Editing Wynonie Harris

{{Short description|American blues singer (1915–1969)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background        = solo_singer
| name              = Wynonie Harris
| image             = Wynonie Harris publicity photo.jpg
| caption           = Publicity photo of Harris
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1915|8|24|mf=y}}
| birth_place       = [[Omaha, Nebraska]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|1969|6|14|1915|8|24}}
| death_place       = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| occupation        = Singer
| genre             = {{Flatlist|
* [[swing music|Swing]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IGywXdulDRQC&pg=PA97 |title=The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide |author=Yanow, Scott|year=2008 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=9780879308254 }}</ref>
* [[jump blues]]
* [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]
* [[rock and roll]]}}
| years_active      = 1935–1969
}}

'''Wynonie Harris''' (August 24, 1915<ref>"The W Harris Profile" quotes his birth date as August 24, 1913. The profile goes on to say that, on account of his "indifference to learning", "he abandoned school permanently" in 1931; it is more likely he would have left school at age 16 than at age 18, so the 1915 birthdate seems more likely. The later date is supported by all other sources cited.</ref> – June 14, 1969) was an American [[blues shouter]] best remembered as a singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often [[ribald]] lyrics. He had fifteen [[Top 40|Top 10]] [[hit record|hits]] between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by many music scholars to be one of the founding fathers of [[rock and roll]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Demain|first1=Bill|title=5 Candidates for the First Rock 'n' Roll Song|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/30288/5-candidates-first-rock-n-roll-song|website=Mentalfloss.com|date=March 23, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Warner|first=Jay|page=[https://archive.org/details/onthisdayinblack00warn/page/255 255]|url=https://archive.org/details/onthisdayinblack00warn|url-access=registration|title=On this Day in Black Music History|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]]|year=2006|isbn=0-634-09926-4}}</ref> His "[[Good Rocking Tonight]]" is mentioned at least as a precursor to rock and roll.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/apr/16/popandrock|title=When was rock'n'roll really born?|date=April 16, 2004|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=March 6, 2021}}</ref>

His [[dirty blues]] repertoire included "Lolly Pop Mama" (1948),<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HLKXCwAAQBAJ&q=%22Lolly+Pop+Mama%22.+%22Wynonie+Harris%22&pg=PA53|title=When Music Migrates: Crossing British and European Racial Faultlines, 1945–2010|author=Stratton, Jon|page=53|date=February 17, 2016|publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134762880|access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> "I Like My Baby's Pudding" (1950),<ref name="censored">{{cite web|url=http://www.rebeatmag.com/10-often-censored-songs-from-the-early-50s|title=10 Often-Censored Songs from the Early '50s|publisher=Rebeatmag.com|date=September 4, 2014|access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> "Sittin on It All the Time" (1950),<ref name="censored"/> "[[Keep On Churnin' (Till the Butter Comes)]]" (1952),<ref name="risque">{{cite web|url=http://www.horntip.com/mp3/1950s/1950s--1991_risque_rhythm_(CD)|title=Risque Rhythm (1950s)|publisher=Horntip.com|date=April 16, 2014|access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> and "Wasn't That Good" (1953).<ref name="risque"/>

==Biography==
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2018}}

===Early life and family===
Harris's mother, Mallie Hood Anderson, was fifteen and unmarried at the time of his birth. His paternity is uncertain. His wife, Olive E. Goodlow, and daughter, Patricia Vest, said that his father was a [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] named Blue Jay. Wynonie had no father figure in his family until 1920, when his mother married Luther Harris, fifteen years her senior.

In 1931, at age 16, Harris dropped out of high school in [[North Omaha]]. The following year, his first child, a daughter, Micky, was born to Naomi Henderson. Ten months later his son, Wesley, was born to Laura Devereaux. Both children were raised by their mothers. Wesley became a singer in the Five Echoes and in The Sultans, and later was a singer and guitarist in [[Preston Love]]'s band.

