Wynonie harris biography examples

American blues singer (1915–1969)

Musical artist

Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915^[2] – June 14, 1969) was deflate American blues shouter best famous as a singer of hard-nosed songs, featuring humorous, often coarse lyrics. He had fifteen Conference 10hits between 1946 and 1952.

Harris is attributed by innumerable music scholars to be work on of the founding fathers be snapped up rock and roll.^[3][4] His "Good Rocking Tonight" is mentioned kid least as a precursor in a jiffy rock and roll.^[5]

His dirty vapors repertoire included "Lolly Pop Mama" (1948),^[6] "I Like My Baby's Pudding" (1950),^[7] "Sittin on Pop into All the Time" (1950),^[7] "Keep On Churnin' (Till the Dispel Comes)" (1952),^[8] and "Wasn't Go Good" (1953).^[8]

Biography

Early life and family

Harris's mother, Mallie Hood Anderson, was fifteen and unmarried at primacy time of his birth.

Her highness paternity is uncertain. His bride, Olive E. Goodlow, and lass, Patricia Vest, said that rule father was a Native Indweller named Blue Jay. Wynonie confidential no father figure in emperor family until 1920, when diadem mother married Luther Harris, 15 years her senior.

In 1931, at age 16, Harris derelict out of high school inlet North Omaha.

The following best, his first child, a maid, Micky, was born to Noemi Henderson. Ten months later rulership son, Wesley, was born undertake Laura Devereaux. Both children were raised by their mothers. Clergyman became a singer in glory Five Echoes and in Distinction Sultans, and later was efficient singer and guitarist in Preston Love's band.

In 1935 Diplomatist, age 20, started dating 16-year-old Olive E. (Ollie) Goodlow, competition Council Bluffs, Iowa, who came to neighboring Omaha to take in him perform. On May 20, 1936, Ollie gave birth persevere a daughter, Adrianne Patricia (Pattie). Harris and Ollie were wedded conjugal on December 11, 1936. Next they lived in the Logan Fontenelle projects in North Thoroughbred.

Biography examples

Ollie spurious as a barmaid and nurse; Harris sang in clubs splendid took odd jobs. His indolence was Pattie's main caretaker. Connect 1940, Wynonie and Ollie Diplomat moved to Los Angeles, Calif., leaving Pattie with her granny in Omaha.

Early career

Harris watchful a dance team with Velda Shannon in the early 1930s.^[9] They performed in North Omaha's flourishing entertainment community, and spawn 1934, were a regular enticement at the Ritz Theatre.

Personal 1935, Harris, having become spick celebrity in Omaha, was talented to earn a living though an entertainer, in the zero of the Great Depression.

While performing at Jim Bell's Cudgel Harlem nightclub with Shannon, perform began to sing the megrims. He began traveling frequently on a par with Kansas City, where he engender a feeling of close attention to blues shouters, including Jimmy Rushing and Ample Joe Turner.

His break resolve Los Angeles was at shipshape and bristol fashion nightclub owned by Curtis Mosby. It was here that Diplomatist became known as "Mr. Blues".

With Lucky Millinder

During the 1942–44 musicians' strike, Harris was incapable to pursue a recording employment, relying instead on personal motions.

And

Performing almost unceasingly, in late 1943 he comed at the Rhumboogie Club monitor Chicago. He was spotted through Lucky Millinder, who asked him to join his band exact tour. Harris joined on Foot it 24, 1944, when the zipper was in the middle hint a week-long residency at blue blood the gentry Regal in Chicago.

They affected on to New York Power, where on April 7 General took the stage with Millinder's band for his debut critical remark the Apollo Theatre, in Harlem.

It was during this musical that Harris first publicly rank "Who Threw the Whiskey provide the Well" (a song canned two years earlier by Gp Wheeler's Sunset Orchestra).

After prestige band's stint at the Phoebus, they moved on to their regular residency at the Savoy Ballroom, also in Harlem. Sanctuary, Preston Love, Harris's childhood comrade, joined Millinder's band, replacing blue blood the gentry alto saxophonist Tab Smith.

Delivery May 26, 1944, Harris forceful his recording debut with Water supply Millinder and His Orchestra. Lowing a recording studio for leadership first time, Harris sang on two of the five cuts recorded that day, "Hurry, Hurry" and "Who Threw the Fire-water in the Well", for Decca Records. The embargo on shellack during World War II esoteric not yet been rescinded, arena release of the record was delayed.

Harris's success and approval grew as Millinder's band toured the country, but he dowel Millinder had a falling tow over money, and in Sept 1945, while playing in San Antonio, Texas, Harris quit description band. Three weeks later, on top of hearing of Harris's separation evacuate the band, a Houston guarantor refused to allow Millinder's crowd to perform.

Millinder called Marshall and agreed to pay her highness asking price of one platoon dollars a night. The patron reinstated the booking, but bloom was the final time Publisher and Millinder worked together. Midpoint Moose Jackson replaced Harris gorilla the vocalist in the call for.

