Chicago Soul Music
Sock it to me. The song had a convoluted history in going through some iterations with writers and artists, as it was originally written for The Dells. However, the big hit was with Jackie Wilson in 1967. It was credited to Gary Jackson and Carl Smith, with Carl Davis as the producer. The arrangement was by Sonny Sanders. The Instrumentalists were from the infamous Motown Records session musicians The Funk Brothers. This included James Jamerson (bass), Richard “Pistol” Allen (drums), “Robert White (guitar), and Johnny Griffith (keyboard). Background vocals were from two of the Motown session singers The Andantes, that is, Jackie Hicks and Marlene Barrow, as well as Pat Lewis. In 1967, Wilson’s recording went to #1 on the U.S. R&B chart, #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In the U.K., the single was a hit in 1969, 1975, and 1987.
There are have been version of the song by The Dells, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, and Rita Coolidge, among others.
Jack Leroy “Jackie” Wilson, Jr., was born in Detroit on June 9, 1934. Wilson had more than 50 hit singles in many genres, including R&B, rock and roll, pop, and soul. His musical pioneering and dynamic performing style influenced generations of artists. Wilson combined a beautiful, clear voice with his own style of athletic dance moves and always gave an incredible performance, which made him known as “Mr. Excitement.” On September 29, 1975, while singing “Lonely Teardrops” at Dick Clark’s Gold Ol’ Rock and Roll Revue in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Jackie Wilson had a heart attack and collapsed on stage. He was in a coma and then a semi-comatose state for many years, until his death in 1984.
