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{{Short description|American singer (1942–1988)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
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'''Jimmy Soul''' (August 24, 1942 – June 25, 1988)<ref name="Dead">[http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/1980.html Thedeadrockstarsclub.com] Accessed March 2010</ref> was an American vocalist. He is best remembered for his 1963 [[record chart|number one]] hit, "[[If You Wanna Be Happy]]."
'''Jimmy Soul''' (born '''James Louis McCleese'''; August 24, 1942 – June 25, 1988) was an American vocalist. He is best remembered for his 1963 [[record chart|number one]] hit, "[[If You Wanna Be Happy]]."


== Background ==
== Background ==
Born '''James Louis McCleese''' in [[Weldon, North Carolina]],<ref name="Dead"/> he became a preacher at the age of seven<ref name="ArtistDirect">[http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/jimmy-soul/495571 "ArtistDirect.com: Jimmy Soul Biography"] Accessed November 2012</ref> and performed [[gospel music]] as a teenager. He acquired his performing name, "Soul," from his [[Local church|congregation]].<ref name="Oldies">[http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Jimmy-Soul.html "Oldies.com: Jimmy Soul Biography"] Accessed November 2012</ref>
Born in [[Weldon, North Carolina]],<ref name="Dead">[https://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/1980.html Thedeadrockstarsclub.com] Accessed March 2010</ref> he became a [[preacher]] at the age of seven<ref name="ArtistDirect">[http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/jimmy-soul/495571 "ArtistDirect.com: Jimmy Soul Biography"] Accessed November 2012</ref> and performed [[gospel music]] as a teenager. He acquired his performing name, "Soul", from his [[Church (congregation)|congregation]].<ref name="Oldies">[https://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Jimmy-Soul.html Jimmy Soul Biography"], Oldies.com, Accessed November 2012</ref>


Soul took to the road and toured the southern United States as a member of various gospel groups. During this time he became popular around the [[Norfolk, Virginia]] area.<ref name="Oldies"/> It was here that Soul was scouted by [[Frank Guida]] and recruited to sing songs handpicked for one of Guida's other [[hit record|hit]] artists, [[Gary U.S. Bonds]].
Soul took to the road and toured the [[Southern United States]] as a member of various gospel groups. During this time he became popular around the [[Norfolk, Virginia]] area.<ref name="Oldies"/> It was here that Soul was scouted by [[Frank Guida]] and recruited to sing songs handpicked for one of Guida's other [[hit record|hit]] artists, [[Gary U.S. Bonds]].<ref name="Larkin60">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0149-X|page=417}}</ref>


== Success ==
== Success ==
Soul had only two [[record chart|chart]] [[hit single]]s, both of which were Bonds's cast-offs. They were on the SPQR label, distributed by [[London Records]]. The first was "Twistin' Matilda" in 1962. The other was the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] [[record chart|number one]] hit "[[If You Wanna Be Happy]]" in 1963. The latter was based on the [[Calypso music|calypso]] "Ugly Woman," by [[Roaring Lion]].
Soul had two top-40 [[hit single]]s, both of which were refused by Bonds.<ref name="Larkin60"/> They were on the SPQR label, distributed by [[London Records]]. The first was "Twistin' Matilda", which peaked at No. 22 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for the week ending May 26, 1962, while peaking three weeks later at No. 20 on the ''Billboard'' [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot R&B Singles]] chart.<ref name=BillboardTemplate>{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=Jimmy Soul|chart=Hot 100}}</ref> The other was "[[If You Wanna Be Happy]]", which was the No. 1 hit for the week ending May 18, 1963.<ref name="Larkin60"/><ref name=BillboardTemplate/> The single was released in New Zealand on the [[Allied International (record label)|Allied International]] label.<ref>''AudioCulture'', 27 Apr 2013 - [https://www.audioculture.co.nz/labels/allied-international/discography Allied International, Discography By Simon Grigg]</ref> The latter, which also hit No. 1 on the Hot R&B Singles chart, was based on the [[Calypso music|calypso]] "Ugly Woman", by [[Roaring Lion]].


