Soul singer Brenton Wood

29th August 2023

There’s something about Brenton Wood’s music that makes a listener feel good. It’s almost impossible to be in a bad mood after hearing one of his songs. Brenton’s music has a sweetness and lightness with a bounce that conveys coolness. His music has helped define, what these days are called, Lowrider Oldies. Brenton Wood is now in his 80s, and he’s absolutely still got it. If you can, you should go see him live. He is currently wrapping up his farewell tour. It’s called the Catch You On The Rebound Tour. Brenton Wood joins Bullseye to talk about his career in music and what keeps him performing. Plus, we’ll listen to some of his classic tracks from over the years.

Episode notes

 

Brenton Wood’s album Oogum Boogum

There are songs that just work for basically everyone. Songs that are vibrant and specific, and just give you a particular feeling. 

For instance, the “Oogum Boogum Song” by this week’s guest, Brenton Wood. It’s a silly title and has silly lyrics, too. But there’s something about the feeling. That almost playful falsetto, the drums bouncing along, the jangly guitar hits.

It’s hard to be in a bad mood after you hear the “Oogum Boogum Song.” Probably not worth the effort. Better to just kick your feet up, have some soda or iced tea and breathe easy for a minute.

The song was released in 1967. Brenton also wrote it. He’s also responsible for the hit songs “Gimme Little Sign” and “Me & You.”

Brenton had some hits. The “Oogum Boogum Song” went to number thirty-four on the charts, and you’ve probably heard it sometime in a movie or at a grocery store or something.

More than that, though, Brenton had a sound. A sweetness and lightness with a bounce that conveyed coolness. They helped define, what these days are called, lowrider oldies. In this big world, he’s a guy who had a few minor hits. In the world of East Side Story compilations and dropped Chevy Fleetlines, he’s basically Bruce Springsteen.

Brenton Wood is in his 80s, and he’s absolutely still got it. If you can, you should go see him live. Brenton is currently wrapping up his farewell tour. It’s called The Catch You On The Rebound Tour.

Brenton joins Bullseye to talk about his career in music and what keeps him performing. Plus, we’ll listen to some of his classic tracks from over the years.

 

In this episode...

Senior Producer
Producer
Maximum Fun Producer
Maximum Fun Production Fellow
Video Editor

Guests

  • Brenton Wood

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

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Senior Producer

Producer

Maximum Fun Producer

Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Video Editor

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