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In the Midnight Hour

The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett

Tony Fletcher

First biography of Wilson Pickett
Considerable musical detail on legendary recording sessions at Stax, Fame, American and Sigma Studios, from those who were there
Extensive interviews with family, friends and musicians
Previously unseen family and personal photographs

In the Midnight Hour

The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett

Tony Fletcher

Description

Wilson Pickett was arguably the greatest male soul screamer of the 1960s and '70s. Well known for his unprecedented string of Soul hits, including "In the Midnight Hour," "Land of 1,000 Dances," and "Mustang Sally," Pickett has sold millions of albums, and tens of millions of singles. A first ballot inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he collaborated with some of the biggest names in '60s and '70s pop, rock, and soul, recorded for the most renowned labels in soul and R&B, and was a legendary presence on stage, his performances frequently culminating in stage invasions by frenzied audience members of all colors eager to bask (and dance) in his radiant aura. Equally well known for his personal troubles, his musical brilliance and success - like that of so many other superstars - Pickett's career was punctuated by violence, drug and alcohol addictions, and fits of erratic and wild behavior.

In In the Midnight Hour, veteran music journalist and biographer Tony Fletcher not only tells the full story of Wilson Pickett's incredible career, and troubled life, but goes beyond the individual anecdotes to illustrate how Pickett's journey - geographic, musical, and cultural - was emblematic of both that of his generation of southern black men, and that of black American music in the second half of the twentieth century. He grew up in Alabama under Jim Crow in '40s where he experienced the peak of the gospel circuit before moving north to Detroit as part of the Second Great Migration, where he recorded for the nascent Tamla/Motown label. In the 60s he participated in integrated recording sessions for Stax and Atlantic, before moving back to Alabama where he took part in sessions at Muscle Shoals that made the studios signature sound famous, and at the beginning of the '70s, found himself in Philadelphia where he was instrumental in the birth of the Philly Soul sound. While centered around Wilson Pickett and his music, In the Midnight Hour will also be about the roller-coaster journey he took in his life, the social upheavals that surrounded him, the genre he helped shape along the way, and the pitfalls of the fame that success brought him.

The first biography of one the most famous, influential, and fascinating figures in soul and R&B, In the Midnight Hour will find an eager audience among fans of Wilson Pickett, and soul and R&B music in general, as well as readers interested in the development of black music during the second half of the twentieth century.

In the Midnight Hour

The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett

Tony Fletcher

Table of Contents
Dedication
Preface
Part I: 1941-1972 Rise
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Part II: 1973-1996 Fall
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Part III: 1997-2006 Redemption
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Sources
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index

In the Midnight Hour

The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett

Tony Fletcher

Author Information

Tony Fletcher

Tony Fletcher is the best-selling author of major biographies on Keith Moon, the Smiths, and R.E.M., as well as a memoir, a novel, and a history of the New York City music scene. Born in northern England, and raised in South London, where he started his own music magazine at the age of thirteen, he emigrated to New York City in the late 1980s. When not traveling with his family, he makes his home near Woodstock in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. (A contributor to Salon and the Wall Street Journal, his writing has also appeared in Mojo, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, Spin, Newsday and countless other publications.)

In the Midnight Hour

The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett

Tony Fletcher

Reviews and Awards

"Fletcher's account [...] is enthralling and rigorously researched ... [A] captivating book." - Mark Ellen, The Sunday Times

"Descriptions of both process and the end product are exemplary and he analyses important recordings with a musicians ear." - Elijah Wald, New Statesman

"Fletcher's account of this fractious and extraordinary man is enthralling and rigorously researched ... captivating book." - Mark Ellen, The Sunday Times

"a captivating account of the wild, pugnacious and swaggering soul singer Wilson Pickett." - Must Reads, The Sunday Times

"Fletcher's analysis and descriptions of Pickett's music are enthralling ... he does what any good music biographer should, and sends the reader back to the records." - Monkey Picks

"261 enthralling pages ... a good account of his life." - Echoes

"Beautifully written, especially when describing the classic songs, and vividly underpinned by civil rights developments and enthralling insights into Pickett's sharecropping background, the Wicked's first biography is destined to be the definitive work." - Kris Needs, Record Collector

"we have the perfect match; the music biographer with an eye for the fine detail and a gift for making songs come to life on the page and the multi-million selling Soul legend ... an authoritative study of the development of one of the finest singers of any generation ... ony Fletcher has delivered a long overdue and forensic assessment of arguably the greatest of all soul singers. It is highly recommended as essential reading for anyone with an interest in not only the flawed genius himself, but also the society that made him and the developing music industry within which he carved out a unique niche." - Dave Jennings, Louder than War

"Compelling stuff." - Hot Press

"an assured and illuminating book on the great soul singer ... a lively and entertaining read" - Just backdated

"beautifully written" - Shindig

"Fletcher's vibrant book brings Pickett and his music to glorious life." - Publishers Weekly

"This biography of soul singer Wilson Pickett is distinctive for its voluminous and nonjudgmental accounting of his life, from early childhood on, and of the complex early days of rhythm and-blues recording. In a book remarkable for its copious family research, Fletcher, a true devotee of the music, gives us the complete Pickett, more so than Mark Ribowsky did for Otis Redding, or James McBride has done for James Brown." - Booklist

"[In the Midnight Hour] is biography at its best: anecdotal, comprehensive, captivating and concise." - Shelf Awareness

In the Midnight Hour

The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett

Tony Fletcher

From Our Blog

Wilson Pickett and the "Ballad of Stackalee"

On the night of December 27 1895, at the Bill Curtis Saloon in St. Louis, Missouri, two black men, 'Stag' Lee Sheldon and Billy Lyons, got into an argument. They were, supposedly, friends and drinking partners, but politics was about to come fatally between them

Posted on February 23, 2017

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The legacy of Wilson "Wicked" Pickett [excerpt]

Today marks eleven years since the death of Wilson "Wicked" Pickett. Known for such hits as "In the Midnight Hour," "Land of 1,000 Dances," and "Mustang Sally," Pickett claimed his place as one of history's most influential R&B figures when he was

Posted on January 19, 2017

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