While in high school he and his older brother, Jerry, joined a local pop combo, the Triumphs, with Mr. 1 country singles over the ensuing decade and winning five Grammy Awards in gospel categories. After getting clean in the mid-70s, he enjoyed parallel careers as a country and gospel singer, releasing three No. He struggled for the better part of 10 years with a dependence on drugs and alcohol that almost destroyed his marriage and his life. Thomas came by his sense of redemption the hard way. His command of musical dynamics is especially impressive on the chorus, where, lifting his voice heavenward, he goes from a hushed whisper to a flurry of ecstatic wailing before bringing his vocals back down to a murmur for the next verse. Wilson’s stamp is evident on “Mighty Clouds of Joy,” a rapturous, gospel-steeped anthem that reached the pop Top 40 for Mr. I’ve always tried to do more with a note than just hit it, because I remembered how he could sing so high and so right, really putting something into it.” “I couldn’t believe what he could do with his voice. “We all loved Elvis and Hank Williams, but I think Wilson had the biggest influence on me,” he said in his memoir.
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