By Amanda Pevey
Elmore Autauga News
On Saturday, the annual Pickett Fest, formerly known as Wilson Pickett Music and Arts Festival, was held at Cooters Pond Park. This event celebrated the art and the legacy of Prattville native Wilson Pickett Jr. Over 1,000 people throughout the day filled the park. Admission was free!
Pickett was known for his talents as a songwriter, singer and musician. Members of his family were there to enjoy the event in his memory and gathered for a family photo. See full photo gallery below.
Festivities at Cooters Pond Park included entertainment, food vendors, children’s activities, local artists, and other craft vendors.
Musical Entertainment included throughout the day were Sol Xpressions, The Trendsetters, and the Ray Howard Band.
Children enjoyed painting a truck from the Prattville Art Guild. Other fun FREE children’s activities were rock painting, painting records, and Pickett Fest shirts. Inflatables were on site as well.
“The Fountain City Music and Arts Festival was renamed the Wilson Pickett Music and Arts Festival in 2018 in honor of Prattville native, Wilson Pickett Jr,” said Mynecia Steele, Cultural Arts & Special Events Manager for the City of Prattville. “The festival is now lovingly known to locals as The Pickett Fest. The festival is made possible through a partnership with The City of Prattville and the Wilson Pickett Jr. Legacy and a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Today was such a beautiful day for community to come together and enjoy music and art!”
Thank you to the organizers and volunteers for this wonderful event.
More information about Wilson Pickett, from The Alabama Historical Association:
WILSON PICKETT, JR.
March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006
A native of Prattville, Alabama, Wilson Pickett was raised singing gospel in local churches. Upon moving to Detroit as a teenager, he began to blend gospel-style with rhythm and blues, resulting in some of the “deepest funkiest soul music” to come from the Deep South. In 1966, he began working with musicians in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and it was there that he cut some of his biggest hits, including “Land of a Thousand Dances,” “Mustang Sally” and “Funky Broadway.” During his career, he made more than 200 recordings, 50 of which made the rhythm and blues and pop charts. Called “The Wicked Pickett” because of his uninhibited style, raw energy and distinctive sound, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.
