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Beloved soul vocalist and songwriter Brenton Wood died today (Jan. 3) at his home in Moreno Valley, Ca., his manager Manny Gallegos confirmed to Variety. The artist, who was born Alfred Jesse Smith in Shreveport, La., was best known for hits such as “The Oogum Boogum Song,” “Gimme Little Sign” and “Baby You Got It.”
Gallegos told Variety that Wood’s final words were “catch you on the rebound” — the name of the song on the B-side of the 1967 “Baby You Got It” single.
Wood, whose real name was Alfred Jesse Smith, moved from Louisiana to San Pedro, Ca., as a child and began pursuing music locally after high school. Released in 1967 by Double Shot Records, “The Oogum Boogum Song” became a national hit, reaching No. 19 on Billboard‘s R&B chart and No. 34 on the Hot 100.
Later that year, “Gimme Little Sign” rocketed to No. 9 on the Hot 100 and No. 8 in the U.K., and “Baby You Got It” also hit No. 34 on the Hot 100 in the waning days of 1967.
“The Oogum Boogum Song” has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows over the years, including Almost Famous, Beverly Hills 90210, Don’t Worry Darling and The Umbrella Academy. It was one of many songs that unexpectedly endeared Wood to the Latino community in California and other neighboring states.
“They’ve kind of picked me out of the whole batch, and they keep me going,” Wood told the Los Angeles Times in a 1992 interview. “I appreciate it, because if I was waiting for the big boys to call, I’d have died a long time ago. “They’re very loyal. This is like the third generation of kids that have been following me. The kids like my music. It’s timeless music I think, because everyone that grows up is bound to go through this at one time or another — break up, get back together, boyfriend-girlfriend type stuff.”
Wood launched his own Prophesy Records in 1972, on which he issued the cult classic single “Sticky Boom Boom (Too Cold) Part I and II.” He had another minor hit in 1977 with “Come Softly To Me” and later released music on another of his own labels, Mr. Wood Records.
The artist played shows in early 2024 as part of a farewell tour dubbed Catch You on the Rebound, but it was put on hold when he was hospitalized for undisclosed medical issues.
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