Brenton Wood’s last words, according to his manager, were the title of his farewell tour: “Catch you on the rebound.” The soul singer behind “The Oogum Boogum Song” and “Gimme Little Sign” died of natural causes at his home in Moreno Valley, California, on January 3, 2025. He was 83. His manager and assistant, Manny Gallegos, confirmed his death.
Shreveport to San Pedro
Wood was born Alfred Jesse Smith in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1941, and grew up in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles after his family moved west. He sang in doo-wop groups as a young man and took the stage name Brenton Wood from Brentwood, the wealthy Los Angeles neighbourhood. In 1967 he signed with Double Shot Records, a small Los Angeles label, and his career took off almost immediately.
A string of hits in 1967
That year Wood had three chart hits. “The Oogum Boogum Song”, a playful soul number about the fashions of the moment, was followed by “Gimme Little Sign”, which reached the top ten in both the United States and Britain, a rare double for a singer on an independent label. “Baby You Got It” completed the run. His light, smooth voice and the songs’ easy grooves made them radio staples. In 1972 he set up his own label, Prophesy Records.
A lasting audience
Wood’s records never left Southern California. They became part of the oldies soundtrack of Mexican American car culture, played at lowrider shows and backyard parties for decades, and his concerts drew audiences who had grown up on his songs through their parents and grandparents. He was still touring into his eighties. His final tour, “Catch You on the Rebound: The Last Tour”, was paused when he went into hospital.
Few singers of 1967 were still drawing crowds more than fifty years later on the strength of a handful of hits. Wood did, and the farewell tour he could not finish carried the phrase he chose to go out on.