Brenton Wood, the cherished soul singer best known for his catchy 1967 tune The Oogum Boogum Song, has died at the grand age of 83. The adored musician passed away on Friday 3 January, surrounded by family and friends at his Moreno Valley home in California. His assistant, Manny Gallegos, confirmed the news, and while the cause of death wasn't made public, he did imply it was due to natural causes saying to NYPost: "It just was his old age. He was 83 years old."
"He went in his sleep peacefully. The love that he gave us, God took him the same way," Manny added. In a poignant revelation, he shared Brenton's last words to his fans on Thursday 2 January. They were both nostalgic and foreboding: "I might not be here for long," followed by, "He said, 'Catch you on the rebound,'" - a phrase that reverberated through Brenton's career, lending its name to his final tour and echoing the title of his hit 1967 song.
Manny revealed that following the tour’s romantic conclusion on Valentine’s Day weekend in 2024, Brenton began to feel unwell, leading to hospitalisation by May of last year.
Brenton, whose birth name was Alfred Jesse Smith, was born on July 26, 1941, in Shreveport, Louisiana and grew up in San Pedro, California after his family moved there during his childhood, reports the Mirror. Blossoming into an artist with a deep love for the piano, he shaped his song-writing and performance style under the influence of icons such as Jesse Belvin and Sam Cooke.
He attended East Los Angeles College, and started his music career performing with local R&B groups like Little Freddie and the Rockets and the Quotations. When he decided to go solo, he took on the stage name Brenton Wood, inspired by the posh LA neighbourhood of Brentwood.
His early singles with Brent Records and Wand Records didn't make much of a splash, but things turned around when he signed with Double Shot Record. His catchy single The Oogum Boogum Song became a hit, climbing to No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967 and No. 19 on the Billboard R&B charts. It has since been used in numerous movies and TV series, including Don't Worry Darling, Sex Education and Almost Famous.
Other tunes, Gimme Little Sign and Baby You Got It, peaked at No. 9 and No. 34 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. His last solo song to chart was Come Softly to Me, which reached No. 97 on Billboard's R&B tally in 1978.
Brenton also set up his own record labels, Prophesy Records and Mr. Wood Records, and even dabbled in acting with a role in the 1969 film Popdown. Always keen to give back, Brenton often performed at schools and community outreach events for at-risk youth.
