The crooner of “Oogum Boogum Song,” Brenton Wood, who enthralled Latino audiences, passes away at age 83.
Brenton Wood appeared to be on the verge of being well-known in 1967.
The Compton crooner’s smash tune, “The Oogum Boogum Song,” peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 19 on the Top Selling R&B Singles charts. Wood released “Gimme Little Sign,” his second success, a few months later, and it peaked at No. 9 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Wood, whose real name was Alfred Jesse Smith, passed away at his Moreno Valley home on Friday from natural causes, Variety was informed by his manager and assistant, Manny Gallegos. He was eighty-three.
Wood’s lively, slinky songs are contagious. His kind and seductive style of explaining the substance of a developing romance in simple terms is enticing. Whether by yourself or with a companion, Grooving to the beat is simple.
