Wilson Pickett Net Worth

What Was Wilson Pickett's Net Worth?

Wilson Pickett was an American singer and songwriter who had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of his death in 2006. Wilson Pickett was an R&B, soul, and rock and roll singer. Wilson joined the gospel music group the Violinaires in 1955 and toured churches across the country. He joined the Falcons in 1959 and co-authored and sang lead vocals on the minor hit "I Found a Love." Pickett's solo debut studio album, "It's Too Late," was released in 1963 on Double L records, and he went on to release several successful albums over his career. More than 50 of Wilson's singles made it onto the "Billboard" R&B charts, and his songs frequently appeared on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart as well. Some of his most popular hits include "In the Midnight Hour," "Mustang Sally," "Funky Broadway," and "Land of 1,000 Dances." His albums were released on Atlantic, Stax, RCA, EMI, and Motown Records. Pickett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. He passed away from a heart attack on January 19, 2006, at the age of 64.

Early Life

Wilson Pickett was born on March 18, 1941, in Prattville, Alabama. He had 10 siblings, and he referred to his mother as "the baddest woman in my book." Wilson told historian Gerri Hirshey, "She used to hit me with anything, skillets, stove wood … [one time I ran away and] cried for a week. Stayed in the woods, me and my little dog." In 1955, Pickett moved to Detroit to live with his father. During his youth, Wilson performed in Baptist church choirs.

Career

Pickett joined the gospel group the Violinaires in 1955 and stayed with them until 1959, when he joined the R&B group the Falcons. His biggest success with the group was the song "I Found a Love," which was a minor hit and paved the way for Wilson to begin a solo career. His first solo recordings were "I'm Gonna Cry" and "If You Need Me," and he sent a demo to Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler, who gave it to the label's biggest star, Solomon Burke. Burke recorded his own version of "If You Need Me," which reached #2 on the "Billboard" R&B chart. Pickett was angry when he found out that Atlantic Records had given his song to another artist, but he denied it when he returned to Wexler's studio with another demo. Later that year, Wilson released his version of the song as his debut solo single, and it reached #30 on the "Billboard" R&B chart. In July 1963, his single "It's Too Late" peaked at #7 on that chart. His debut album of the same name was released later that year on Double L Records, and the success of the single convinced Wexler and Atlantic Records to buy Pickett's recording contract in 1964.

After moving to Atlantic, Wilson released the single "I'm Gonna Cry," which he produced. The record label then paired him with songwriters Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann and producer Bert Berns. The team was responsible for the single "Come Home Baby," on which Pickett duetted with Tami Lynn, but it didn't chart. His third single with Atlantic was 1965's "In the Midnight Hour," which topped the "Billboard" R&B chart, was certified Gold, and earned a Grammy nomination. Later in 1965, Wilson released the singles "Don't Fight It," "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)," and "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)," which peaked at #4, #1, and #13, respectively, on the "Billboard" R&B chart. In 1966, he had a hit with "Land of 1000 Dances," which reached #1 on the "Billboard" R&B chart and #6 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, and "Mustang Sally," which peaked at #6 on the R&B chart. His next #1 hit on the R&B chart was 1967's "Funky Broadway," followed by "Don't Knock My Love – Pt. I" in 1971. Pickett also had top 10 hits on that chart with "I'm in Love" (1967), "She's Lookin' Good" (1968), "I'm a Midnight Mover" (1968), "Sugar, Sugar" (1970), "Engine No. 9" (1970), "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You" (1971), and "Fire and Water" (1971).

Personal Life

Wilson was married to Bonnie Covington from 1959 to 1986, and they had four children together. Pickett was engaged to Gail Webb at the time of his death in 2006. Wilson struggled with cocaine addiction and alcoholism, which led to run-ins with the police. In 1991, he was arrested after he drove on the front lawn of the mayor of Englewood, New Jersey, while drunk and shouted threats. Pickett faced charges of resisting arrest and drunk driving as well as refusing to take a breathalyzer test, but he performed a benefit concert in exchange for having some of the charges dropped. In 1992, Wilson hit a pedestrian, 86-year-old Pepe Ruiz, with his car, and authorities reportedly found six empty beer cans and six empty vodka mini bottles in the vehicle. Ruiz passed away later that year. Pickett was charged with drunk driving, and he pleaded guilty. He was given a reduced jail sentence (one year) and five years probation after agreeing to go to rehab. A few days after the accident, Wilson's live-in girlfriend alleged that he threw a vodka bottle at her and threatened to have her killed, and a judge ordered Pickett to move out of his home. In 1996, Wilson was arrested after he assaulted his then-girlfriend, Elizabeth Trapp, while he was on cocaine. Trapp declined to press charges, so Pickett was only charged with possession of cocaine.

Death

On January 19, 2006, Pickett passed away from a heart attack at a Virginia hospital at the age of 64. He spent the last year of his life suffering from health problems. Wilson was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky, in a mausoleum, and Little Richard gave the eulogy at Pickett's funeral. On March 20, 2006, Wilson's legacy was celebrated at the B. B. King Blues Club in New York with performances by artists such as Ben E. King, the Commitments, the Midnight Movers, Southside Johnny, and Bruce "Big Daddy" Wayne. Members of Pickett's family attended the concert, including two of his brothers.

Awards and Nominations

Pickett earned five Grammy nominations during his career: Best R&B Performance for "In the Midnight Hour" (1965), Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Funky Broadway" (1967), "Engine #9" (1970), and the re-recording of "In the Midnight Hour" (1987), and Best Traditional R&B Performance for "It's Harder Now" (1999). In 2012, he posthumously won a 20/20 Award for Best Original Score for "The Commitments." Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1991), the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame (2005), and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame (2015), and he received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award in 1993.