In 1935 Harris, age 20, started dating 16-year-old Olive E. (Ollie) Goodlow, of [[Council Bluffs, Iowa]], who came to neighboring Omaha to watch him perform. On May 20, 1936, Ollie gave birth to a daughter, Adrianne Patricia (Pattie). Harris and Ollie were married on December 11, 1936. Later they lived in the Logan Fontenelle projects in [[North Omaha]]. Ollie worked as a barmaid and nurse; Harris sang in clubs and took odd jobs. His mother was Pattie's main caretaker. In 1940, Wynonie and Ollie Harris moved to Los Angeles, California, leaving Pattie with her grandmother in Omaha.

==Early career==
Harris formed a dance team with Velda Shannon in the early 1930s.<ref name="russell">{{cite book|first=Tony|last=Russell|year=1997|title=The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray|publisher=Carlton Books|location=Dubai|page= 117|isbn=1-85868-255-X}}</ref> They performed in [[North Omaha]]'s flourishing entertainment community, and by 1934, were a regular attraction at the Ritz Theatre. In 1935, Harris, having become a celebrity in Omaha, was able to earn a living as an entertainer, in the depths of the [[Great Depression]].

While performing at Jim Bell's Club Harlem [[nightclub]] with Shannon, he began to sing the [[blues]]. He began traveling frequently to Kansas City, where he paid close attention to [[blues shouter]]s, including [[Jimmy Rushing]] and [[Big Joe Turner]]. His break in Los Angeles was at a nightclub owned by [[Curtis Mosby]]. It was here that Harris became known as "Mr. Blues".

==With Lucky Millinder==
During the [[1942–44 musicians' strike]], Harris was unable to pursue a recording career, relying instead on personal appearances. Performing almost continuously, in late 1943 he appeared at the [[Rhumboogie Café|Rhumboogie Club]] in Chicago. He was spotted by [[Lucky Millinder]], who asked him to join his band on tour. Harris joined on March 24, 1944, when the band was in the middle of a week-long residency at the Regal in Chicago.

They moved on to New York City, where on April 7 Harris took the stage with Millinder's band for his debut at the [[Apollo Theatre]], in [[Harlem]]. It was during this performance that Harris first publicly performed "[[Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well]]" (a song recorded two years earlier by [[Doc Wheeler]]'s Sunset Orchestra).

After the band's stint at the Apollo, they moved on to their regular residency at the Savoy Ballroom, also in Harlem. Here, [[Preston Love]], Harris's childhood friend, joined Millinder's band, replacing the alto saxophonist [[Tab Smith]]. On May 26, 1944, Harris made his recording debut with Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra. Entering a recording studio for the first time, Harris sang on two of the five cuts recorded that day, "Hurry, Hurry" and "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well", for [[Decca Records]]. The embargo on shellac during World War II had not yet been rescinded, and release of the record was delayed.

Harris's success and popularity grew as Millinder's band toured the country, but he and Millinder had a falling out over money, and in September 1945, while playing in [[San Antonio, Texas]], Harris quit the band. Three weeks later, upon hearing of Harris's separation from the band, a Houston promoter refused to allow Millinder's band to perform. Millinder called Harris and agreed to pay his asking price of one hundred dollars a night. The promoter reinstated the booking, but it was the final time Harris and Millinder worked together. [[Bull Moose Jackson]] replaced Harris as the vocalist in the band.

In April 1945, a year after the song was recorded, Decca released "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well".<ref name="russell"/> It became the group's biggest hit, reaching [[List of number-one rhythm and blues hits (United States)|number one]] on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|R&B]] chart on July 14 and staying there for [[R&B number-one hits of 1945 (USA)|eight weeks]]. The song remained on the charts for almost five months, also becoming popular with white audiences.<ref>"Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well" also reached number 7 on the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|pop chart]]</ref>

In California the success of the song opened doors for Harris. Since the contract with Decca was with Millinder, Harris was a free agent and could choose from the [[recording contract]]s with which he was presented.

