American musician and composer Wilson Pickett lived from March 18, 1941, to January 19, 2006.
Pickett played a significant role in the development of soul music. More than 50 of his songs, several of which were later included in the Billboard Hot 100, made it to the US R&B charts.
Among his most well-known hits are the songs he co-wrote, including “In the Midnight Hour,” “Land of 1,000 Dances,” “634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.”), “Mustang Sally,” “Funky Broadway,” “Engine No. 9,” and “Don’t Knock My Love.”
Pickett was admitted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a result of his contributions to songwriting and music.
Pickett was born in Prattville, Alabama, on March 18, 1941, and sang in Baptist church choruses. As the fourth of their 11 children, he described his mother, saying to historian Gerri Hirshey:
“I get afraid of her now. In my opinion, she is the baddest lady. I once ran away and cried for a week because she used to hit me with anything, including skillets and stovewood.
I remained in the woods with my little puppy. Pickett finally relocated to Detroit to live with his father in 1955.
Is Wilson Pickett in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes, even though Wilson Pickett wasn’t present, he was officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on this day in 1980.
