirling,
psychedelic designs, highlights the spirit of the times and showcases Jimi’s
unique artistic expression.
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Originally painted by Hendrix with what appears to be nail polish, the Custom
Shop has used materials which reproduce the same sense of depth and texture.
The new Peter Frampton Inspired By model has a two-piece body unlike standard
Les Paul Junior and Special models. It features three single-coil P-90 pickups,
each of which has a dedicated volume control. The middle pickup can be blended
in with (or isolated from) the rhythm and treble pickups as desired and a master
toggle switch functions as it would on a two-pickup guitar.
The Gibson Custom Shop say that meticulously recreating Jimi’s guitar and
designing the new Peter Frampton model has been a labor of love for them. All of
the materials and hardware are faithful reproductions of the original on each
model. From initial wood selection to final assembly the Gibson Custom Shop
exceeds every expectation and remains faithful the history of the finest guitars
in the world.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Friday, August 05, 2005
Complete Hendrix Woodstock Set Heads To DVD
Oh yah this is must...I can't wait to see this. I love this performance and there is some killer never-before seen footage in here!
Jimi Hendrix's closing performance at Woodstock on Aug. 18, 1969, is arguably one of the most iconic moments in rock history, but it has never been commercially available in its entirety. That will change on Sept. 13, when Universal Music and Experience Hendrix release the DVD "Jimi Hendrix -- Live at Woodstock." The project comes out a day earlier in the U.K.
The double-disc set captures one of Hendrix's only performances with an extended backing band, dubbed Gypsy Sun And Rainbows. Longtime Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer supervised a new audio mix in both 5.1 and 2.0 stereo sound. Bonus features include "The Road to Woodstock" documentary, a contemporaneous press conference and "A Second Look," which blends black-and-white video footage with color clips from alternate angles.
More than 35 years later, Woodstock is still a high point for Gypsy Sun And Rainbows (and later, Band Of Gypsys) bassist Billy Cox. "We had a house in Woodstock for maybe 30 days, and then the Woodstock Festival finally came up," he recalls to Billbord.com. "We worked, practiced and rehearsed very diligently for that. And the day finally came when we [played], and it was kind of a relief off our minds. We really did it as a group -- we were on stage for close to two hours."
Although many feel Woodstock marked the end of the 1960s counterculture movement, Cox says the festival vibe was "great. We went and played with the attitude of, 'Look at all those people, everybody's doing something different.' It's like watching television; we'll go with the vibe. So the energy from them came to us, and we threw it right back at them."
The performance crystallized a new period of musical exploration for Hendrix. "In the earlier times, when he was with Noel [Redding] and Mitch [Mitchell], the songs were very simple," Cox says. "The simplicity of the 'Foxey Lady's' and the 'Purple Haze's' now went into some pretty intricate things, like 'Jam Back at the House' and then later the 'Freedom's', the 'Dolly Dagger's,' and 'In from the Storm.' And you don't have the time to do a lot of pyrotechnics; you've got to play."
While the set list contained both favorites from the Jimi Hendrix Experience ("Purple Haze," "Foxey Lady," "Spanish Castle Magic") and then-unheard compositions ("Message to Love," "Jam Back at the House," "Izabella"), it was the guitarist's surprise rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" that became synonymous with the original Woodstock.
"[Jimi] was so into it -- if you listen closely you will see that I stayed on him," Cox says. "And when he started 'The Star Spangled Banner,' that impromptu thing, you hear the first four, five, or six notes; I'm in there with him. Then I said, 'Wait a minute, we didn't rehearse this, and it doesn't sound too good with me playing.' I backed away, and he continued and made a classic out of that."
Jimi Hendrix's closing performance at Woodstock on Aug. 18, 1969, is arguably one of the most iconic moments in rock history, but it has never been commercially available in its entirety. That will change on Sept. 13, when Universal Music and Experience Hendrix release the DVD "Jimi Hendrix -- Live at Woodstock." The project comes out a day earlier in the U.K.
