TRENCH COAT

Brenton Wood (born Alfred Jesse Smith, July 26, 1941, Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for his two 1967 hit singles: "The Oogum Boogum Song" and "Gimme Little Sign". When Wood was a child his family moved west to San Pedro in Los Angeles, California. He attended San Pedro High School for part of his freshman year before moving to Compton. In his high school years his family relocated to nearby Compton, where Brenton became a member of the Compton High School track team and received several awards for his athletic achievements. Following his high school graduation, Wood enrolled in East Los Angeles College; soon after, he took the stage name Brenton Wood, possibly inspired by the wealthy Los Angeles enclave of Brentwood (some sources state that the name is in honor of his "home county"). During this period, his musical interests began to manifest themselves. He was inspired by Jesse Belvin and Sam Cooke, and he began cultivating his songwriting skills, also becoming a competent pianist. Early singles for Brent Records and Wand Records failed to chart. After signing with Double Shot Records, Wood had a hit with "The Oogum Boogum Song" in the spring of 1967. It reached number 19 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 34 on the corresponding Billboard Hot 100 pop listing. His biggest hit came in September of the same year, as "Gimme Little Sign" hit #9 on the pop chart and #19 on the R&B charts. It sold over one million copies, and was ...