Al Wilson
Best remembered for the number one pop hit "Show and Tell," soul singer Al Wilson was born June 19, 1939 in Meridian, Mississippi. From childhood forward he was singing professionally, and by the age of 12 was leading his own spiritual quartet and singing in the church choir, even performing covers of country & western hits as circumstances dictated. While he was in high school, Wilson and his family relocated to San Bernardino, California, where he worked odd jobs as a mail carrier, a janitor, and an office clerk, in addition to teaching himself to play drums. After graduation he spent four years touring with Johnny Harris & the Statesmen before joining the U.S. Navy and singing with an enlisted men's chorus. After a two-year military stint, Wilson settled in Los Angeles, touring the local nightclub circuit before joining the R&B vocal group the Jewels; from there he landed with the Rollers, followed by a stint with the instrumental combo the Souls.
In 1966, Wilson signed with manager Marc Gordon, who quickly scored his client an a cappella audition for Johnny Rivers. The "Secret Agent Man" singer not only signed Wilson to his Soul City imprint, but also agreed to produce the sessions that yielded the 1968 R&B smash "The Snake." The minor hit "Do What You Gotta Do" appeared that same year, but Wilson then largely disappeared from sight until 1973, when he issued the platinum-selling Weighing In -- the album's success was spurred by the shimmering "Show and Tell," a Johnny Mathis castoff that sold well over a million copies. "The La La Peace Song," released in 1974, proved another major hit, and two years later, "I've Got a Feeling We'll Be Seeing Each Other Again" peaked at number three on the R&B chart. With 1979's "Count the Days" Wilson scored his final chart hit, however, and he spent the next two decades touring clubs and lounges. In 2001 he re-recorded his classic hits for the album Spice of Life. Kidney failure took his life on April 21, 2008.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
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Show and Tell: The Best of Al Wilson
R&B - Released by Rocky Road Records™ on 24 Aug 2006
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weighing In (Digitally Remastered)
Soul - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 Jan 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Snake (Billboard Hot 100 - No 27)
Funk - Released by Music Manager on 19 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show And Tell (Digitally Remastered)
Soul - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 Jan 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spice Of Life
Soul - Released by CLASSIC WORLD ENTERTAINMENT on 30 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Al Wilson The Ultimate Collection
Soul - Released by StreamWorld Entertainment Classics on 23 May 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show and Tell
Funk - Released by Good Time Records on 24 Mar 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La La Peace Song (Digitally Remastered)
Soul - Released by Essential Media Group on 23 Mar 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Al Wilson (Rerecorded)
R&B - Released by Suite 102 on 1 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Hits Anthology: Al Wilson (Digitally Remastered)
Soul - Released by Essential Media Group on 11 May 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show & Tell
Pop - Released by Treasury Collection on 15 May 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Count The Days (Digitally Remastered)
Soul - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 Jan 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best of Al Wilson
Soul - Released by Platinum Collection on 25 Oct 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La La Peace Song
Funk - Released by Good Time Records on 16 Dec 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Show & Tell (Extended Mix)
Soul - Released by Rocky Road - The Estate of Al Wilson on 16 Aug 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -