Nancy Wilson on stage, circa 1965-1975. Photo by David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images
Nancy Wilson has died, at age 81 at her home in Pioneertown, California. An official cause of death has not been disclosed, but her manager released a statement saying Wilson “had been ill for some time” when she died on Thursday, December 13.
The self-proclaimed ‘song-stylist’ released over 70 albums throughout her illustrious career, won three Grammys and had eight top 20 albums on the Billboard 200 - just in the 1960s! She was best known for her hit songs “Guess Who I Saw Today” and “(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am”.
In a long and celebrated career, Ms Wilson performed American standards, jazz ballads, Broadway show tunes and R&B torch songs. She was a forerunner of modern female empowerment who brought an intensity and compassion to her delivery that could infuse even the saddest narrative with a sense of strength.
“I have a gift for telling stories, making them seem larger than life,” she told The Los Angeles Times in 1993. “I love the vignette, the plays within the song.” – Nancy Wilson.
Nancy Wilson was also an avid civil rights advocate who participated in the Selma March in 1965. Her efforts were recognized by the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in 1993. She also won the NAACP Hall of Fame Image Award in 1998 and was inducted into the International Civil Rights: Walk of Fame in 2005.
So, let’s remember this powerhouse of human strength and sheer talent with some of her biggest hits.
“Face It Girl,” an epic soul blowout, became one of Ms Wilson’s scored high in the charts, making the Top 30 of Billboard’s pop chart and Top 15 on its R&B list.
Her biggest hit came in 1964, with, “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am”, a vivacious R&B ballad that reached No. 11 on Billboard’s pop chart.
I'll leave you with one last soulful and sassy Nancy Wilson treasure, "The Very Thought Of You", performed live at The Hollywood Palace in 1964.
