Pickett was certainly mixing with pop royalty when he played what were quite significantly sized venues throughout his 1965 UK tour dates. Eric Clapton, then with the Blues breakers, had joined him on stage at the pop star hang-out of Scotch of St James and The Animals were his backing band on a number of the shows. Roger Daltrey of The Who cites him as a major influence and he was mates with the Stones, how he had played a number of live dates with him in the States.

With UK success comparable to Motown artists such as Marvin Gaye, Four Tops and The Temptations, Pickett had scored Top 40 UK hits with 'In the Midnight Hour,' 'Land of A Thousand Dances,' 'Mustang Sally' and '634-5789 (Soulsville U.S.A).'

Wilson Pickett was certainly a draw for this smallish Lewisham venue, and it's more than likely this would have been an early evening warm-up gig before he played a bigger sold-out West-End show. The gig itself remains a matter of much contention. People claim it was a Pickett no-show while others talk of his electrifying performance. To be honest, any myth is fine with us.

A2 (420 × 594 mm / 16.54 × 23.39')
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Sound Map Collection

Charting the story of music in both Peckham and South London, Peckham Soul continues to excavate the deep mine of Social and Cultural History which music unearths. It is London's unique story of migration, diversity and innovations. It is also a history which places not Rich elites at its centre, but instead tells the extraordinary tales of extra-ordinary Londoners.