Died On This Date (January 19, 2006) Wilson Pickett / Soul Legend
themusicsover Wilson Pickett
March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006
The great Wilson Pickett was a soul performer and songwriter who would be responsible for some of the genre’s greatest recordings. He began his career in Gospel, but with a flair for showmanship akin to Little Richard and James Brown, it wasn’t long before he made the jump to secular R&B. In 1965, Pickett began recording a series of hits that included, “In the Midnight Hour,” “Land of 1000 Dances,” “Ninety Nine and a Half Won’t Do,” and “Mustang Sally.” His songs have been recorded by the greatest acts in rock music. That list includes Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Los Lobos, Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Grateful Dead, to name just a few. Pickett continued to make records well into the ’90s, though his hit-making days ended back in the mid ’70s. And he made concert performances up all the way up until 2004, only to step down due to health reasons. On January 19, 2006, 64 year-old Wilson Pickett died of a heart attack.
What You Should Own
Maurice Gibb was an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer who, along with his twin brother, 
Byron Lee was a Jamaican musician, band leader and producer who has been credited for introducing the electric bass to Jamaica. He formed the Dragonaires in the early ’50s. They went on to become one of the most successful and influential ska bands Jamaica has ever known. As a producer, Lee worked with the likes of the Maytals. He later bought a recording studio and turned it into the best of it’s kind in Jamaican, hosting the Rolling Stones and Paul Simon among other major acts. In 2007, it became known that Lee was being treated for bladder cancer. Although he was no longer able to perform with the Dragonaires, he continued on in a management capacity. Byron Lee died of cancer at the age of 73.
Ronnie Van Zant was the singer and main songwriter for southern rock powerhouse, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the band he formed in 1964 with fellow high school classmates. The band slugged it out on the road in and around the southeast region of the U.S. until they got their break by getting signed to MCA Records in 1972. The following year, they released their debut album, pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd, which included such future hits and Southern rock staples as “Gimme Three Steps,” “Tuesday’s Gone,” and of course, “Free Bird.” The hits continued to roll in and the band soon found them self touring with such bands as the Who and the Rolling Stones. By late 1977, the band was as popular as any in America, had just completed their Street Survivors album, and were in the middle of what was to be their biggest tour yet. But then one of popular music’s worst tragedies struck. On October 20, 1977, while flying between shows in Greenville, South Carolina and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, their small chartered plane experienced engine trouble causing it to crash outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Dead on impact were band members, Ronnie Van Zant (29), 