Charlie Wilson drops a bomb on the past

Of course, as Wilson has acknowledged both in the song and in interviews, he did ultimately wind up on the street.

The Gap Band was big on the R&B charts and enjoyed crossover success in the early 1980s with hits including “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” and “Early in the Morning” (a No. 1 R&B hit for three weeks).

After The Gap Band dissolved, Wilson spent two years in the mid-1990s homeless and addicted to drugs and alcohol. This dark period of his life is also referred to on the new album, and Wilson said there’s a reason he keeps revisiting it in music.

“There are a lot of people still struggling,” he said. “People who don’t think there’s a way out. One night, my press agent’s cousin came to see my show. I hadn’t seen her in 20 years, and she was still getting high. She quit that night and has been clean for three to four years now. So I know people listen when they hear my testimony. God allows me to be an inspiration. God took care of me. There were a few times when I could’ve been killed, but I wasn’t.”

Wilson eventually went into rebab with the help of a relative and wound up marrying his counselor. As he launched his comeback, one of the first new friends he made was rapper Snoop Dogg, who eventually dubbed Wilson “Uncle Charlie.” Snoop is one of several guest artists on “In It To Win It,” appearing on the song “Gold Rush.”

“Snoop was the first entertainer to embrace me when I got clean,” Wilson said. “In fact, he said he saw me once while I was on the street. I guess I was at a gas station, sitting on the curb. He said he thought about approaching me and giving me money, but he didn’t because he was afraid that would make it worse. We’ve been close friends for 22 years now. I’ve watched all of his kids grow up.”

As a solo artist in the years since, Wilson has 11 Grammy nominations and numerous No. 1 R&B hits. So even though it’s called the “In It To Win It Tour,” Wilson will perform some older songs from his solo career, as well as some Gap Band numbers.

“I’ve a sworn duty to do the hits from back in the day,” he said. “They don’t let me out of the room otherwise. When you look at it, I’m one of the few who has old hits and new No. 1 hits.”

Wilson’s relationship with The Gap Band is complicated. In 2015, Ronnie Wilson, Charlie’s older brother, sued Charlie, claiming he was sabotaging Ronnie’s attempts to reform The Gap Band with a different lineup by pressuring venues to cancel their shows.

“I can’t really talk about that,” Wilson said. “Except that we’ve worked out our differences, and after the tour we’ll sit down and talk about what we should do.”

How to go

What: Charlie Wilson

Where: U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway St., Cincinnati

When: 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26

Cost: $59-$104

More info: 513-421-4111 or www.usbankarena.com