Biography
No blues shouter embodied the rollicking good times that he sang of quite like raucous shouter Wynonie Harris. "Mr. Blues," as he was not-so-humbly known, joyously related risque tales of sex, booze, and endless parties in his trademark raspy voice over some of the jumpingest horn-powered combos of the postwar era.
Those wanton ways eventually caught up with Harris, but not before he scored a raft of R&B smashes from 1946 to 1952. He was already a seasoned dancer, drummer, and singer when he left Omaha for L.A. in 1940 (his main influences being Big Joe Turner and Jimmy Rushing). He found plenty of work singing and appearing as an emcee on Central Avenue, the bustling nightlife strip of the black community. Harris' reputation was spreading fast -- he was appearing in Chicago at the Rhumboogie Club in 1944 when bandleader Lucky Millinder hired him as his band's new singer. With Millinder's orchestra in brassy support, Harris made his debut on shellac by boisterously delivering "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well" that same year for Decca. By the time it hit in mid-1945, Harris was long gone from Millinder's organization and back in L.A.
The shouter debuted on wax under his own name in July of 1945 at an L.A. date for Philo with backing from drummer Johnny Otis, saxist Teddy Edwards, and trumpeter Howard McGhee. A month later, he signed on with Apollo Records, an association that provided him with two huge hits in 1946: "Wynonie's Blues" (with saxist Illinois Jacquet's combo) and "Playful Baby." Harris' own waxings were squarely in the emerging jump blues style then sweeping the West Coast. After scattered dates for Hamp-Tone, Bullet, and Aladdin (where he dueled it out with his idol Big Joe on a two-sided "Battle of the Blues"), Harris joined the star-studded roster of Cincinnati's King Records in 1947. There his sales really soared.
Few records made a stronger seismic impact than Harris' 1948 chart-topper "Good Rockin' Tonight." Ironically, Harris shooed away its composer, Roy Brown, when he first tried to hand it to the singer; only when Brown's original version took off did Wynonie cover the romping number. With Hal "Cornbread" Singer on wailing tenor sax and a rocking, socking backbeat, the record provided an easily followed blueprint for the imminent rise of rock & roll a few years later (and gave Elvis Presley something to place on the A-side of his second Sun single).
After that, Harris was rarely absent from the R&B charts for the next four years, his offerings growing more boldly suggestive all the time. "Grandma Plays the Numbers," "All She Wants to Do Is Rock," "I Want My Fanny Brown," "Sittin' on It All the Time," "I Like My Baby's Pudding," "Good Morning Judge," "Bloodshot Eyes" (a country tune that was first released on "King" by Hank Penny), and "Lovin' Machine" were only a portion of the ribald hits Harris scored into 1952 (13 in all) -- and then his personal hit parade stopped dead. It certainly wasn't Harris' fault -- his King output rocked as hard as ever under Henry Glover's supervision -- but changing tastes among fickle consumers accelerated Wynonie Harris' sobering fall from favor.
Sides for Atco in 1956, King in 1957, and Roulette in 1960 only hinted at the raunchy glory of a few short years earlier. The touring slowed accordingly. In 1963, his chaffeur-driven Cadillacs and lavish New York home a distant memory, Harris moved back to L.A., scraping up low-paying local gigs whenever he could. Chess gave him a three-song session in 1964, but sat on the promising results. Throat cancer silenced him for good in 1969, ending the life of a bigger-than-life R&B pioneer whose ego matched his tremendous talent.
Those wanton ways eventually caught up with Harris, but not before he scored a raft of R&B smashes from 1946 to 1952. He was already a seasoned dancer, drummer, and singer when he left Omaha for L.A. in 1940 (his main influences being Big Joe Turner and Jimmy Rushing). He found plenty of work singing and appearing as an emcee on Central Avenue, the bustling nightlife strip of the black community. Harris' reputation was spreading fast -- he was appearing in Chicago at the Rhumboogie Club in 1944 when bandleader Lucky Millinder hired him as his band's new singer. With Millinder's orchestra in brassy support, Harris made his debut on shellac by boisterously delivering "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well" that same year for Decca. By the time it hit in mid-1945, Harris was long gone from Millinder's organization and back in L.A.
The shouter debuted on wax under his own name in July of 1945 at an L.A. date for Philo with backing from drummer Johnny Otis, saxist Teddy Edwards, and trumpeter Howard McGhee. A month later, he signed on with Apollo Records, an association that provided him with two huge hits in 1946: "Wynonie's Blues" (with saxist Illinois Jacquet's combo) and "Playful Baby." Harris' own waxings were squarely in the emerging jump blues style then sweeping the West Coast. After scattered dates for Hamp-Tone, Bullet, and Aladdin (where he dueled it out with his idol Big Joe on a two-sided "Battle of the Blues"), Harris joined the star-studded roster of Cincinnati's King Records in 1947. There his sales really soared.
Few records made a stronger seismic impact than Harris' 1948 chart-topper "Good Rockin' Tonight." Ironically, Harris shooed away its composer, Roy Brown, when he first tried to hand it to the singer; only when Brown's original version took off did Wynonie cover the romping number. With Hal "Cornbread" Singer on wailing tenor sax and a rocking, socking backbeat, the record provided an easily followed blueprint for the imminent rise of rock & roll a few years later (and gave Elvis Presley something to place on the A-side of his second Sun single).
