Spanky Wilson’s ‘Sunshine of Your Love’: when psych and soul collided
Marrying two very disparate musical styles is never an easy task; just look at the entire genre of jazz-rock fusion. Yet, like the fruitless practice of alchemy, that fact has not stopped various artists from trying. While most efforts to reimagine a classic song in a different style have been lacklustre, there have also been a handful of occasions where those artists have struck gold. One example that is often overlooked comes from Philadelphia vocalist Spanky Wilson, who reimagined the psychedelic anthem ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ by Cream as a funk and soul floor-filler.
Originally released in 1967, ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ quickly became Cream’s defining track and one of the most iconic songs of the psychedelic rock era by extension. Built around that iconic Jack Bruce bassline, the song has a swagger to it that few psych bands of the time were able to replicate, though many tried. In fact, the song became so iconic of the counterculture rock era that it is difficult to envisage ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ lending itself to any other genre. However, if anybody could do it, it was Spanky Wilson.
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Wilson began her musical career as a teenager, singing in jazz clubs around her hometown alongside Stanley Turrentine. Pretty soon, the vocalist gained a reputation for her incredible vocal range and the emotion that she was able to convey through song despite not writing her own material. In 1967, the same year that Cream unveiled ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ for the very first time, Wilson embarked upon her first nationwide tour, which established her as a gifted singer on a wider scale.
Soon, the opportunity to make some records presented itself to Wilson via the musician and noted arranger H.B. Barnum. So, in 1969, the vocalist released her first full-length LP out into the world, appropriately titled Doin’ It. The track listing of the criminally underrated album darts between the jazz vocals that first gained Wilson an audience and the infectious sounds of funk and soul. Soul music dominated the US charts towards the latter part of the 1960s, thanks largely to the hit factory that was Motown Records, and Wilson’s voice suited the style perfectly.
After a gentle start to the album, with the song ‘Don’t Mess With Bill’, blaring horns and a gentle drum beat suddenly dominate the airwaves, playing a recognisable tune. Wilson erupts into her unique rendition of ‘Sunshine of Your Love’, which substitutes Bruce’s bass guitar track with a euphoric selection of brass. The track is a strange inclusion on the album; it does not seem to fit in with the rest of the tracklisting, yet it is perhaps one of the greatest cover versions ever pressed onto wax.
As opposed to Cream’s original, which placed an almost all-encompassing emphasis on the psychedelic sounds of Bruce’s bass and Baker’s drums, Wilson’s version places the vocal track centre stage. Perhaps that should come as no surprise, given that the LP jacket bears her name, not that of her backing band, but it is only when Wilson delivers the vocals that you realise how great the lyrics to that song are. Of course, her vocals are virtually flawless across the tracklisting. Still, they feel particularly powerful on ‘Sunshine of Your Love’, as though she was the one who had penned the words originally.
Why Wilson or, more likely, her management chose to record a cover of a psychedelic anthem like ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ remains shrouded in mystery. The likelihood is that ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ was an incredibly popular track of the time, and doing a version of it might help garner Wilson – an emerging artist – a little more publicity. Regardless of the motives, Spanky Wilson’s version of the song remains as infectious and awe-inspiring today as it was over five decades ago upon its original release.
