{{Short description|American singer (1945–2020)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Sweet Pea Atkinson | honorific_suffix = | image = | caption = | birth_name = Hillard Atkinson | alias = | birth_date = {{birth date|1945|9|20}} | birth_place = Oberlin, Ohio, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2020|5|5|1945|9|20}} | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | instrument = Vocals | genre = R&B, funk, rock | occupation = Singer | years_active = 1970s–2020 | label = | past_member_of = Was (Not Was) | website = }}
'''Hillard''' "'''Sweet Pea'''" '''Atkinson'''<ref>Fusilli, Jim, (September 21, 2017). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/get-what-you-deserve-by-sweet-pea-atkinson-review-a-tribute-to-the-past-1506023417 "‘Get What You Deserve’ by Sweet Pea Atkinson Review: A Tribute to the Past"], ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref> (September 20, 1945<ref>Ohio Department of Health, Index to Annual Births, 1968–1998; Ohio Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit; Columbus, OH, USA, Certificate Number:1945092989</ref> – May 5, 2020) was an American R&B singer known as one of the vocalists for the band Was (Not Was).<ref name=enc>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2004 |title=Was (Not Was) |encyclopedia=Contemporary Musicians |publisher=Cengage Learning |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/was-not-was}}</ref>
==Biography== Atkinson was born in Oberlin, Ohio, and moved to Detroit as a child.<ref name="billboard"/> He worked at the Chrysler factory, and sang with colleagues in a local band, Hi Energy. He met Don Was in the late 1970s, when he was rehearsing at the studio used by Was.<ref name="billboard">[https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9373142/hillard-sweet-pea-atkinson-obit Gary Graff, "Hillard 'Sweet Pea' Atkinson, Legendary Vocalist With Was (Not Was), Dies at 74", ''Billboard'', May 7, 2020]. Retrieved May 7, 2020</ref>
Atkinson joined Was (Not Was) as joint lead vocalist alongside Harry Bowens. He also featured on some of the band's most successful recordings. In 1982, shortly after the release of the first Was (Not Was) album, he recorded and released his first solo album, ''Don't Walk Away''.<ref name="enc" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sweet-pea-atkinson-mn0000045206/biography |title=Sweet Pea Atkinson Biography |last=Wynn |first=Ron |publisher=AllMusic}}</ref><ref name="christgau">{{Cite web |url=http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=atkinson |title=Consumer Guide: Sweet Pea Atkinson |last=Christgau |first=Robert |authorlink=Robert Christgau |website=The Village Voice}}</ref> The album was co-produced by David and Don Was.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/15/arts/pop-sweet-pea-atkinson.html |title=Pop: Sweet Pea Atkinson |last=Pareles |first=Jon |authorlink=Jon Pareles |website=The New York Times |date=November 15, 1982 |publication-date=November 15, 1982}}</ref> In 1997, along with Kris Kristofferson, Atkinson starred in a 15-minute short film included on Don Was' album ''Forever's a Long, Long Time'', which was released under the alias Orquestra Was.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://ew.com/article/1997/04/18/orquestra-was-forevers-long-long-time/ |title=Forever's a Long, Long Time |last=Cheng |first=Kipp |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |publication-date=April 18, 1997}}</ref> Atkinson also performed as lead vocalist on most of the songs on the album, on which Was interprets songs by Hank Williams.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/pop-albums-orquestra-was-forevers-a-long-long-time-verve-314-533-915-1274081.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/pop-albums-orquestra-was-forevers-a-long-long-time-verve-314-533-915-1274081.html |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Pop Albums: Orquestra Was Forever's a Long, Long Time Verve 314 533–915 |last=Gill |first=Andy |website=The Independent |date=October 23, 2011 |publication-date=March 21, 1997}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-03-23-ca-41098-story.html |title=What Was Was and What Was Is |last=Cromelin |first=Richard |website=Los Angeles Times |date=March 23, 1997 |publication-date=March 23, 1997}}</ref>
Atkinson later joined forces with blues guitarist Randy Jacobs – also a longtime Was (Not Was) session guitarist who co-wrote the band's most successful hit, "Walk the Dinosaur" – in a band called The Boneshakers. Together they released three albums, two of which were studio recordings: ''Book of Spells'' in 1997 and ''Shake the Planet'' in 1999, both on Pointblank Records. The third album was ''Live in Seattle'', with saxophonist Mindi Abair, which was released on Concord Records. Two more albums were credited to Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers: ''The EastWest Sessions'' (2017) and ''All I Got for Christmas Is the Blues'' (2018).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Debbage |first1=Michael |title=Album Review: The EastWest Sessions |url=https://mainlypiano.com/reviews/mindi-abair-and-the-boneshakers-the-eastwest-sessions |website=Mostly Pino |access-date=January 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Whitemore |first1=Laura B. |title=Listen Now: 20 New Music Releases to Add to Your Holiday Playlist |url=https://parade.com/723269/laurawhitmore/listen-now-20-new-music-releases-to-add-to-your-holiday-play-list/ |access-date=January 6, 2019 |work=Parade |date=December 10, 2018}}</ref>
Atkinson also toured for ten years with Lyle Lovett, and sang on recordings by Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, Iggy Pop, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Barnes, and many others.<ref name=billboard/>
== Death == He died on May 5, 2020, from a heart attack in Los Angeles, aged 74.<ref name=billboard/>
== Reviews == Robert Christgau gave ''Don't Walk Away'' an A− grade, writing, "Trouper that he is, Atkinson will sing any nonsense [the Was brothers] hand him, but he obviously finds his truth in Dionne Warwick, the Tymes, General Johnson, and Eddie Rabbitt, and I'll go along with that."<ref name="christgau" /> AllMusic's William Ruhlmann gave the album 3 stars out of 5. In his review, Ruhlmann wrote that "For all intents and purposes, this is a Was (Not Was) record" and that "mostly this record has the same sarcastic undercurrent of most of Was (Not Was)'s product."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Don't Walk Away Review|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/dont-walk-away-mw0000849080|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>
==Solo discography== *''Don't Walk Away'' (Island, 1982) *''Get What You Deserve'' (2017)<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/10/22/559036553/i-m-old-as-dirt-but-i-can-still-sing-sweet-pea-atkinson-on-get-what-you-deserve |title=I'm Old As Dirt But I Can Still Sing'': Sweet Pea Atkinson On ''Get What You Deserve |newspaper=NPR.org |publisher=NPR}}</ref>
===Singles=== *"Dance or Die" (number 27 on ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs, 1982)<ref>{{cite web |title=Dance Club Songs: Week of November 6, 1982 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-club-play-songs/1982-11-06 |publisher=Billboard |access-date=May 8, 2020}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Discogs artist|Sweet Pea Atkinson}}
{{Was (Not Was)}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Sweet Pea}} Category:1945 births Category:2020 deaths Category:American blues singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American funk musicians Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:20th-century African-American male singers Category:20th-century American male singers Category:20th-century American singers Category:Was (Not Was) members Category:Island Records artists Category:People from Oberlin, Ohio Category:Singers from Ohio Category:Singers from Detroit Category:21st-century African-American male singers Category:21st-century American male singers Category:Lyle Lovett and His Large Band members