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Brenton Wood, Singer Behind ‘The Oogum Boogum Song,’ Dead at 83

Brenton Wood, the soul singer behind 1967 hit “The Oogum Boogum Song” and formed his own record label in the Seventies, has died at the age of 83.

Wood’s death was confirmed by his manager and assistant, Manny Gallegos, who told Variety that the artist died from natural causes at his home in Moreno Valley, California. Born on July 26, 1941 in Shreveport, Louisiana, his family moved to coastal San Pedro in Los Angeles, California, where he attended high school in Compton. During an interview with LAist, when asked what the meaning behind “Oogum Boogum” was, Wood replied, “It was [Abracadabra] because they were casting a spell on me.” The musician told the outlet that although he didn’t like the track when the label first brought it to him, he spent six weeks reworking it until he was satisfied.

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