"If You Wanna Be Happy" sold over one million [[gramophone record|records]], earning [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]] status.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">
"If You Wanna Be Happy" sold over one million [[gramophone record|records]], earning [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]] status.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">

{{cite book
{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| first= Joseph
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| year= 1978
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr
| url-access= registration
| edition= 2nd
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/166 166]
| page= 166
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6}}</ref> It had two spells in the [[UK Singles Chart]], peaking at #39 (1963) and #68 (1991) respectively.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6}}</ref> It had two spells in the [[UK Singles Chart]], peaking at #39 (1963) and #68 (1991) respectively.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| first= David
Line 58: Line 60:
| page= 515}}</ref>
| page= 515}}</ref>


== Later years ==
==Later years==
After unsuccessfully trying to follow up the success of those songs with one more album, Soul gave up his career as a musician and joined the [[United States Army]].
Soul's next single, "Treat 'Em Tough", peaked at No. 8 on the [[Bubbling Under Hot 100]]; his last appearance on a ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' chart. After unsuccessfully trying to follow up the success of those songs with one more album, Soul gave up his career as a musician and joined the [[United States Army]].


Later in life, Soul fell into a drug habit, and on January 9, 1986 was sentenced to 4 and a half to 9 years in prison as a second felony offender, convicted of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree. The sentence was affirmed upon appeals on October 26, 1987 and March 22, 1988.
Later in life, Soul fell into a drug habit, and on January 9, 1986, was sentenced to four-and-a-half to nine years in prison as a second felony offender, convicted of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.{{fact|date=February 2022}} The sentence was affirmed upon appeals on October 26, 1987, and March 22, 1988.


Soul died of a presumably drug-related [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on June 25, 1988, aged 45.<ref name="Dead"/>
Soul died of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on June 25, 1988, aged 45.<ref name="Dead"/>


== References ==
==Discography==
===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
|-
!rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Title
!colspan="3"|Peak chart<br />positions
!rowspan="2"|Record Label
!rowspan="2"|[[A-side and B-side|B-side]]
!rowspan="2"|Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
!align=centre| [[Billboard Hot 100|US<br />Pop]]
!align=centre| [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US<br />R&B]]
!align=centre| [[UK Singles Chart|UK]]
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1961
|align=left| "Twistin' Matilda (And the Channel)"
| 22
| 20
| —
|rowspan="5"| S.P.Q.R.
|rowspan="1"| "I Can't Hold Out Any Longer"
|rowspan="2"| ''If You Wanna Be Happy''
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1962
|align=left| "When Matilda Comes Back"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| "Some Kinda Nut?"
|-
|align=left| "My Baby Loves to Bowl"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| "[[Guess Things Happen That Way]]"
|rowspan="1"|
|-
|rowspan="5"| 1963
|align=left| "[[If You Wanna Be Happy]]"
| 1
| 1
| 39
|rowspan="1"| "Don't Release Me"
|rowspan="2"| ''If You Wanna Be Happy''
|-
|align=left| "Treat 'Em Tough"
| 108
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| "Church Street in the Summertime"
|-
|align=left| "I Wish I Could Dance"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| [[20th Century Fox Records|20th Century-Fox]]
|rowspan="1"| "Respectable"
|rowspan="1"|
|-
|align=left| "Go 'Way Christina"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="6"| S.P.Q.R.
|rowspan="1"| "Everybody's Gone Ape"
|rowspan="1"|
|-
|align=left| "I Hate You Baby"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| "Change Partners"
|rowspan="1"|
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1964
|align=left| "A Woman Is Smarter in Every Kinda Way"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| "My Girl - She Sure Can Cook"
|rowspan="1"|
|-
|align=left| "Take Me to Los Angeles"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| "You Can't Have Your Cake"
|rowspan="1"|
|-
|align=left| "Twistin' Matilda (And the Channel)"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| "Treat 'Em Tough"
|rowspan="1"|
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1965
|align=left| "My Little Room"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| "Ella Is Yella"
|rowspan="1"|
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{AllMusic}}
*{{allmusic|artist/jimmy-soul-mn0000093885}}
* {{Discogs artist}}
* {{Find a Grave}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Singers from North Carolina]]
[[Category:Singers from North Carolina]]
[[Category:People from Weldon, North Carolina]]
[[Category:People from Weldon, North Carolina]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:Allied International Records artists]]

