RIP Wilson Pickett

I hate to keep being the bearer of bad news but we just lost soul legend Wilson Pickett: see this Billboard obit for details.

The guy was only64, not exactly a ripe old age. Many was the time that I played “Engine No. 9” 0n my classic rock show that I had at my college radio station, grooving to the Wicked One’s shout and the fuzzed out guitar or him going up against Duane Allman on “Hey Jude” (which Eric Clapton was a fan of also and stands as one of the best Beatles covers ever). And then there’s “In the Midnight Hour” (which Robert Christgau reckoned was better than anything Aretha ever did), his frenzied version of “Land of 1000 Dances,” the Falcons’ “I Found A Love” (before his solo career began and already sounding like a star) and more and more… Don’t take my word for it though- if you don’t have it already, do yourself a favor and get Wilson Pickett’s Greatest Hits to remember what we lost and what he gave us.