J. Frank Wilson
Encyclopedia
J. Frank Wilson was an American
singer, the lead vocalist of J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers
.
in San Angelo, Texas
in 1962.
The Cavaliers' first chart hit was "Last Kiss
", a song written by Wayne Cochran
, who had based the song on a car accident in Barnesville, Georgia
, near where he lived.
The song, while only garnering minor success for Wayne Cochran & The C.C. Riders, found major success for the Cavaliers. "Last Kiss" became a hit in June 1964, it reached the Top 10 in October of that year, eventually reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
.
In October 1964, the British
music magazine NME
reported that Wilson had himself been involved in an auto accident near Memphis, Tennessee
, in which his 27-year-old record producer
, Sonley Rouch, was killed, and Wilson was seriously injured.
While J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers recorded many more songs, and "Last Kiss" was subsequently covered
successfully by Wednesday
and Pearl Jam
, the band charted with only one other song, "Hey, Little One", which reached #85.
Wilson, with or without the Cavaliers, continued to release records until 1978. While he continued to tour and play, Wilson died on October 4, 1991, at the age of 49, from alcoholism
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, the lead vocalist of J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers
J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers
J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers were an American 1960s group, best remembered for their 1965 million selling record, "Last Kiss".-Career:The Cavaliers formed around 1955 with leader and guitarist Sid Holmes, bassist Lewis Elliott, saxophonist Rob Zeller, drummer Ray Smith and vocalist Alton...
.
Career
Wilson joined the Cavaliers after his discharge from Goodfellow Air Force BaseGoodfellow Air Force Base
Goodfellow Air Force Base is a non-flying United States Air Force base located in San Angelo, Texas. As part of Air Education & Training Command , Goodfellow's main mission is cryptologic and intelligence training for the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Military firefighters are also...
in San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
in 1962.
The Cavaliers' first chart hit was "Last Kiss
Last Kiss
"Last Kiss" is a song that was released by Wayne Cochran in 1961 on the Gala label. It was unsuccessful chartwise. Cochran subsequently re-recorded his song for the King label in 1963. The song was later revived by J...
", a song written by Wayne Cochran
Wayne Cochran
Wayne Cochran is an American soul singer, known for his outlandish outfits and white pompadour. He is sometimes referred to as The White Knight of Soul....
, who had based the song on a car accident in Barnesville, Georgia
Barnesville, Georgia
Barnesville is a city in Lamar County, Georgia, United States. The city is a part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,755. The city is the county seat of Lamar County....
, near where he lived.
The song, while only garnering minor success for Wayne Cochran & The C.C. Riders, found major success for the Cavaliers. "Last Kiss" became a hit in June 1964, it reached the Top 10 in October of that year, eventually reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
In October 1964, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music magazine NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
reported that Wilson had himself been involved in an auto accident near Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, in which his 27-year-old record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Sonley Rouch, was killed, and Wilson was seriously injured.
While J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers recorded many more songs, and "Last Kiss" was subsequently covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
successfully by Wednesday
Wednesday (band)
Wednesday was a pop vocal group from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. They scored a hit single in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974 with their cover of the song "Last Kiss", which peaked at #34. That same year, they were nominated for the Canadian Juno Award for Most Promising Group. The single...
and Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, the band charted with only one other song, "Hey, Little One", which reached #85.
Wilson, with or without the Cavaliers, continued to release records until 1978. While he continued to tour and play, Wilson died on October 4, 1991, at the age of 49, from alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.