Al Wilson
Al Wilson
“Al Wilson is a knock-out…!”
“Al has the audience in the palm of his hand, captivated…!”
“A man who knows the way to wrap himself around a vocal…!”
These are just a few of the rave reviews about the versatile artist Al Wilson. Music is his life — a self-portrait revealing the many facets of the man, from grade-school plays, talent contests, and art shows in Mississippi, to the U.S. Navy, to singing and playing drums with vocal and instrumental groups in California.
The “big break” was his hit recordings of “The Snake” and “Do What You Gotta Do” for Johnny Rivers’ Soul City Records. Al’s recording of “Show and Tell,” which sold over two million copies, was Cashbox Magazine’s #1 Single of The Year!
Now in his new album scheduled for January 2001, titled “Spice of Life,” we are treated to a taste of his classic recordings spiced up with his talent as both a writer and singer. Truly a work that offers up the heart, soul, and reflection of the new millennium.
Al’s style is a blend of earthiness and sophistication. His wide range of pop & jazz, gospel, rock, blues, and funk shows the sensitivity and strength that mark him as an enduring star in today’s music scene.
Al says, “If you do a thing well, whether it’s soul, blues, or rock, you can reach people of different tastes and please them all” — and Al Wilson does.
Mr. “Show & Tell” himself, Al Wilson, is anything but your typical entertainer. He is the purest, most energetic, and possibly the most talented singer to ever rule a stage. And without a doubt, when he hits the stage he launches into the fastest-moving hour ever seen. After nearly thirty years his voice is still incredibly intact, delivering notes so fine, so sensual, nearly palpable — to the point you want it to go on forever.
Want some current hits, funk-pop, a medley of standards, or ballads? You get it all, plus many of his 22 greatest hits. And no one is left seated when he performs his trademark Show & Tell, working the crowd into a frenzy befitting any finale.
From his home in San Bernardino, California, to The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, Bally’s Las Vegas, the Flamingo Hilton, Disney World, Atlanta, Concord Hotels Curaçao, Atlantic City — with every venue between the Atlantic and Pacific — and onto covering the length and breadth of South Africa, everyone feels the beat and remembers the experience of an Al Wilson show. Unlike some performers who feel more secure with a “wall” between them and the audience, Al may find himself engaged in playful banter with the crowd or offering a heartfelt serenade. Besides peeling the paint off the walls with his powerful voice, he works to make audiences feel like they are part of the show.
Clearly this is a man who looks forward to every show, and the audience knows it and appreciates it.
In 1999, when California made Juneteenth a state holiday — and Al, whose birthday happens to be June 19th, was honored by the California State Assembly in the First Class of Freedom Fighters for Musical Arts, along with Joe Vincent and Mr. Rickey Ivie, Esq., for their efforts in restoring the musical heritage to its rightful owners.