Brenton Wood, the soul singer who scored three hits in 1967 (including “The Oogum Boogum Song”), died over the weekend at age 83. According Wood’s manager he died of natural causes, surrounded by his family at his home in Moreno Valley, CA, and his last words to his fans were “Catch you on the rebound,” a reference to one of his songs.
Born Alfred Jesse Smith in 1941 in Shreveport, LA, Wood and his family soon moved to Los Angeles and while attending East Los Angeles college his musical interests flourished, taking inspiration from Sam Cooke and others. It was then that he adopted the stage name Brenton Wood, inspired in part by the wealthy LA neighborhood Brentwood. While his 1963 debut single “Hide-A-Way” and its two follow-ups failed to chart, Wood hit paydirt in 1967 with “The Oogum Boogum Song,” “Gimme Little Sign” and “Baby You Got It” which were all Top 40 hits.
In 1972 he formed his own label, Prophesy Records, and continued to released music on his own — later with another self-started label, Mr Wood Records — through the 2000s. In early 2024 he set out on “Catch You on the Rebound: The Last Tour,” but that was paused when he was hospitalized.
Rest easy, Brenton.