Biography
Jimmy Soul entered the world on August 24, 1942, in Weldon, NC. By seven he had already taken the pulpit, and as a teenager he sang gospel locally under the name “the Wonder Boy.” Engineer Frank Guida, architect of the storied Norfolk sound, discovered the young performer and signed him to cut several calypso-flavored numbers that Guida had selected for another of his hit-makers, Gary U.S. Bonds. Both of Soul’s charting singles proved to be leftover tracks originally intended for Bonds: the 1962 release “Twistin’ Matilda” and the 1963 chart-topper “If You Wanna Be Happy.” Its buoyant Caribbean rhythm drove the latter song to massive popularity, encouraging Soul to chase the same formula with later efforts such as “Treat ’Em Tough” and “A Woman Is Smarter in Every Kinda Way.” None of these follow-ups reached the charts. He eventually enlisted in the Army and stepped away from music altogether, dying from a heart attack on June 25, 1988, at age 45.