Wynonie Harris
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| (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) |
Omaha, Nebraska’s Blues Shouter/R&B Singer Wynonie Harris is generally considered one of Rock ‘n Roll’s forerunners, influencing, well, just about every Blues/R&B based rocker in the world!
Wynonie started his career when, with his partner Velda Shannon, he formed a dance team in the early 1930s—by 1934 they were a regular attraction at The Ritz Theater… It wasn’t until 1935, though, when he started singing The Blues, that he began making his living as an entertainer and Harris became a local celebrity in Omaha during the depths of the Great Depression...
He really came into his own in Los Angeles when he became known as “Mr. Blues” in the L.A. nightclubs…But, due to the musicians’ strike of 1942-1944, he was unable to become a recording artist at that time—SO HE PERFORMED LIVE CONTINUOUSLY!
In 1943, while performing at the Rhumboogie Club in Chicago, he hooked up with Lucky Millinder...
…He was a member of Millinder’s band by March of 1944…
On April 7, 1944 he debuted with Millinder at THE APOLLO THEATER in Harlem and, for the first time, performed “Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well”
Millinder had a regular “residency” gig at
Harlem’s SAVOY CLUB
and Harris was a part of
that act, as well as with
the touring band…
In September of 1945, Harris was, or at least felt that he was, the major draw for the band. During a gig in San Antonio, Texas, Wynonie quit the band over financial disputes...
—He wanted more money! ( Bull Moose Jackson replaced Harris as the vocalist in the band)...
Wynonie moved onto Syd Nathan’s King label where, during the late 40s and early 50s, he scored a series of US R&B Chart hits:
Good Rocking Tonight
Good Morning Judge
All She Wants To Do Is Rock
Wynonie had a great success with his cover of Hank Penny's “Bloodshot Eyes”
NOTE: In 1946, Harris recorded two singles with pianist Herman "Sonny" Blount, who later earned fame as the eclectic jazz composer and bandleader Sun Ra...
Times got tough over the years for Wynonie and his poor grasp of financial matters had him in poor fiscal shape through most of the late 1950s and up into the mid 1960s…
His last major gig was in November of 1967-- right back where he’d had his first, at THE APOLLO--He shared the bill with:
Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner
- When Wynonie found out he was dying, he called all his friends together for one last party…
On June 14, 1969, aged 53, Harris died of esophageal cancer at the USC Medical Center Hospital in Los Angeles, California, USA…
R.I.P. MR. BLUES
- 1994: Inducted into the W.C. Handy Blues Hall of Fame by the Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee.
- 1998: Inducted into the Nebraska Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in Lincoln.
- 2000: Inducted into the High School Hall of Fame at Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska.
- 2005: Inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame.
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