How old was Brenton Wood? Career explored as tributes pour in post Oogum Boogum singer's death

Singer Brenton Wood, who was 83 years old, passed away on January 3, 2025. He was active in the music industry since the '60s and had a film titled Poptown in his credits, where he shared the screen with popular faces such as Julie Driscoll.

A report by Entertainment Weekly stated that Brenton was at his residence in Moreno Valley, California, and he died of natural causes. While speaking to the outlet, Brenton's manager and assistant Manny Gallegos recalled the last time when he met Wood as he stated:

"I was there last night at his house. I was playing the piano for him. He was in the hospital bed, and I told him, 'Friend, is there anything you want to say to your fans?' And he says, you tell my fans I said, 'Catch you on the rebound.'"

Radio host and record producer Art Laboe wrote on Facebook that Brenton Wood's music left a positive impact on a lot of people and continued:

"You cast your spell on generations. And we will always have your music to remember you by. Your legacy will live on forever."

Rapper Mr. Capone-E also shared a tribute post on the same platform, recalling when he and Brenton Wood worked together on a single titled Take a Chance. Capone wrote that he gained recognition for the song, adding that Brenton is the reason why he is popular among the audience today.

Capone continued by writing that he would reupload the music video of Take a Chance and also share a vlog of his memories with Brenton. The comments section of the post was flooded with tributes, where netizens addressed Brenton's contributions to the music industry.

Online tributes (Image via Facebook/@Mr.Capone-e)

Online tributes (Image via Facebook/@Mr.Capone-e)

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Brenton Wood released many albums and singles over the years: Career and other details explained

Also known as Alfred Jesse Smith, he worked with various personalities associated with the music industry for many years, including Shirley Goodman. According to Brenton's biography on his official website, he completed his education at Compton High School and Compton College.

According to All Music, Brenton Wood slowly developed an interest in music and trained himself in piano simultaneously. He established different musical groups and later joined a record label called Double Shot Records, releasing a single titled The Oogum Boogum Song, which reached the top of the charts.

Notably, Brenton Wood grew up listening to artists like Jesse Belvin, which helped him develop his abilities as a songwriter. In addition to pursuing a career in the music industry, he launched a record label titled Mr. Wood, which released projects such as Legend.

Although his second song, Gimme Little Sign, received a similar response to his first single, he witnessed some ups and downs after that since his projects failed to receive positive reactions.

Brenton once appeared for an interview with Gary James of Classic Bands, and the former was questioned about an alternate path he would have taken instead of singing for a living. Wood said during the conversation that he had once planned to become an auto mechanic and continued:

"I was actually working at an aluminium factory out in Torrance (California) and I was doing pretty good out there. I had been singing nine, ten years prior to that and I hadn't really been successful. I'd write songs and I'd gotten them recorded, but I hadn't had a hit record or anything."

Brenton Wood also revealed that while training himself in music, he wrote singles such as I Think You Got Your Fools Mixed Up and I'm The One Who Knows. The Shreveport, Louisiana native released an album titled Out of the Woodwork in 1986, followed by other major projects such as Sweet Old School, Classic By Design, and This Love Is for Real.

Brenton Wood was additionally famous for his songs like Lovey Dovey Kinda Lovin', Whoop It On Me, Another Saturday Night, Bless Your Little Heart, and Let's Get Crazy Together.