[1][2] Born in the Detroit enclave of Highland Park, Michigan, Wilson gained initial fame as a member of the R&B vocal group Billy Ward and His Dominoes.

He went solo in 1957 and scored over 50 chart singles spanning the genres of R&B, rock 'n' roll, soul, doo-wop, and easy listening.

Growing up in the suburban Detroit enclave of Highland Park, Wilson joined a gang called the Shakers and often got himself into trouble.

The money the quartet earned from performing was often spent on alcohol, and Wilson began drinking at an early age.

Wilson began working at Lee's Sensation Club as a solo singer,[11] then formed a group called the Falcons that included cousin Levi Stubbs, who later led the Four Tops.

The other Falcons joined Hank Ballard as part of the Midnighters,[12] including Alonzo Tucker and Billy Davis, who worked with Wilson several years later as a solo artist.

"[11] 1940s blues singer Roy Brown was also a major influence on him, and Wilson grew up listening to the Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, Louis Jordan and Al Jolson.

[15]) In 1957 Wilson began a solo career, left the Dominoes, collaborated with his cousin Levi, and secured performances at Detroit's Flame Show Bar.

Wilson's first single was released, "Reet Petite" (from his first album He's So Fine), which became a modest R&B success (many years later, an international smash hit).

[18] Wilson's fervor when performing, his dynamic dance moves, impassioned singing, and fashion sense, earned him the nickname "Mr.

His stagecraft in his live shows inspired James Brown, Teddy Pendergrass, Michael Jackson[19] and Elvis Presley, as well as a host of other artists that followed.

[22] His live performances consisted of knee-drops,[23][24] splits, spins, back-flips,[25][26] one-footed across-the-floor slides, removing his tie and jacket and throwing them off the stage, basic boxing steps like advance and retreat shuffling,[27] and one of his favorite routines, getting some of the less attractive women in the audience to come up to the stage and kiss him.

On September 29, 1975, Wilson was one of the featured acts in Dick Clark's Good Ol' Rock and Roll Revue, hosted by the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

[31] On the words "My heart is crying" he collapsed on stage; audience members applauded as they initially thought it was part of the act.

[14] According to Larry Geller, Wilson wanted to sweat profusely during his performances, explaining to Elvis Presley, "The chicks love it."

[35] Among the other witnesses to the first meeting with Elvis, no one ever confirmed that this story was serious and that it was not a joke made by a man who had lost a kidney, so taking salt tablets would be unlikely.

Medical personnel worked to stabilize Wilson's vital signs, but the lack of oxygen to his brain caused him to slip into a coma.

Wilson's friend Joyce McRae tried to become his caregiver while he was in the nursing home, but he was placed in the guardianship of his estranged wife Harlean Harris and her lawyer John Mulkerin in 1978.

[39] In 1987, fans raised money in a fundraiser spearheaded by an Orlando disc jockey "Jack the Rapper" Gibson to purchase a mausoleum.

[41] He recorded a version of Lew Pollack and Jack Yellen's famed Jewish-themed song "My Yiddishe Momme" in New York in November 1960.

[44][46] Wilson was shot in the stomach; the wound resulted in the loss of a kidney, and the bullet lodged too close to his spine to be removed.

[50] In March 1967, Wilson and his drummer, Jimmy Smith, were arrested in South Carolina on "morals charges"; the two were entertaining two 24-year-old white women in their motel room.

Wilson made arrangements with the IRS to make restitution on the unpaid taxes; he also re-purchased the family home at auction.

Tarnopol and 18 other Brunswick executives were indicted on federal charges of mail fraud and tax evasion stemming from bribery and payola scandals in 1975.

Although the conviction was overturned, judges went into detail, outlining that Tarnopol and Brunswick Records did defraud their artists of royalties, and that they were satisfied that there was sufficient evidence for Wilson to file a lawsuit.

[54] They never officially divorced, but at the time he had his heart attack in 1975, he was in a relationship with a woman named Lynn Guidry, who was under the impression that she was his legal wife.

[58][59] Van Morrison recorded a tribute song called "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" on his 1972 album Saint Dominic's Preview.

Wilson scored a posthumous hit in Europe when "Reet Petite" topped the charts in the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom in 1986.

[31] This success was likely due in part to a new animated video made for the song, featuring a clay model of Wilson, that became popular on the BBC Two TV network in the latter country.

In the 2010 VH1 television special Say It Loud: A Celebration of Black Music in America, Smokey Robinson and Bobby Womack both paid tribute to Wilson.