Forget Elvis. Though the history books might have you believin' all the stories about how the hip-swingin' Mississippi boy created rock 'n roll, he wouldn't have got there if it wasn't for one brazen, rollicking good-time guy by the name of Wynonie Harris.
Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris was an American blues shouter and R&B singer. With no less than 15 top 10 hits between '46 & '52, he is generally recognised as one of the godfathers of rock 'n roll.Wynonie was born on August 24th, 1915, in Omaha, Nebraska. He dropped out of school aged 16, and started his career in the entertainment business as a dancer in the early '30s. By 1935 the boy was singin' the blues, and often made the trip to Kansas city to watch, among others, Jimmy Rushing & Big Joe Turner shout the blues.
Harris was spotted by Lucky Millinder performing at the Rhumboogie club in Chicago in 1943. a year later he joined Millinder's orchestra (replacing Sister Rosetta Tharpe as lead singer) but left in 1945 when the pair fell out over money. A year after they parted, Decca Records released a record Wynonie sang on, "Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well". It became the group's biggest hit.
Wynonie went on to have a rather successful solo career. He signed to Philo Records in 1945. On this label he released the two-sided "Around The Clock Blues". It didn't hit number one, nevertheless it was popular and was covered by many artists, including two of Wynonie's early heroes - Rushing & Joe turner. Harris recorded sessions for various labels, including Apollo, Aladdin and Bullet. He enjoyed the greatest success of his solo career recording for King records. His most notable cuts include "Bloodshot Eyes", "Good Morning Judge", "All She Wants To Do Is Rock", and the definitive "Good Rockin' Tonight".Some might have called Harris conceited or overconfident, but even if he was, it was with good reason. He became known for his earlier, risqué jump blues numbers. Just have a listen to "Lollipop Mama", "Wasn't That Good" and the less-than-subtle"Keep On Churnin'". Where some folks wouldn't dare to use such obvious metaphors and talk about their Little Jacky Horners stickin' their fingers in pies, Wynonie was very careful to let everyone know exactly what he was talkin' about!
Between '54 & '64, Wynonie was driftin' between several recording contracts. Unfortunately, the debts were piling up and he was forced to live in less glamorous surroundings. His final recordings were those he did for Chess records in '64, and the last large-scale performance he ever did was at the Apollo in New York three years later, where he shared a stage with Big Mama Thornton, Big Joe Turner, T-Bone Walker & Jimmy Witherspoon.
Wynonie died of oesophegeal cancer on June 14th, 1969. He was 54 years old.
