Indeed he did. He took over from Clyde McPhatter as lead singer with Billy Ward & the Dominoes in 1953 and had a hit that year with "Rags to riches". One thing that Wilson could do that JB never could was sing a big ballad, or a blues ballad. "Doggin' around", "A woman, a lover, a friend" and "No pity in the naked city" are some of the JW singles I regret ditching back in the day.
MG
I don't know. I always thought It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World and I'm Just A Prisoner were a pretty "big" ballads.
Yes, I have always considered James Brown to be a truly great ballads singer: add Bewildered, Try Me, Lost Someone, You've Got the Power, I Don't Mind...
As for Jackie Wilson, he ruled the R&B stage in the late 50s and early 60s. Nobody could take him out. It is too bad that more of those shows were not recorded. He was much greater live than in the studio, where he often suffered from poor production or taste.