Search - Jackie Wilson & Dominoes :: 14 Hits, Volume Three

The Jackie Wilson Story Starts Here

Amy B Conlon | East Patchogue, New York United States | 12/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jackie Wilson was one of the most exciting performers of the 20th century. So much so that he was dubbed Mr. Excitement by Alan Freed. Like all performers there's a beginning to their career and Jackie's started just about here. Jackie Leroy Wilson was born and raised in Detroit. Even at a young age he and everyone that knew him, knew that he would become a star. Jackie originally started out as a boxer, (boxing under his nickname "Sonny") but at his mother insistance he threw in the towel and turned his attention to his singing talents. During the early 1950's Jackie entered many local talent shows. Some of his competition was The Royals (later Hank Ballard & The Midnighters), Little Willie John & Levi Stubbs (future lead singer of the Four Tops). In 1952 Jackie made his first recordings under the name Sonny Wilson for Dizzy Gillespie's Dee Gee record label. "Rainy Day Blues" and Wilson's favorite "Danny Boy" went nowhere, but by the next year he was on his way. Not long after his initial recording session, Wilson auditioned for the songwriter, producer and leader of The Dominoes, Billy Ward. Ward had been looking for a replacement for Clyde McPhatter. McPhatter was unhappy with Ward and the way he ran the group. In 1952 Ward changed the name of the group from The Dominoes to Billy Ward & His Dominoes. Ward thought Wilson had some promise and invited him on the road. Over the coarse of the next few months Ward trained Wilson. Shortly afterwards Clyde McPhatter left to form his own group, The Drifters. With McPhatter gone Jackie Wilson took over lead vocals. Which brings us to the tracks on this disc. Jackie's tenure with Billy Ward & His Dominoes started out strong. His first two releases as lead vocalist for the group did quite well. "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down" (written by Ward) and a cover version of Tony Bennett's hit "Rags To Riches" charted on the R&B charts. The first was a rocker done much like McPhatter's lead on "Have Mercy Baby". The second was a much more bluesy ballad like version which holds it's own, even against Bennett's version. But after those two initial releases the hits seemed to stop there were some fine recordings from this period like "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town", "Until The Real Thing Comes Along", and "Give Me You". However Ward was trying to get his group to cross over to the pop charts by doing cover versions of "Tenderly", "Three Coins In The Fountain" and "Learnin' The Blues". Ward and his group had crossed over onto the pop charts before in 1951 with "Sixty Minute Man"(It was the first R&B record to do so). Ward also tried to use novelty numbers like it to regain that chart status, but songs like "Can't Do Sixty No More" and "Bobby Sox Baby", didn't seem to do the trick. By 1955 after recording for the King/Federal label since 1950 Billy Ward & His Dominoes changed labels. They would spend a year on the Jubilee label before switching to Decca where they would have their first pop hit since "Sixty Minute Man". Wilson would sing lead on "St. Therese Of The Roses" and use it's success to embark on a solo career. THE DOMINOES FEATURING JACKIE WILSON is the third volume in a four volume set that brings a retrospect on The Dominoes recordings for the King/Federal label. Volume three pulls together all the recordings that featured Jackie Wilson on lead vocals. Recorded between the years 1953-1955 the album also features his lead on the holiday tune "Cristmas In Heaven" and tracks that remained unreleased until 1964. This album was originally released in the 1970's and is remastered. It is a must for any Jackie Wilson fan searching for his beginnings. Except for his 1952 "Sonny Wilson" recordings the Jackie Wilson story begins here."