Song:Show And Tell
Album:Show & Tell: The Best Of Al Wilson
The 1974 number one hit Show And Tell was the biggest hit for veteran soul singer Al Wilson but it wasn't his only hit. He was born June 19, 1939 in Meridian, MS and by age 12 was leading his own gospel group. His fanily moved to San Bernardino, CA and Wilson worked odd jobs while performing with Johnny Harris and then The Statesmen before a two year stint in the US Navy. After his discharge, he sang in Los Angeles clubs and was a member of The Jewels, The Rollers and The Souls. Wilson's big break came in 1966 when his new manager Marc Gordon got him an audition with Johnny Rivers and Rivers signed Wilson to his Soul City label. In 1968, he had an R & B hit with The Snake. But Rivers closed Soul City in 1970. Wilson resurfaced in 1973 with Playboy Records. Bet you didn't know that Playboy owned a record company. His 1973 album Weighing In went platinum and Show And Tell topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Show And Tell was written by veteran Columbia records producer Jerry Fuller (Gary Puckett & The Union Gap). It was recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1973 but Columbia didn't like the recording and pulled it from release so Fuller took it to Wilson. Peabo Bryson also scored with the song in 1989. Wilson had a couple more hits but Playboy was gone by 1975 and Wilson was never able to revive his recording career. He continued to perform in clubs and did record in 2001. This comp from Fuel 2000 has his Playboy recordings. The Soul City recordings are available from Ace Records. Al Wilson died on Apr. 21, 2008 at age 68. Here's Al Wilson performing Show And Tell on a 2004 PBS special.
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