Song of the Day 4/2: Al Wilson, “Show and Tell”

Guest post by Nathan Arizona

Everybody knew Johnny Mathis could sing. His satiny voice sold a lot of records. But he didn’t exactly swing and his voice didn’t have that earthy soul-man thing.

So his recording of a song called “Show and Tell” never got farther than the lower regions of the easy listening charts Then the record company gave it to a singer named Al Wilson, who’d had a hit song once before but had been toiling in obscurity for several years. Wilson could be smooth, but his voice also had the earthiness Johnny Mathis lacked. The combination helped make his 1973 version a million-selling chart-topper and one of the best-loved soul songs of the decade.

Wilson’s return to the charts with “Show and Tell” followed his hook-up with a new producer, Jerry Fuller. Fuller was also a songwriter who penned “Show and Tell” as well as hits for Ricky Nelson (“Travelin’ Man” ) and Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (“Young Girl,” “Lady Willpower”). With Al Wilson, “Show and Tell” was ready for “Soul Train.”

Wilson had his first breakthrough in 1968 with a song written by civil rights activist Oscar Brown called “The Snake.” Johnny Rivers, playing the Johnny Mathis role, had recorded a version that didn’t go anywhere and decided to try it with Wilson on his own label. Before that Wilson had scuffled after leaving the Navy, taking odd jobs, joining local California soul bands and even trying his hand as a comedian. “The Snake” reached the Billboard Top 30, then later became an even bigger hit with Britain’s Northern Soul crowd.

Here he is on what looks like an Oklahoma version of “Soul Train” hosted by a guy who looks like Andy Travis on “WKRP in Cincinnati.” You can see why Johnny Rivers would be partial to it.

“The Snake,” about an old woman who rescues a snake and is then attacked by it, was based on an African-American folk tale. Donald Trump twisted it into an anti-immigrant campaign song despite a cease and desist order from Brown’s children.

After “Show and Tell” and a few minor hits Wilson dropped off the radar again, wrapping up his career as a lounge act. If the club crowd got restless, he could always pull “Show and Tell” out of his pocket.