R.I.P.

Today we lost one of the greatest voices and songwriters of the 1960s. It appears that Gene Pitney died peacefully in his hotel bed at the Hilton in Cardiff, Wales, UK. During the ’60s, he wrote hit tunes for Ricky Nelson (Hello Mary Lou) and The Crystals (He’s A Rebel) and scored hit after hit himself with his own compositions and those of Bert Bacharach and Hal David. He embraced the coming British Invasion by being the first American to record a Mick Jagger/Keith Richards composition (The Girl Belongs To Yesterday). His voice was so passionate and powerful, he could make almost any tune come alive. I got to see Gene Pitney perform live about 14 years ago at the North Shore Music Theatre in Massachusetts. He put on a great performance and even wished me a happy birthday right from the stage. Gene was a class act thru and thru.

Tonight, remember and celebrate the music of Gene Pitney on the Night Prowl Show (7-11pm EST) on the 50s on 5.

Soulfully,

Matt The Cat

Wilson “The Wicked” Pickett RIP

Today we lost one of the greatest soul singers of the 1960s. Pickett’s career began with The Falcons in 1962 with “I Found A Love”, a song that made the R&B; top 10, while stalling at #75 on the pop lists. He was signed to Atlantic Records and in 1965 made musical history with the release of “In The Midnight Hour”. His career never stalled until the early ’70s when he left Atlantic for RCA.

Wilson Pickett died today of a heart attack at the age of 64.

We will remember some of Pickett’s early great records tonight on the Night Prowl Show.

-MTC