Pookie hudson biography of alberta

He sang in church and in his late teens he was singing in clubs as part of the Three B's, their repertoire being bop, ballads and blues. A teacher at Roosevelt High School asked him to form a group for a Christmas show and he was so pleased with the results that he formed a close harmony group with himself as lead vocalist, Ernest Warren first tenor , Opal Courtney Jnr baritone , Willis C.

Jackson baritone and Gerald Gregory bass. When Gregory's wife joked that they sounded like a bunch of dogs, they became the Spaniels. Carter became the group's manager and soon they were touring the United States. When Hudson was walking home from a girlfriend's house, the idea for "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" came to him. The Spaniels recorded the song in and it might have been a million-seller had it not been covered by a white group, the McGuire Sisters.

The song crossed over to the country market with a version by Johnnie and Jack. They appeared in Las Vegas but had to be housed with black residents as none of the hotels would allow them to stay there. He married a year-old girl when he was 20 and, over the years, he was to marry five times and father seven children. He had to beat off the advances of LaVern Baker, who was "too pushy" for his tastes.

The book explains how he was cheated out of his songwriting royalties and describes his fondness for illegal substances. The Spaniels had further successes with "Let's Make Up" and "You Painted Pictures" both , but the group's personnel changed because of conscription. Hudson was usually around and they recorded a gospel ballad, " You Gave Me Peace of Mind" , and had another hit with "Everyone's Laughing" Among their more unusual records are an up-tempo version of the standard "Stormy Weather" and a reworking of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "People Will Say We're in Love" with a different melody.

They strayed into the Coasters' territory with "The Posse". In the Spaniels received a Smithsonian Institution award for their contribution to American music, and they performed with Hudson at various festivals. In , Hudson came to the UK for a vibrant solo performance at a rock'n'roll festival at Hemsby. Here's the original group performing on "Spaniels night" - Sometimes bass singer Gerald Gregory helped other doo-wop groups.

The line-up changed numerous times over the ensuing years. The Spaniels were the top-selling vocal group for Vee-Jay.

Pookie hudson biography of alberta

The band broke up when the label went bankrupt in , but in , the group reformed, releasing song like "Fairy Tales" in An entire new generation was exposed to the group's music when "Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight" was featured prominently in American Graffiti and Three Men and a Baby. Two Spaniels groups later performed simultaneously: one in Washington, D.

The D. Hudson died in Capitol Heights , Maryland on January 16, , after a lengthy battle with cancer at the age of Ernest Warren died on May 7, , in Gary, Indiana, at the age of Willie C. Jackson died of a rare lung disease on February 18, , at the age of Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools.

Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikidata item. US musical group. Jackson Opal Courtney Jr.