After that, Harris was rarely absent from the R&B charts for the next four years, his offerings growing more boldly suggestive all the time. "Grandma Plays the Numbers," "All She Wants to Do Is Rock," "I Want My Fanny Brown," "Sittin' on It All the Time," "I Like My Baby's Pudding," "Good Morning Judge," "Bloodshot Eyes" (a country tune that was first released on "King" by Hank Penny), and "Lovin' Machine" were only a portion of the ribald hits Harris scored into 1952 (13 in all) -- and then his personal hit parade stopped dead. It certainly wasn't Harris' fault -- his King output rocked as hard as ever under Henry Glover's supervision -- but changing tastes among fickle consumers accelerated Wynonie Harris' sobering fall from favor.
Sides for Atco in 1956, King in 1957, and Roulette in 1960 only hinted at the raunchy glory of a few short years earlier. The touring slowed accordingly. In 1963, his chaffeur-driven Cadillacs and lavish New York home a distant memory, Harris moved back to L.A., scraping up low-paying local gigs whenever he could. Chess gave him a three-song session in 1964, but sat on the promising results. Throat cancer silenced him for good in 1969, ending the life of a bigger-than-life R&B pioneer whose ego matched his tremendous talent.
Bill Dahl (Allmusic Guide)
Discography
Philo
103 - Around The Clock Pt 1/Around The Clock Pt 2 - 1945
104 - Cock-A-Doodle-Doo/Yonder Goes My Baby – 1945
Apollo
360 - Young Man's Blues/Straighten Him Out - 1945
361 - That's The Stuff You Gotta Watch/Baby Love - 1945
362 - Somebody Changed The Lock On My Door/Wynonie's Blues - 1945
363 - She's Gone With The Wind/Here Comes The Blues - 1945
372 - Poppa Treetop/Playful Baby - 1945
378 - Time To Changer Your Town/Everybody's Boogie - 1945
381 - Young And Wild/Take Me Out Of The Rain - 1945
Hamp-Tone
100 - Hey, Ba-Ba-Re-Rop Pt 1/Hey, Ba-Ba-Re-Rop Pt 2 - 1946
103 - Good Morning, Corrine/In the Evenin’ Blues - 1946
Bullet
251 - Dig This Boogie/Lightning Struck The Poor House - 1946
252 - Drinkin' By Myself/My Baby's Barrell House - 1946
Aladdin
171 - Mr. Blues Jumped The Rabbit/Whiskey And Jelly Roll Blues - 1947
172 - Rugged Road/Come Back Baby - 1947
196 - Ghost Of A Chance/Big City Blues - 1947
208 - You Got To Get Yourself A Job Girl/Hard Ridin' Mama - 1947
3036 - Battle Of The Blues - Pt 1/Battle Of The Blues - Pt 2 - 1947
King
4202 - Rose Get Your Clothes/Wynonie's Boogie - 1947
4210 - Good Rockin' Tonigh/Good Morning Mister Blues - 1947
4217 - Love Is Like Rain/Your Money Don't Mean A Thing 1947
4226 - Lollipop Mama/Blow Your Brains Out - 1947
4252 - Bite Again Bite Again/Blowin' To California - 1947
4276 - I Feel That Old Age Coming On/Grandma Plays The Numbers - 1948
4292 - Drinkin' Wine Spo Dee O Dee/She Just Won't Sell No More - 1949
4304 - All She Wants To Do Is Rock/I Want My Fanny Brown - 1949
4330 - Sittin' On It All The Time/Baby Shame On You - 1950
4342 - I Like My Baby's Pudding/I Can't Take It No More - 1950
4378 - Good Morning Judge/Stormy Night Blues - 1950
4389 - Be Mine My Love/Rock Mr. Blues - 1950
4402 - I Want To Love You Baby/Mr. Blues Is Coming To Town - 1950
4415 - Put It Back/Triflin’ Woman - 1950
4445 - I Believe I'll Fall In Love/A Love Untrue - 1951
4448 - Just Like Two Drops Of Water/Tremblin' - 1951
4461 - Bloodshot Eyes/Confessin' The Blues - 1951
4468 - I'll Never Give Up/Man Have I Got Troubles - 1951
4485 - Lovin' Machine/Luscious Woman - 1951
4507 - My Playful Baby's Gone/Here Comes The Night - 1952
4526 - Keep On Churnin'/Married Women Stay Married - 1952
4555 - Do It Again Please/Night Train - 1952
4565 - Drinking Blues/Adam Come And Get Your Rib - 1952
4592 - Greyhound/Rot Gut - 1953
4593 - Bad News Baby (There'll Be No Rockin' Tonight)/Bring It Back - 1953
4620 - Mama Your Daughter Done Lied On Me/Wasn't That Good - 1953
4635 - Song Of The Bayou/The Deacon Doesn't Like It - 1953
4662 - Tremblin'/Rot Gut - 1953
4668 - Please Louise/Nearer My Love To Thee - 1953
4685 - Down Boy Down/Quiet Whiskey - 1953
4716 - Shake That Thing/Keep A-Talking - 1954
4724 - I Get A Thrill/Don't Take My Whiskey Away From Me - 1954
4763 - All She Wants To Do Is Mambo/Christina - 1955
4774 - Good Mambo Tonight/Git To Gittin' Baby - 1955
4789 - Fishtail Blues/Mr. Dollar - 1955
4814 - Drinkin' Sherry Wine/Get With The Grits - 1955
4826 - Wine, Wine, Sweet Wine/Man's Best Friend - 1955
4839 - Shot Gun Wedding/I Don't Know Where To Go - 1955
4852 - Good Morning Judge/Bloodshot Eyes - 1955
Atco
6081 - Destination Love/Tell A Whale Of A Tale - 1956
King
5050 - That’s Me Right Now/Big Old Country Fool – 1957
5073 - A Tale of Woe/No Substitute for Love - 1957
Roulette
4291 - Bloodshot Eyes/Sweet Lucy Brown - 1960
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