Wynonie Harris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wynonie Harris
Publicity photo of Harris
Background information
Born	(1915-08-24)August 24, 1915 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	June 14, 1969(1969-06-14) (aged 53) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Swing jump blues R&B rock and roll
Instruments	Vocals • Guitar
Years active	1935–1969

Wynonie Harris (born August 24, 1915 – died June 14, 1969) was an American singer known for his energetic and often funny songs. He had fifteen songs that reached the Top 10 on the music charts between 1946 and 1952. Many music experts believe Harris was one of the early pioneers of rock and roll. His song "Good Rocking Tonight" is often seen as a very important song that helped create rock and roll music.

Biography

Early life and start in music

Wynonie Harris was born in Omaha, Nebraska. When he was 16, in 1931, he left high school. In 1935, at age 20, he married Olive E. Goodlow. They had a daughter named Adrianne Patricia. Wynonie and Olive moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1940.

In the early 1930s, Harris started a dance team with Velda Shannon. They performed in Omaha and became very popular. By 1934, they were a regular act at the Ritz Theatre. Harris was able to make a living as an entertainer even during the Great Depression.

While performing, he started singing the blues. He often visited Kansas City to learn from other blues singers like Jimmy Rushing and Big Joe Turner. His big break in Los Angeles came at a nightclub where he became known as "Mr. Blues."

Singing with Lucky Millinder

During a time when musicians couldn't record new music (1942–1944), Harris focused on live shows. In late 1943, he performed in Chicago and was noticed by Lucky Millinder. Millinder asked him to join his band on tour. Harris joined on March 24, 1944.

They went to New York City, where Harris performed with Millinder's band for the first time at the famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Here, he first sang "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well" in public.

On May 26, 1944, Harris made his first recordings with Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra. They recorded "Hurry, Hurry" and "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well" for Decca Records. Because of World War II, the release of the record was delayed.

Harris became very popular as Millinder's band toured. However, Harris and Millinder had a disagreement about money. In September 1945, Harris left the band. A year later, in April 1945, "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well" was finally released. It became a huge hit, reaching number one on the Billboard R&B chart and staying there for eight weeks. This success opened many doors for Harris.

Starting his solo career

In July 1945, Harris signed with Philo. His band was put together by Johnny Otis. They recorded the song "Around the Clock," which became popular and was covered by many other artists.

Harris then recorded for other labels like Apollo and Aladdin. His biggest success came when he signed with Syd Nathan's King label. Here, he had many hits on the U.S. R&B chart in the late 1940s and early 1950s. These hits included his famous version of Roy Brown's "Good Rocking Tonight", "Good Morning Judge", and "All She Wants to Do Is Rock".

Many people say that "Good Rocking Tonight," either by Roy Brown (1947) or by Harris (1948), is one of the first true rock and roll songs. Harris's version was even more energetic than the original.

In 1950, Harris released the popular songs "Sittin' on It All the Time" and "Baby, Shame on You." In 1951, he recorded "Bloodshot Eyes." His songs "Keep On Churnin'" (1952) and "Wasn't That Good" (1953) were very popular on jukeboxes. Overall, Harris had 16 Top 10 R&B hits between 1945 and 1952.

Later years

Wynonie Harris continued to record music between 1954 and 1964. In 1960, he recorded six songs for Roulette Records, including a new version of "Bloodshot Eyes."

In 1964, Harris moved back to Los Angeles. His last recordings were three songs for Chess Records in 1964. His final big performance was at the Apollo Theatre in November 1967. He performed with other famous musicians like Big Joe Turner and Big Mama Thornton.

Wynonie Harris passed away on June 14, 1969, at the age of 53, due to cancer.

Legacy and influence

Since the late 1900s, people have become more interested in Wynonie Harris's music. His recordings are being re-released, and he has been honored many times.

• 1994: He was added to the W. C. Handy Blues Hall of Fame.
• 1998: He was added to the Nebraska Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• 2000: He was added to the High School Hall of Fame at Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska.
• 2005: He was added to the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame.

In 2014, Harris's song "Grandma Plays the Numbers" was featured in the video game Fallout 4. The Blues Hall of Fame notes that Harris "is most acknowledged for laying the groundwork for rock ‘n’ roll."

How Elvis Presley was influenced

Elvis Presley saw Wynonie Harris perform in Memphis in the early 1950s. According to Henry Glover, Harris's record producer, Elvis "copied many of the vocal gymnastics of Wynonie as well as the physical gyrations." This means Elvis learned a lot from Harris's singing style and stage moves. When people saw Elvis, they were seeing a milder version of Wynonie.

In the 2005 TV show Elvis, Wynonie Harris was played by actor Marcus Lyle Brown.

Discography

Charting singles