Brenton Wood, the soul singer known most for the iconic hit “The Oogum Boogum Song,” has died. He was 83.
His manager and assistant, Manny Gallegos, confirmed the news to Variety. Per Gallegos, Wood “died from natural causes and was surrounded by his family at his home in Moreno Valley, CA.”
Gallegos told Entertainment Weekly, “I was there last night at his house. I was playing the piano for him. He was in the hospital bed, and I told him, ‘Friend, is there anything you want to say to your fans?’ And he says, you tell my fans I said, ‘Catch you on the rebound.’”
Wood, born Alfred Jesse Smith, was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana before his family moved to Los Angeles. As Variety reported, “he adopted his stage name as a reference to his home county, and looked to artists including Sam Cooke and Jesse Belvin for inspiration as he wrote songs and played the piano.”
His signature song, “The Oogum Boogum Song” was released in 1967 and peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another popular song of his is “Gimme Little Sign,” which reached No. 9 on the Hot 100. It was also released in 1967. Both songs have stood the test of time, and “The Oogum Boogum Song” is often used in television series and movies, as well as commercials.
In 2024, he began his farewell tour, Catch You on the Rebound: The Last Tour. It paused after his hospitalization.
