Legendary Singer Jackie Wilson Honored In Musical Tribute In Chicago

Before there was a Michael Jackson or a Prince, gyrating and sliding across the stage on the music scene, there was Jackie Wilson. And he ushered in a new style of music, a unique fusion of song and dance, that is the cornerstone of contemporary pop and R&B.

The Jackie Wilson Story (My Heart Is Crying, Crying), written, produced and directed by Jackie Taylor of The Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago, is a musical tribute to the life and career of the prolific performer, who put more than 50 singles on pop and R&B charts in the '50s, '60s and '70s, including a half-dozen No.1 R&B songs.

Chester Gregory II, who stars as Jackie Wilson in the Black Ensemble production, delivers a charismatic performance in the tribute filled with toe-tapping tunes from the good ol' days of music. Gregory's vocal abilities, stage antics and acrobatics parallel those of the late artist, who died on January 21, 1984, after spending nearly 10 years in a coma following a stroke he suffered during a performance in Camden, NJ, in 1975.

Wilson, who was born on June 9, 1934 in Detroit, started singing as a youngster with local gospel groups and in local clubs, but his big break came in 1953 when he joined Billy Ward and the Dominoes as a replacement for lead singer Clyde McPhatter, who left to form the Drifters.

In 1957 Wilson signed with Brunswick Records and began his solo recording career. His biggest hits include Lonely Teardrops, To Be Loved, That's Why (I Love You So), and Higher And Higher.