In Baptist church choirs, Pickett sang. He was born on March 18, 1941, in Prattville, Alabama. He contacted his mother and said he was the fourth of 11 kids “historian Gerri Hirshey was quoted as saying: “I become terrified of her now.
She’s the deadliest lady in my book. She would beat me with everything, including skillets and stove wood. Once, I fled and screamed for a week. My small puppy and I stayed in the woods.” In 1955, Pickett finally moved out to live with his father in Detroit.
What was Wilson Pickett known for?
Pickett was a significant contributor to the growth of American soul music. He recorded over 50 songs, many of which reached the US R&B charts and regularly made it to the US Billboard Hot 100.
His co-written songs “In the Midnight Hour,” “Land of 1,000 Dances,” “Mustang Sally,” and “Funky Broadway” are among his most well-known successes.
Pickett joined the gospel ensemble the Violinaires in 1955. On a concert tour around America, The Violinaires shared the stage with another gospel ensemble.
Pickett joined the Falcons in 1959 after spending four years singing in the well-known gospel harmony group. Pickett was drawn to the Falcons by the success of gospel musicians who had made the switch to the lucrative secular music industry.
