Soul Music
The song was written in 1965 by Wilson Pickett and guitarist, songwriter, producer Steve Cropper (from the Mar-Keys, Booker T. & The MG’s). Evidently, they wrote the song together at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, which was where Martin Luther King, Jr., was killed a few years later in 1968. The single, backed with “I’m Not Tired,” went to #1 on the R&B Chart and #21 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. Pickett also had the song on his 1965 album titled In the Midnight Hour and his 1966 album The Exciting Wilson Pickett. Rolling Stone magazine has “In the Midnight Hour” on its list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has it on its list of “500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll.” Picket re-recorded the song for his 1987 album American Soul Man. There have been numerous covers, including versions by The Mirettes, Cross Country, Samantha Sang, Razzy Bailey, James Taylor, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Tina Turner, Mary Wells, and many more.
Wilson Picket aka The “Wicked Pickett,” was born in Prattville, Alabama, and was a pioneer in the development of soul music. He had many hits. Among them were “Land of 1,000 Dances,” “Mustang Sally,” “Funky Broadway,” and “634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.).” He died of a heart attack in 2006.
