Pickett was born March 18, 1941, in Prattville, Ala.. He found his love of music singing in his church choir. As a teenager he moved to Detroit to live with his father and stretched out musically first as a member of gospel group Violinaires and later made the switch secular music as a member of the Falcons. That group scored a hit with "I Found a Love" which paved the way for a recording deal for Pickett with Atlantic Records. The Rock n Roll Hall of Famer, never slowed down until a year ago when his health took a turn for the worse.

"The thing about Wilson was he was just a great screamer, but he did it with control. James Brown would scream and it was a scream, but Wilson could scream notes. His voice was powerful, like a buzz saw, but it wasn't ever out of his control. It was always melodic," legendary producer Jerry Wexler told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.