==Solo career==
In July 1945, Harris signed with [[Philo Records (rhythm & blues)|Philo]], a label owned by the brothers Leo and Edward Mesner.  Harris' band was assembled by [[Johnny Otis]], and the group recorded the [[gramophone record|78-rpm record]] "Around the Clock". Although not a chart-topper, the song became popular, and [[cover version]]s were recorded by many artists, including [[Willie Bryant]], Jimmy Rushing and Big Joe Turner.

Harris went on to record sessions for other labels, including [[Apollo Records (1944)|Apollo]], [[Bullet Records|Bullet]] and [[Aladdin Records|Aladdin]]. His greatest success came when he signed for [[Syd Nathan]]'s [[King Records (USA)|King]] label, where he enjoyed a series of hits on the U.S. R&B chart in the late 1940s and early 1950s. These included a 1948 cover of [[Roy Brown (blues musician)|Roy Brown]]'s "[[Good Rocking Tonight]]",<ref>Harris re-recorded Brown's hit in 1948, after Brown wrote and recorded it in 1947. It was later rerecorded by [[Elvis Presley]] in 1954, with later versions by [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], [[Ricky Nelson]], [[Buddy Holly]], [[Pat Boone]] and [[Paul McCartney]]</ref> "Good Morning Judge" and "[[All She Wants to Do Is Rock]]". In 1946, Harris recorded two singles with the pianist Herman "Sonny" Blount, who later earned fame as the eclectic jazz composer and bandleader [[Sun Ra]].

Some reviewers state that "Good Rocking Tonight", by [[Roy Brown (blues musician)|Roy Brown]] (1947) or by Harris (1948)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30288/5-candidates-first-rock-n-roll-song|title=5 Candidates for the First Rock 'n' Roll Song|date=March 23, 2012|website=Mentalfloss.com|access-date=March 6, 2021}}</ref> is one of the contenders for the title of "first rock'n'roll record".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/12/rock-n-roll-record |title=The first rock'n'roll record is released |date=12 June 2011 |work=The Guardian |access-date=10 August 2020 |quote=the first rock record. In fact, that title is hotly disputed, with contenders including Sister Rosetta Tharpe's Strange Things Happening Every Day (1944) and}}</ref> The label of the 45 RPM record by Brown included the words "Rocking blues".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkBTo6u8CNg | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/dkBTo6u8CNg| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=1st RECORDING OF: Good Rockin' Tonight - Roy Brown (1947) |website=Youtube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> According to the Paul McCartney Project, "Harris's version was even more energetic than Brown's original version, featuring black gospel style handclapping". The Project adds that "the song has also been credited with being the most successful record to that point to use the word 'rock' not as a euphemism for sex, but as a descriptive for the musical style.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/good-rockin-tonight/|title=Good Rockin' Tonight (song)|website=The-paulmccartney-project.com|access-date=March 6, 2021}}</ref>

In 1950, Harris released the double-sided hit "Sittin' on It All the Time" backed with "Baby, Shame on You" (King 4330), and in 1951, he recorded a [[cover version]] of [[Hank Penny]]'s "Bloodshot Eyes" (King 4461).<ref>Burke Ken; Griffin, Dan (2006). ''The Blue Moon Boys: The Story of Elvis Presley's Band''. Chicago Review Press. page 57. {{ISBN|1-55652-614-8}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabilly.nl/lyrics1/b0075.htm|title=Bloodshot Eyes, Wynonie Harris|website=Rockabilly.nl|access-date=May 21, 2014}}</ref> His risqué approach to material at times made his tracks "Keep On Churnin'" (1952) and "Wasn't That Good" (1953) jukebox favorites in the early 1950s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.horntip.com/mp3/1950s/1950s--1991_risque_rhythm_(CD)|title=Risque Rhythm (1950s)|publisher=Horntip.com|date=April 16, 2014|access-date=June 16, 2016}}</ref> Other lascivious songs he recorded include the earlier tracks "I Want My Fanny Brown" and "Lollipop Mama".<ref>{{cite web|author=Dahl, Bill|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/good-rocking-tonight-mw0000676641|title=Wynonie Harris, ''Good Rocking Tonight'': Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=June 16, 2016}}</ref>

Harris had "16 Top 10 R&B hits between 1945 and 1952, including the definitive version of Roy Brown's "Good Rockin' Tonight," a disc that spent 25 weeks on Billboard's chart in 1948".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldminemag.com/articles/1940s-musicians-laid-the-cornerstone-for-rock-n-roll|title=1940s musicians laid the cornerstone for rock 'n' roll|website=Goldminemag.com|date=September 29, 2011 |access-date=March 6, 2021}}</ref>

' Lovin' Machine ', (1952), and ' The Deacon don't like it ', (1953), both mention [[Hadacol]] whiskey.

