Wilson was born June 19, 1939, in Meridian, Miss., where he sang in the church choir as a child. His family moved to San Bernardino in the 1950s, and he found work as a letter carrier, office clerk and janitor.
He toured with the group Johnny “Legs" Harris and the Statesmen before joining the Navy for a two-year stint. He then moved to Los Angeles and played with the Jewels and their successor group, the Rollers. A drummer, he also worked with the instrumental group the Souls.
In 1966, he was spotted by manager Marc Gordon, who introduced him to singer Johnny Rivers, who signed him to his Soul City label. Wilson had a hit with his first single, “The Snake," in 1968.
“Show and Tell" was released in late 1973 and the next year reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart.
Wilson charted with several other 1970s singles, including “La La Peace Song" and “I've Got a Feeling (We'll Be Seeing Each Other Again)."
For more information contact All About Jazz.
