Wynonie Harris

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Wynonie "Mr. Blues “Harris (born August 24, 1915 in Omaha , Nebraska , † June 14, 1969 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American blues and R&B singer.

Live and act

Wynonie Harris was initially a drummer and began his career in the clubs of Los Angeles and Chicago as a singer and MC ; In Chicago in 1944 the band leader Lucky Millinder heard him in a show at the Rhumboogie Club and hired him as a singer for his band. Harris has been touring with both Millinder's Big Band and Lionel Hampton's orchestra. He had his first solo hit in 1945 with " Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well ", which appeared on Decca under Millinder's name . Harris left the band in the same year, went back to Los Angeles and made numerous records under his own name, accompanied by Johnny Otis (as drummer), Illinois Jacquet , Oscar Pettiford , Lucky Millinder and others. Recordings were made for the Philo label (“Baby Look at You”, 1945) and in 1946 for Apollo the hits “Wynonie's Blues” and “Playful Baby” in the “Race Records” charts . In Nashville, he recorded with Jimmie Jackson and Herman Blount (later known as Sun Ra ).

After he had recorded less successfully for smaller labels, he came in 1947 under contract with King Records . His version of the R&B song “ Good Rocking Tonight ” from 1948 with saxophonist Frank “Floorshow” Culley is considered one of the earliest rock 'n' roll recordings and became a # 1 hit on the R&B charts , the up to In 1952 twelve more were to follow; the piece, written by Roy Brown , was later recorded by Elvis Presley . Other successful titles from Harris were All She Wants to Do Is Rock (1949) and Bloodshot Eyes (1951).

Although he still recorded countless titles for labels such as Atco, King, Roulette and Chess , the success of Wynonie Harris waned in the mid-1950s and his alcoholism troubled him. Harris was increasingly forgotten. His last guest appearance in 1966 at a “Motortown Revue” in Santa Monica is said to have been a disaster, according to Nick Tosches. In 1969 he got cancer of the throat ; he died that same year.

In 1994, Wynonie Harris was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame .

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Nick Tosches Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll: The Birth of Rock in the Wild Years Before Elvis 1999
personal data
SURNAME Harris, Wynonie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mr Blues
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues and R&B singer
DATE OF BIRTH August 24, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Omaha , Nebraska
DATE OF DEATH June 14, 1969
Place of death los Angeles