342 Jackie Wilson (1934-1984) “Lonely Teardrops” 1958

"Wilson began associating with the Shakers, a local gang. He would entertain them by singing and they would protect him from other gangs. He rarely attended school and had numerous brushes with the law. He was twice sent to Lansing Correctional Institute, where he took up boxing. He entered the Golden Gloves program, but his mother made him quit and promise never to box again because it was too dangerous. Wilson dropped out of school at the age of sixteen, never having passed the ninth grade. In 1951, Wilson married his pregnant girlfriend, Freda Hood. With a new family to support, he pursued his singing career more seriously" (Leslie Neilan, Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2015).

Jackie Wilson “Lonely Teardrops”