5 Songs You May Not Have Realized That Wilson Pickett Covered

Today we celebrate the birthday of the late, great Wilson Pickett, noted citizen of the Land of 1,000 Dances and a man known for waiting ‘til the midnight hour. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve put together a list of five songs you may not have realized that Pickett – a noted interpret of other people’s material – covered during the course of his career.

1. “Born to Be Wild” (1968): Overshadowed slightly by the title track of the album from which it hailed  (HEY JUDE), this Steppenwolf cover showed that just because Pickett was an R&B singer didn’t mean that he couldn’t still rock.

2. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1969): Pickett’s take on the Supremes classic was a solid one, but with such formidable takes on the track by Iron Butterfly and Kim Wilde, his version is often forgotten.

3. “Mama Told Me Not to Come” (1972): Written by Randy Newman, made famous by Three Dog Night, and given an injection of proper soul by Pickett.

4. “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1976): While this cover wasn’t recorded for an album that’s part of our catalog, the idea of Pickett taking on the Captain and Tennille is too good not to share.

5. “Groovin’” (1978): Funny that today’s other post is one about the Rascals, given that Pickett gave a beautifully soulful reading to one of their hits.