==Later career==
Harris transitioned between several recording contracts between 1954 and 1964. In 1960 he cut six sides for Roulette Records, including a remake of his hit "Bloodshot Eyes" and "Sweet Lucy Brown", "Spread the News", "Saturday Night", "Josephine" and "Did You Get the Message".<ref>Various artists, ''Roulette Rock & Roll, Vol. 2: Everybody's Gonna'' (1994), Castle/Sequel.</ref> He also became more indebted and was forced to live in less glamorous surroundings.<ref name="russell"/>

In 1964 Harris resettled for the last time in Los Angeles. His final recordings were three sides for [[Chess Records]] in 1964: "The Comeback", "Buzzard Luck" and "Conjured".<ref>Various artists, ''Shoutin', Swingin' & Makin' Love'' (1991), MCA.</ref> His final large-scale performance was at the Apollo in November 1967, where he performed with Big Joe Turner, [[Big Mama Thornton]], [[Jimmy Witherspoon]] and [[T-Bone Walker]].

==Death==
Harris died of [[esophageal cancer]] on June 14, 1969, aged 53, at the USC Medical Center Hospital in Los Angeles.<ref name="russell"/>

==Legacy==
He was the subject of a 1994 biography by Tony Collins.<ref>Collins, Tony (1995). ''Rock Mr. Blues: The Life & Music of Wynonie Harris''. Big Nickel Publications. {{ISBN|0-936433-19-1}}.</ref>

Since the end of the twentieth century, there has been a resurgence of interest in his music. Some of his recordings are being reissued, and he has been honored posthumously.
* 1994: Inducted into the W.&nbsp;C. Handy [[Blues Hall of Fame]] by the [[Blues Foundation]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]]
* 1998: Inducted into the Nebraska Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]]
* 2000: Inducted into the High School Hall of Fame at [[Omaha Central High School|Central High School]] in Omaha, Nebraska
* 2005: Inducted into the [[Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame]]<ref>Harris was one of the 40 inaugural inductees to the [[Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame]] in 2005</ref>

In 2011, Harris's song "Quiet Whiskey" was number 9 the list of Top 10 Drinking Songs published by [[AskMen.com]].<ref>{{cite web|title=AskMen's Top 10 List of Drinking Songs|url=http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment_250/254_top_10_list.html|website=Askmen.com|access-date=August 6, 2014}}</ref>

In 2014, Harris's song "Grandma Plays the Numbers" was featured in the video game ''[[Fallout 4]]''.

The Blues Hall of Fame provides these comments: "Harris recorded sporadically afterwards [after 1952] but never again enjoyed the glory or success he'd known as one of the kings of jump blues. Today he is most acknowledged for laying the groundwork for rock 'n' roll".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blues.org/blues_hof_inductee/wynonie-harris/|title=Wynonie Harris|website=Blues.org|access-date=March 6, 2021}}</ref>

