Tune Tuesday – Jackie Wilson

The amazing Jackie Wilson was born on this day in 1932.

The iconic, soulful and energetic stage entertainer was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in the rough neighborhoods of Highland Park. Growing up he joined an area gang, which meant he was often in trouble. Jackie’s antics got him locked up twice in juvenile homes .. where he eventually learned to box.

He wasn’t a great boxer, but he joined the amateur circuits around Detroit, where he met fellow boxer and future Motown chief, Berry Gordy. Jackie would go on to become a Golden Gloves boxer, but after his mother told him ‘that’s enough boxing’, and with a record of 2-8, he turned to music.

His musical journey started when he formed the original Falcons. He would go on to be discovered by Johnny Otis, who assigned him to a group called the Thrillers. They later became the Royals, the same group that backed another Detroit legend, Hank Ballard, but Jackie left before they made their big hits. Jackie then joined Billy Ward & the Dominoes in 1953, replacing Clyde McPhatter.  Jackie stayed with the group for 3 years before deciding that going solo would be a better option … and it paid off big time.

He signed a record deal with Brunswick Records, where he would have his first hit “Reet Petite” in 1957, co-written by Berry Gordy. Jackie and Berry would become good friends over the years, with Berry co-writing a few of his early hits. “Lonely Teardrops” would launch Wilson’s career to a whole new level.

Jackie would chart 54 hits from 1957-1974 and his stage presence earned him the nickname “Mr. Excitement”! Jackie would sing anything from high-powered soul classics, to opera, to ballads – there really wasn’t anything Jackie couldn’t sing.

Elvis Presley was so impressed with Wilson that he set out to meet him, and they instantly became good friends. In a photo of the two posing together, Presley’s caption in the autograph reads: “You got you a friend for life”.

Wilson was sometimes called “The Black Elvis.” Reportedly, when asked about this, Presley said, “I guess that makes me the white Jackie Wilson.” Wilson also said he was influenced by Presley, saying, “A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.”

In 1975, Wilson suffered a heart attack during a performance (singing Lonely Teardrops), which left him in a coma until his death nine years later in 1984. He would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2016, Cottage Grove Street in Highland Park, MI was renamed Jackie Wilson Lane in his honor. In 2019, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Happy Birthday, Jackie!!