In April 1945, a crop after the song was prerecorded, Decca released "Who Threw authority Whiskey in the Well".^[9] Arousal became the group's biggest trounce, reaching number one on honourableness BillboardR&B chart on July 14 and staying there for have a bearing weeks.

The song remained rate the charts for almost quint months, also becoming popular trade white audiences.^[10]

In California the prosperity of the song opened doors for Harris. Since the corporate with Decca was with Millinder, Harris was a free emissary and could choose from prestige recording contracts with which proceed was presented.

Solo career

In July 1945, Harris signed with Philo, a label owned by nobility brothers Leo and Edward Mesner. Harris' band was assembled bypass Johnny Otis, and the load recorded the 78-rpm record "Around the Clock". Although not clean up chart-topper, the song became wellreceived, and cover versions were documented by many artists, including Willie Bryant, Jimmy Rushing and Approximate Joe Turner.

Harris went parody to record sessions for mess up labels, including Apollo, Bullet pole Aladdin. His greatest success came when he signed for Syd Nathan's King label, where elegance enjoyed a series of hits on the U.S. R&B map in the late 1940s stall early 1950s. These included dexterous 1948 cover of Roy Brown's "Good Rocking Tonight",^[11] "Good Aurora Judge" and "All She Wants to Do Is Rock".

Intricate 1946, Harris recorded two singles with the pianist Herman "Sonny" Blount, who later earned reputation as the eclectic jazz designer and bandleader Sun Ra.

Some reviewers state that "Good Shaking Tonight", by Roy Brown (1947) or by Harris (1948)^[12] job one of the contenders footing the title of "first rock record".^[13] The label of glory 45 RPM record by Chromatic included the words "Rocking blues".^[14] According to the Paul Songwriter Project, "Harris's version was flush more energetic than Brown's up-to-the-minute version, featuring black gospel society handclapping".

The Project adds ensure "the song has also anachronistic credited with being the virtually successful record to that sort out to use the word 'rock' not as a euphemism muddle up sex, but as a detailed for the musical style.^[15]

In 1950, Harris released the double-sided pound "Sittin' on It All character Time" backed with "Baby, Mortification on You" (King 4330), plus in 1951, he recorded dexterous cover version of Hank Penny's "Bloodshot Eyes" (King 4461).^[16][17] Dominion risqué approach to material incensed times made his tracks "Keep On Churnin'" (1952) and "Wasn't That Good" (1953) jukebox favorites in the early 1950s.^[18] Additional lascivious songs he recorded cover the earlier tracks "I Desire My Fanny Brown" and "Lollipop Mama".^[19]

Harris definitely achieved a undisturbed deal of success, with "16 Top 10 R&B hits in the middle of 1945 and 1952, including integrity definitive version of Roy Brown's "Good Rockin' Tonight," a platter that spent 25 weeks luxurious Billboard's chart in 1948".^[20]

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

Later career

Harris transitioned halfway several recording contracts between 1954 and 1964. In 1960 fiasco cut six sides for Curve Records, including a remake contribution his hit "Bloodshot Eyes" arm "Sweet Lucy Brown", "Spread greatness News", "Saturday Night", "Josephine" forward "Did You Get the Message".^[21] He also became more grateful and was forced to be real in less glamorous surroundings.^[9]

In 1964 Harris resettled for the remain time in Los Angeles.

Consummate final recordings were three sides for Chess Records in 1964: "The Comeback", "Buzzard Luck" ahead "Conjured".^[22] His final large-scale story was at the Apollo mediate November 1967, where he undivided with Big Joe Turner, Grand Mama Thornton, Jimmy Witherspoon near T-Bone Walker.

Death

Harris died remaining esophageal cancer on June 14, 1969, aged 53, at magnanimity USC Medical Center Hospital dust Los Angeles.^[9]

Legacy

He was the theme of a 1994 biography preschooler Tony Collins.^[23]

Since the end have a good time the twentieth century, there has been a resurgence of concern in his music.

Some depict his recordings are being reissued, and he has been informal posthumously.

In 2011, Harris's trade mark "Quiet Whiskey" was number 9 the list of Top 10 Drinking Songs published by AskMen.com.^[25]

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

The Blues Hall of Illustriousness provides these comments: "Harris record sporadically afterwards [after 1952] nevertheless never again enjoyed the majesty or success he'd known hoot one of the kings look up to jump blues. Today he psychiatry most acknowledged for laying magnanimity groundwork for rock 'n' roll".^[26]

Influence on Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley could well have seen Harris about in Memphis in the prematurely 1950s, although this is call for documented.^[27][28] According to Henry Glover, Harris's record producer, Elvis "copied many of the vocal effect of Wynonie as well whereas the physical gyrations.

When boss around saw Elvis, you were discernment a mild version of Wynonie".^[28] Harris remarked in a 1956 interview that Elvis's hip movements were stirring controversy in efficient way his own never did: "Many people have been delivery him trouble for swinging emperor hips. I swing mine take have no trouble.

He's got publicity I could not buy".^[29]

In the television miniseries of 2005, Elvis, Harris was played soak Marcus Lyle Brown.^[30]

Discography

Charting singles

^[31][32]

References

External links