===Influence on Elvis Presley===
[[Elvis Presley]] may well have seen Harris perform in Memphis in the early 1950s, although this is not documented.<ref>{{cite book|last=Guralnick|first=Peter|title=Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley|year=1994|publisher=Little, Brown|isbn=978-0-316-33220-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/lasttraintomemph00gura_0/page/51 51]|url=https://archive.org/details/lasttraintomemph00gura_0/page/51}}</ref><ref name="Collins 1995 112">{{cite book|last=Collins|first=Tony|title=Rock Mr. Blues: The Life and Music of Wynonie Harris|year=1995|publisher=Big Nickel Publications|isbn=0-936433-19-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/rockmrblueslifem00coll/page/112 112]|url=https://archive.org/details/rockmrblueslifem00coll/page/112}}</ref> According to [[Henry Glover]], Harris's record producer, Elvis "copied many of the vocal gymnastics of Wynonie as well as the physical gyrations. When you saw Elvis, you were seeing a mild version of Wynonie".<ref name="Collins 1995 112"/> Harris remarked in a 1956 interview that Elvis's hip movements were stirring controversy in a way his own never did: "Many people have been giving him trouble for swinging his hips. I swing mine and have no trouble. He's got publicity I could not buy".<ref>{{cite book|last=Tosches|first=Nick|title=Unsung Heroes of Rock'n'Roll|year=1999|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=0-306-80891-9|page=52}}</ref>

In the television miniseries of 2005, ''[[Elvis (TV miniseries)|Elvis]]'', Harris was played by Marcus Lyle Brown.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elvis |others=TV miniseries|website=[[IMDb]]|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437714/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast|access-date=June 17, 2016}}</ref>

==Discography==
===Charting singles===
<ref>{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Pop Memories|publisher=Record Research|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/314 314]|year=1986|isbn=0-89820-083-0|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/314}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits|publisher=Billboard Books|page=234|year=2006|isbn=0-8230-8283-0}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Release<br/>date
! rowspan="2"| Title
! colspan="2"| Chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Notes
|-
! style="width:60px;"| <small>[[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US R&B/Race charts]]</small>
! style="width:60px;"| <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US pop chart]]</small>
|-
| 1944
|"Hurry Hurry!"
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|24
| With [[Lucky Millinder]] and His Orchestra
|-
| 1945
|"[[Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| With [[Lucky Millinder]] and His Orchestra
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1946
|"Wynonie's Blues"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
| With [[Illinois Jacquet]] and His All-Stars
|-
|"Playful Baby"
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|
| With Johnnie Alston and His All-Stars
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1948
|"[[Good Rocking Tonight]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|
| Written by [[Roy Brown (blues musician)|Roy Brown]], covered by [[Elvis Presley]] in 1954
|-
|"Lollipop Mama"
| style="text-align:center;"|8
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| rowspan="5"| 1949
|"Grandma Plays the Numbers"
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
|"I Feel That Old Age Coming On"
| style="text-align:center;"|10
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
|"Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee"
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
|"[[All She Wants to Do Is Rock]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
|"I Want My Fanny Brown"
| style="text-align:center;"|10
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1950
|"Sittin' on It All the Time"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
|"I Like My Baby's Pudding"
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
|"Good Morning Judge"
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
|"Oh Babe!"
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|
| With [[Lucky Millinder]] and His Orchestra
|-
| 1951
|"Bloodshot Eyes"
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1952
|"Lovin' Machine"
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|
| With [[Todd Rhodes]] and His Orchestra
[[Hadacol]] Whiskey mentioned.
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.thisisvintagenow.com/our_heroes/wynonie_harris_discography.htm Wynonie Harris Complete Discography] at [http://www.thisisvintagenow.com This is Vintage Now]
* [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p362|pure_url=yes}} Wynonie Harris at Allmusic]
* [http://wvxu.org/post/king-records-celebration-wynonie-harris Podcast interview with Harris's son Wesley Devereaux, and his biographer Tony Collins]
* [http://www.beatricene.com/gagecountymuseum Gage County Historical Society]
* [http://www.nebpress.com Nebraska Press Association]
* {{find a Grave|88365503}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Wynonie}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1969 deaths]]
[[Category:American blues singers]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues singers]]
[[Category:Jump blues musicians]]
[[Category:Dirty blues musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska]]
[[Category:Deaths from throat cancer in California]]
[[Category:Deaths from esophageal cancer in California]]
[[Category:Swing singers]]
[[Category:Trumpet Records artists]]
[[Category:King Records artists]]
[[Category:Apollo Records artists]]
[[Category:Omaha Central High School alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]