The double-disc set captures one of Hendrix's only performances with an extended backing band, dubbed Gypsy Sun And Rainbows. Longtime Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer supervised a new audio mix in both 5.1 and 2.0 stereo sound. Bonus features include "The Road to Woodstock" documentary, a contemporaneous press conference and "A Second Look," which blends black-and-white video footage with color clips from alternate angles.
More than 35 years later, Woodstock is still a high point for Gypsy Sun And Rainbows (and later, Band Of Gypsys) bassist Billy Cox. "We had a house in Woodstock for maybe 30 days, and then the Woodstock Festival finally came up," he recalls to Billbord.com. "We worked, practiced and rehearsed very diligently for that. And the day finally came when we [played], and it was kind of a relief off our minds. We really did it as a group -- we were on stage for close to two hours."
Although many feel Woodstock marked the end of the 1960s counterculture movement, Cox says the festival vibe was "great. We went and played with the attitude of, 'Look at all those people, everybody's doing something different.' It's like watching television; we'll go with the vibe. So the energy from them came to us, and we threw it right back at them."
The performance crystallized a new period of musical exploration for Hendrix. "In the earlier times, when he was with Noel [Redding] and Mitch [Mitchell], the songs were very simple," Cox says. "The simplicity of the 'Foxey Lady's' and the 'Purple Haze's' now went into some pretty intricate things, like 'Jam Back at the House' and then later the 'Freedom's', the 'Dolly Dagger's,' and 'In from the Storm.' And you don't have the time to do a lot of pyrotechnics; you've got to play."
While the set list contained both favorites from the Jimi Hendrix Experience ("Purple Haze," "Foxey Lady," "Spanish Castle Magic") and then-unheard compositions ("Message to Love," "Jam Back at the House," "Izabella"), it was the guitarist's surprise rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" that became synonymous with the original Woodstock.
"[Jimi] was so into it -- if you listen closely you will see that I stayed on him," Cox says. "And when he started 'The Star Spangled Banner,' that impromptu thing, you hear the first four, five, or six notes; I'm in there with him. Then I said, 'Wait a minute, we didn't rehearse this, and it doesn't sound too good with me playing.' I backed away, and he continued and made a classic out of that."
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Hendrix guitar auctions for £100,000
Well it looks like one of Jimi's favorite guitars just sold at auction. Very cool!
The 1965 Fender Stratocaster was one of a number of guitars included in the sale dedicated to the rock legend.
The vast archive of instruments, signed records and posters were collected by a dedicated fan who had become friendly with the star.
The auction was billed as the biggest collection of Hendrix memorabilia to go under the hammer.
The majority of the items were collected by fan Bob Terry who began collecting at the age of 17. He later sold it on to another collector.
Hendrix died in 1970
Hendrix, widely considered one of the best guitarists of his era, died of a drug overdose in 1970 at the age of 27.
The 1965 Fender Stratocaster was used by the musician on tour and in his studio.
A poem written by Hendrix two weeks after his infamous appearance at the Monterey Festival where he set light to his guitar went for £10,000.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's first single Hey Joe, signed by all the band, was sold for £2,000.
The sale, hosted by auctioneers Cooper Owen, was held at the Hard Rock Cafe in London.
Jimi still brings in the big-money collectors!
The 1965 Fender Stratocaster was one of a number of guitars included in the sale dedicated to the rock legend.
The vast archive of instruments, signed records and posters were collected by a dedicated fan who had become friendly with the star.
The auction was billed as the biggest collection of Hendrix memorabilia to go under the hammer.
The majority of the items were collected by fan Bob Terry who began collecting at the age of 17. He later sold it on to another collector.
Hendrix died in 1970
Hendrix, widely considered one of the best guitarists of his era, died of a drug overdose in 1970 at the age of 27.
The 1965 Fender Stratocaster was used by the musician on tour and in his studio.
A poem written by Hendrix two weeks after his infamous appearance at the Monterey Festival where he set light to his guitar went for £10,000.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's first single Hey Joe, signed by all the band, was sold for £2,000.
The sale, hosted by auctioneers Cooper Owen, was held at the Hard Rock Cafe in London.
Jimi still brings in the big-money collectors!
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