Brenton Wood, the soul singer behind 1967 hit single “The Oogum Boogum Song” and who formed his own record label in the Seventies, has died at the age of 83.
Wood’s death was confirmed by his manager and assistant, Manny Gallegos, who told Variety that the artist died from natural causes at his home in Moreno Valley, California.
Born on July 26, 1941 in Shreveport, Louisiana, his family moved to coastal San Pedro in Los Angeles, California, where he attended high school in Compton. Wood, born Alfred Jesse Smith, later enrolled in East Los Angeles College, and began to expand his interests in music, taking on the stage name Brenton Wood.
After signing with Double Shot Records in 1967, Wood delivered three of his biggest hits that year including “The Oogum Boogum Song” (which reached Number 19 on the Billboard R&B charts), “Gimme Little Sign”…
