Jackie Wilson

Within the pop music of the 1960s, Jackie Wilson was one of the most important agents of the transition from R&B into soul. In terms of vocal power (especially in the upper register), few could outdo him, and he was an electrifying on-stage showman. Although never a crossover superstar on par with the likes of Ray Charles, James Brown, or Sam Cooke, he was a consistent hitmaker from the mid-'50s through the early '70s. Wilson was well-known on the R&B scene before he went solo in the late '50s. In 1953, he replaced Clyde McPhatter in Billy Ward & the Dominoes, one of the top...