Louella "Spanky" Wilson (born c. 1947) is an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

, funk and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

vocalist, who has performed internationally and recorded several albums since the late 1960s.

Biography

Wilson was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

as Louella Wilson, and was raised in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, reputedly gaining the nickname "Spanky" as a result of the spankings she received from her father. Biography by Marisa Brown, ''Allmusic.com''
Retrieved 4 October 2015 Wilson started singing as a child and after an early marriage, began performing in clubs aged 17 with

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion ...

. She was soon recruited by

Jimmy McGriff James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. Biography Early years and influences Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, United States, McGriff started playing pi ...

for a national tour, which ended in 1967 in Los Angeles, California. There, she sang in clubs and was introduced to

H. B. Barnum Hidle Brown Barnum (born July 15, 1936) is an American pianist, arranger, record producer, songwriter, and former child actor. Biography After winning a nationwide talent contest at the age of four and starring in the film ''Valley of the Su ...

, who invited her to record. Wilson sang as a backing vocalist on records by

Letta Mbulu Letta Mbulu (born 23 August 1942) is a South African jazz singer who has been active since the 1960s. Biography Born and raised in Soweto, South Africa, she has been active as a singer since the 1960s. While still a teenager she toured with th ...

O. C. Smith Ocie Lee Smith (June 21, 1932 – November 23, 2001), known professionally as O. C. Smith, was an American singer. His recording of " Little Green Apples" went to number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1968 and sold over one million rec ...

, Lou Rawls and others, before releasing her first single, "The Last Day of Summer", produced by Barnum and released in early 1969. "Spanky Wilson, She's Always Spankin' Brand New to Somebody", ''I Dig PGH'', 3 October 2011
Retrieved 4 October 2015 This was followed by the album ''Spankin' Brand New'' (1969), on which all the songs were written by Howlett Smith. Wilson released several further singles on Mothers Records, a label set up in Hollywood by

Jay Ward Joseph Ward Cohen Jr. (September 20, 1920 – October 12, 1989), also known as Jay Ward, was an American creator and producer of animated TV cartoon shows. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bu ...

, and two more albums, ''Doin' It'' (1969) and ''Let It Be'' (1970). Spanky Wilson discography, ''Discogs.com''
Retrieved 4 October 2015 She also appeared on nationally networked TV shows, and made her international debut in 1970 at the Rio de Janeiro Song Festival in Brazil. Wilson has shared the stage with soul and jazz musicians such as Marvin Gaye,

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

, organists Jimmy McGriff and

Brother Jack McDuff Eugene McDuff (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz er ...

, cornetist

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years. Adderley's composition ...

, percussionist

Willie Bobo William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Willie Bobo,Biography ''AllMusic'' was an American Latin jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Lat ...

, Lalo Schifrin and Jimmy Smith. In 1971 she moved to Detroit and sang in clubs before recording for Eastbound, a subsidiary of

Westbound Records Westbound Records was a Detroit-based record label founded by Armen Boladian in 1968. It had a distribution deal with Janus Records from 1970 to 1975, but then it switched distribution to 20th Century Records during 1975 and 1976, but again switch ...

. The 1974 single "Home" was again co-written by Howlett Smith, and Westbound released the album ''Specialty of the House'' the following year. She returned to live in Los Angeles, and performed in clubs there for several years, before moving to France in 1985 and re-marrying. During the late 1980s and 1990s, Wilson performed mainly in France, Germany and other parts of Europe. In 2000, she released the album ''Things Are Getting Better'' with the Philippe Milanta Trio. About the same time, several compilations of her earlier recordings were released in Britain. In 2000, after she had returned to live in California, Wilson was contacted by British DJ and record producer

Will Holland William Holland (born 1980) is an English musician, DJ and record producer. He is based in New York City, after spending seven years in Colombia. Holland records under various pseudonyms, including Quantic, the Quantic Soul Orchestra, The Li ...

The Quantic Soul Orchestra William Holland (born 1980) is an English musician, DJ and record producer. He is based in New York City, after spending seven years in Colombia. Holland records under various pseudonyms, including Quantic, the Quantic Soul Orchestra, The L ...

, and they began working together. They recorded several singles, and released the album ''I'm Thankful'' in 2006.

Discography (partial)

Studio albums

*''Spankin Brand New'', Mothers Records & The Snarf Company (1969) *''Doin it'', Mothers Records & The Snarf Company (1969)Billboard - Volume 81 1969 "Superscope's initial product from H. B. Barnum will be the LP " Doin' It" by Spanky Wilson which originally came out on Barnum's Mothers label." *''Let It Be'', Mothers Records & The Snarf Company (1970) *''Specialty of the House'', 20th Century / Westbound Records (1975) *''Singin and Swingin'', Big Blue Records (1991) *''Things are Getting Better'', Jazz Aux Remparts (1999) *''I'm Thankful'' with the Quantic Soul Orchestra,

Tru Thoughts Tru Thoughts is a British independent record label founded in Brighton in 1999 by Robert Luis and Paul Jonas. Since the acclaimed first album release of Bonobo's debut ''Animal Magic'', the label has put out over 200 LPs, across genres from e ...

(2006) *''T.G.I.F "Thank God it's Funky"'' with Ruckus Roboticus, Dance or Die Records (2012)

Compilations

*''The Westbound Years'', Westbound Records (2007) With

Teddy Edwards Theodore Marcus Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone and the ...

*'' La Villa: Live in Paris'' (Verve/Gitanes,

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

)

Gallery

Image:Spanky_Wilson.jpg, Image:Spanky_Wilson_3.jpg, Image:Spanky_Wilson_4.jpg,

References

External links

Biography at a1artists.netQuantic websiteRuckus Roboticus & Spanky Wilson "T.G.I.F. (Thank God It's Funky)"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Spanky 1940s births Living people American soul singers Jazz musicians from Philadelphia Jazz musicians from Pittsburgh Singers from Pennsylvania