Brenton Wood, the soul singer who sang the catchy “Oogum Boogum Song” in 1967 and followed it up with the Top 10 hit “Gimme Little Sign,” died Friday at his home in Moreno Valley, California. He was 83 years old.
Its directors are Isabel and Manny Gallegos He confirmed the news to several media outlets, saying Wood died peacefully in his sleep.
Born Alfred Smith on July 26, 1941, in Shreveport, La., Wood grew up in San Pedro, South Los Angeles. He started singing and playing the piano at an early age when he signed with Brent Records and later Wand Records but did not achieve much success. He then moved to Double Shot Records in Hollywood, where he recorded “The Oogum Boogum Song.”
A borderline fresh tune fueled by Wood's sweet falsetto and piano hook, the track made the top 10 on leading Los Angeles top 40 station KHJ-AM and influenced national top 40 stations during the Summer of Love. He was going to perform it on Dick Clark american platform, But his signature song will be its follow-up.
“Gimme Little Sign” was a slow-building soul masterclass. Made famous by the chorus lyric “Just give me some kind of signal, girl,” the midtempo track cracked the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1967 and peaked at No. 9 a few weeks later. It hit the UK singles chart 57 years ago this week, reaching number eight after Wood performed it in the popular TV musical series. Top of the pops. It was one of the few pop songs of the 1960s let alone have an actual title in its lyrics.
Watch the official lyric video for the song here and another for “The Oogum Boogum Song” below:
But “Gimme Little Sign” would serve as the pinnacle of Wood’s career. He cracked the Billboard Top 40 in early 1968 with “Baby You Got It” and had a hit on the Hot 100 later that year with “Lovey Dovey Kinda Lovin'.” Wood's only chart album, 1967 Ogum-bogumpeaking at No. 187 in 1967.
He had a minor R&B hit with “Some Got It, Some Don't” in 1968 and would release a number of singles in the late 1970s. “Come Softly to Me” was his only other hit, reaching No. 97 on Billboard's R&B chart in 1978.
Wood also appeared in the 1969 film Pop-up menu. Information on survivors or memorials was incomplete.
Here's the official lyric video for “The Oogum Boogum Song”:
Related video deadline:
