Goodbye to Brenton Wood
We are giving news, with a two-day delay which we regret, of the passing of the American singer Brenton Wood, who became known to the American public for “The oogum boogum song”, number 34 in the “Billboard” charts on 24 June 1967. then included in numerous films including “Almost famous”.
Brenton Wood, real name Alfred Jessie Smith, was born in 1941 and died of natural causes. Wood had released nine albums, between 1967 and 2029, and continued to give shows until last year.
After the success of “The oogum boogum song”, Brenton Wood had done one better the following October, entering the “Billboard” top ten at number 9 with “Gimme little sign”.
It is thanks to this song that Brenton Wood had a moment of great fame in Italy too, even reaching number 1 (according to Hit Parade Italia) in April 1968.
“Gimme little sign” had three Italian versions in the 1960s: by the Four Kents
from the Barrittas
and Gino Paoli’s Gatti Rossi (this is the name of the group).
It was then revived in 1986 by Ivan Cattaneo, with the title of “Hotel Mocambo” and different lyrics, in 1986, in the album “Vietato ai Minori”
and more recently, in 1999, by Giuliano Palma & the Bluebeaters, with the original English lyrics on the album “The album”
Brenton Wood participated in the 1969 Sanremo Festival with “Il Treno” by Pallavicini – Isola.
