Wilson Pickett died today. If you are of a certain age you can probably rattle off a quick handful of his hits from the 60s without even stopping to think about it. And many of us included more than one of his songs in our band’s repertoire. Hell, it was a sure way to get people dancing, even if your band was awful. (According to this Billboard obit he had three top-20 singles in the 70s, but it was the 60s that made him famous.) The man had five #1 singles. And here’s a very good obit in the LA Times.
The surprise, for me, is that he lived not 30 miles from here, in Reston, VA.
[Later: According to this obit in TWP he actually lived in Ashburn. The Post also details what a nasty man he was. But we didn't know about any of that in the late 60s.]
How many of his hits can you name? Here, I’ll give you one:
I’m gonna wait till the midnight hour
That’s when my love comes tumbling down
I’m gonna wait till the midnight hour
When there is no one else around
I’m gonna take you and i’m gonna hold you
Do all the things i’ve told you
In the midnight hour, in the midnight hour
OK, give up? 
“Land of 1,000 Dances”
“Funky Broadway”
“634-5789″
and the best of all time, “Mustang Sally”