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 No
blues shouter embodied the rollicking good times that he sang of quite like
Wynonie Harris. "Mr. Blues," as he was not-so-humbly known, joyously
related risque tales of sex, booze, and endless parties with swinging songs
with suggestive lyrics and double entendres in his trademark raspy voice
over some of the jumpingest horn-powered combos of the postwar era.
Originally from
Omaha, Nebraska, Harris was a fine dancer and drummer before making his way
to Los Angeles in 1940 as he attemped to follow in the musical footsteps of
his idol, Big Joe Turner. By the mid-1940’s, Harris had established
himself not only as a fine singer, but a tremendous entertainer.
While
apprearing in Chicago, Harris caught the attention of the big band leader
Lucky Millinder and recorded his first big hit with Millinder’s orchestra in
1944, the boisterous “Who Threw the
Whiskey in the Well?”. By 1945, Harris had left Millinder’s
organization and was poised for success.
From 1946 to
1952 he scored a string of hit records that filled the juke boxes. Many of
his hits were recorded at King Records in Cincinnati, OH. His 1948
recording of “Good Rockin’ Tonight” is considered a classic of the
Jump Blues musical genre, although Harris originally turned down the song
from another jump blues artist, Roy Brown, and didn’t cover the song until
it had become a minor hit for Brown. Featuring a wailing tenor sax and a
rocking backbeat, Harris’ version of “Good Rockin’ Tonight” was exceeding
influential as a blueprint for many future rock and roll artists, and was
covered by many of the early rock and rollers (to include Elvis Presley and
Jerry Lee Lewis).
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