Hillard"Sweet Pea"Atkinson[1](September 20, 1945[2]– May 5, 2020) was an American R&B singer known as one of the vocalists for the bandWas (Not Was).[3]
Sweet Pea Atkinson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Hillard Atkinson |
| Born | September 20, 1945 Oberlin, Ohio,U.S. |
| Died | May 5, 2020(aged 74) Los Angeles,California,U.S. |
| Genres | R&B,funk,rock |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1970s–2020 |
| Formerly of | Was (Not Was) |
Biography
editAtkinson was born inOberlin, Ohio,and moved to Detroit as a child.[4]He worked at theChryslerfactory, and sang with colleagues in a local band, Hi Energy. He metDon Wasin the late 1970s, when he was rehearsing at the studio used by Was.[4]
Atkinson joinedWas (Not Was)as joint lead vocalist alongside Harry Bowens. He also featured on some of the band's most successful recordings. In 1982, shortly after the release of the first Was (Not Was) album, he recorded and released his first solo album,Don't Walk Away.[3][5][6]The album was co-produced byDavidand Don Was.[7]In 1997, along withKris Kristofferson,Atkinson starred in a 15-minute short film included on Don Was' albumForever's a Long, Long Time,which was released under the alias Orquestra Was.[8]Atkinson also performed as lead vocalist on most of the songs on the album, on which Was interprets songs byHank Williams.[9][10]
Atkinson later joined forces with blues guitarist Randy Jacobs – also a longtime Was (Not Was) session guitarist who co-wrote the band's most successful hit, "Walk the Dinosaur"– in a band called The Boneshakers. Together they released three albums, two of which were studio recordings:Book of Spellsin 1997 andShake the Planetin 1999, both onPoint Blank Records.The third album wasLive in Seattle,with saxophonistMindi Abair,which was released onConcord Records.Two more albums were credited to Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers:The EastWest Sessions(2017) andAll I Got for Christmas Is the Blues(2018).[11][12]
Atkinson also toured for ten years withLyle Lovett,and sang on recordings byBonnie Raitt,Bob Dylan,Elton John,Brian Wilson,Willie Nelson,Iggy Pop,Jackson Browne,Jimmy Barnes,and many others.[4]
Death
editHe died on May 5, 2020, from aheart attackin Los Angeles, aged 74.[4]
Reviews
editRobert ChristgaugaveDon't Walk Awayan A− grade, writing, "Trouper that he is, Atkinson will sing any nonsense [the Was brothers] hand him, but he obviously finds his truth inDionne Warwick,the Tymes,General Johnson,andEddie Rabbitt,and I'll go along with that. "[6]AllMusic's William Ruhlmann gave the album 3 stars out of 5. In his review, Ruhlmann wrote that "For all intents and purposes, this is a Was (Not Was) record" and that "mostly this record has the same sarcastic undercurrent of most of Was (Not Was)'s product."[13]
Solo discography
editSingles
edit- "Dance or Die" (number 27 onBillboardDance Club Songs,1982)[15]
References
edit- ^Fusilli, Jim, (September 21, 2017)."‘Get What You Deserve’ by Sweet Pea Atkinson Review: A Tribute to the Past",The Wall Street Journal.
- ^Ohio Department of Health, Index to Annual Births, 1968–1998; Ohio Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit; Columbus, OH, USA, Certificate Number:1945092989
- ^ab"Was (Not Was)".Contemporary Musicians.Cengage Learning.2004.
- ^abcdGary Graff, "Hillard 'Sweet Pea' Atkinson, Legendary Vocalist With Was (Not Was), Dies at 74",Billboard,May 7, 2020.Retrieved May 7, 2020
- ^Wynn, Ron."Sweet Pea Atkinson Biography".AllMusic.
- ^abChristgau, Robert."Consumer Guide: Sweet Pea Atkinson".The Village Voice.
- ^Pareles, Jon(November 15, 1982)."Pop: Sweet Pea Atkinson".The New York Times.
- ^Cheng, Kipp (April 18, 1997)."Forever's a Long, Long Time".Entertainment Weekly.
- ^Gill, Andy (October 23, 2011)."Pop Albums: Orquestra Was Forever's a Long, Long Time Verve 314 533–915".The Independent(published March 21, 1997).Archivedfrom the original on May 26, 2022.
- ^Cromelin, Richard (March 23, 1997)."What Was Was and What Was Is".Los Angeles Times.
- ^Debbage, Michael."Album Review: The EastWest Sessions".Mostly Pino.RetrievedJanuary 6,2019.
- ^Whitemore, Laura B. (December 10, 2018)."Listen Now: 20 New Music Releases to Add to Your Holiday Playlist".Parade.RetrievedJanuary 6,2019.
- ^Ruhlmann, William."Don't Walk Away Review".AllMusic.
- ^"I'm Old As Dirt But I Can Still Sing:Sweet Pea Atkinson OnGet What You Deserve ".NPR.org.NPR.
- ^"Dance Club Songs: Week of November 6, 1982".Billboard.RetrievedMay 8,2020.
External links
edit- Sweet Pea Atkinsondiscography atDiscogs