[[Category:Stateside Records artists]]

{{US-singer-stub}}

Latest revision as of 19:25, 22 November 2024

Jimmy Soul
Background information
Birth nameJames Louis McCleese
Born(1942-08-24)August 24, 1942
Weldon, North Carolina, United States
DiedJune 25, 1988(1988-06-25) (aged 45)
Spring Valley, New York, United States
GenresPop, soul
OccupationSinger

Jimmy Soul (born James Louis McCleese; August 24, 1942 – June 25, 1988) was an American vocalist. He is best remembered for his 1963 number one hit, "If You Wanna Be Happy."

Background

[edit]

Born in Weldon, North Carolina,[1] he became a preacher at the age of seven[2] and performed gospel music as a teenager. He acquired his performing name, "Soul", from his congregation.[3]

Soul took to the road and toured the Southern United States as a member of various gospel groups. During this time he became popular around the Norfolk, Virginia area.[3] It was here that Soul was scouted by Frank Guida and recruited to sing songs handpicked for one of Guida's other hit artists, Gary U.S. Bonds.[4]

Success

[edit]

Soul had two top-40 hit singles, both of which were refused by Bonds.[4] They were on the SPQR label, distributed by London Records. The first was "Twistin' Matilda", which peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending May 26, 1962, while peaking three weeks later at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.[5] The other was "If You Wanna Be Happy", which was the No. 1 hit for the week ending May 18, 1963.[4][5] The single was released in New Zealand on the Allied International label.[6] The latter, which also hit No. 1 on the Hot R&B Singles chart, was based on the calypso "Ugly Woman", by Roaring Lion.

"If You Wanna Be Happy" sold over one million records, earning gold disc status.[7] It had two spells in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #39 (1963) and #68 (1991) respectively.[8]

Later years

[edit]

Soul's next single, "Treat 'Em Tough", peaked at No. 8 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100; his last appearance on a Billboard chart. After unsuccessfully trying to follow up the success of those songs with one more album, Soul gave up his career as a musician and joined the United States Army.

Later in life, Soul fell into a drug habit, and on January 9, 1986, was sentenced to four-and-a-half to nine years in prison as a second felony offender, convicted of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.[citation needed] The sentence was affirmed upon appeals on October 26, 1987, and March 22, 1988.

Soul died of a heart attack on June 25, 1988, aged 45.[1]

Discography

[edit]

Singles

[edit]
Year Title Peak chart
positions 		Record Label B-side Album
US
Pop 		US
R&B 		UK
1961 "Twistin' Matilda (And the Channel)" 22 20 — S.P.Q.R. "I Can't Hold Out Any Longer" If You Wanna Be Happy
1962 "When Matilda Comes Back" — — — "Some Kinda Nut?"
"My Baby Loves to Bowl" — — — "Guess Things Happen That Way"
1963 "If You Wanna Be Happy" 1 1 39 "Don't Release Me" If You Wanna Be Happy
"Treat 'Em Tough" 108 — — "Church Street in the Summertime"
"I Wish I Could Dance" — — — 20th Century-Fox "Respectable"
"Go 'Way Christina" — — — S.P.Q.R. "Everybody's Gone Ape"
"I Hate You Baby" — — — "Change Partners"
1964 "A Woman Is Smarter in Every Kinda Way" — — — "My Girl - She Sure Can Cook"
"Take Me to Los Angeles" — — — "You Can't Have Your Cake"
"Twistin' Matilda (And the Channel)" — — — "Treat 'Em Tough"
1965 "My Little Room" — — — "Ella Is Yella"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Thedeadrockstarsclub.com Accessed March 2010
  2. ^ "ArtistDirect.com: Jimmy Soul Biography" Accessed November 2012
  3. ^ a b Jimmy Soul Biography", Oldies.com, Accessed November 2012
  4. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 417. ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
  5. ^ a b https://www.billboard.com/artist/jimmy-soul/chart-history/hot-100
  6. ^ AudioCulture, 27 Apr 2013 - Allied International, Discography By Simon Grigg
  7. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 166. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  8. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 515. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
[edit]
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