Sweet Pea Atkinson
The 10 Most Essential Was (Not Was) Tracks
Since David Weiss and Don Fagenson christened themselves the Brothers Was and formed Was (Not Was) in 1979 Detroit, a ridiculous number of great musicians have gone through the band’s ranks: Wayne Kramer of the MC5, The Knack frontman Doug Fieger, legendary jazz trumpet player Marcus Belgrave, Ozzy Osbourne, Elvis Costello, and even Frank Sinatra, Jr.. You won’t find another funk band to enlist most of these guys, much less all of them. And their guests are just a hint of what gives Was (Not Was) its distinctive flavor. There wasn’t a more towering presence in the group’s fold than Hillard “Sweet Pea” Atkinson, whom, alongside fellow soul singer Sir Harry Bowens, made up the two-headed dragon of the band’s animated presence. But as sadly reported earlier this morning, Mr. Atkinson died on ...
Sweet Pea Atkinson, Was (Not Was) Singer, Dies at 74
Sweet Pea Atkinson, a singer in Was (Not Was), died after suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles, where he lived. He was 74. Born Hillard Atkinson in Oberlin, Ohio, he released two solo records 1982’s Don’t Walk Away and Get What You Deserve in 2017. However, he gained more recognition as a member of the funk-rock group Was (Not Was). “He wanted to make a comic book where Sweet Pea was the main character,” Don Was said to Billboard, “because he was a larger than life guy — which is how I still think of him. I don’t think of him as a regular human.” Atkinson was also a member of the Boneshakers and went on the road for a decade with Lyle Lovett. He recorded with Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, Iggy Pop, Jackson Browne, Kris Kristofferson Geroge Jones, Bob ...
