Originally a Gospel group, out of North Carolina—Who had already missed out on the charts when James Brown stole their first secular hit “Think”
They scored their own first secular hit with a tune by the name of “Baby Please Don’t Do It”
Of course, A LOTTA folks jumped on this one…
Marvin Gaye recorded it in 1965—albeit, with a LOT of changes…
The Faces, with their first “From The Beginning” album recorded it in 1967…
The Who took a shot at it in 1971!
The BANDbrought it ALMOST back to the original in ’73…
BUT, the original came from a GOSPEL group out of North Carolina in 1952!!!
The EVOLUTION OF ROCK 'n ROLL is awesome, ain't it!?
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JUNE 15: Lloyd Price hits #2 with PERSONALITY (1959),James Brown hits #18 with PRISONER OF LOVE (1963), Aretha Franklin hits #7 with THINK (1968) and The Stylistics hit #2 with YOU MAKE ME FEEL BRAND NEW (1974) as R&B rolls into Soul in
The Evolution of Rock ‘n Roll...
1959: Lloyd Price hits #2 with "Personality"
1963: James Brown hits #18 with his take on Billy Ekstine's "Prisoner of Love"
1968: Aretha Franklin hits #7 with "Think"
1974: Stylistics hit #2 with "You Make Me Feel Brand New"
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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…
Wynonie eventually made his home in Oakland, California where he tended bar...
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 Mama Thornton, Jimmy Witherspoon and T-Bone Walker…
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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Born in Detroit, “Obie”Benson (whose real first name was Renaldo) formed the group which became the legendary Motown act by the name of
The Four Tops...
It was 1954 when Obie formed the group with some of his high school buddies; namely, Levi Stubbs, Abdul (Duke) Fakir, and Lawrence Payton. Obie Benson on bass joined Duke and Payton in singing harmony behind the emotion-charged solos of Mr. Stubbs...
The four were always identically dressed, and, from the start, their act always featured crisp choreography.
Lamont Dozier
Lamont Dozier, co-writer of some of The Four Tops’ greatest hits once said, “They were the group you always aspired to be like”
Initially, though, success for The Four Aims (as they were known) was allusive. They spent nearly a decade singing in New York jazz clubs and performiong with balladeer Billy Eckstein and the Count Basie Orchestra…
The founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy, saw the Tops on The Tonight Show in 1963 and signed them to a recording contract...
A string of hits followed, beginning with "Baby, I Need Your Lovin' " in 1964...
Other hits included "Standing in the Shadows of Love"
"Bernadette"
"Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)"
The quartet stayed together for 43 years, until Mr. Payton's death in 1997. Mr. Stubbs, who suffered a series of illnesses, left the group in 2000…
“Obie” did have serious side. One afternoon in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, he was sitting with a friend, enjoying the street life. He was stunned when police descended on a crowd of hippies, pummeling them for no apparent reason, Mr. Benson recalled in a 2004 interview...
The incident was the inspiration for him to write the lyrics for what became the protest song "What's Goin' On"
Knowing the tune did not fit the Tops' upbeat style, he offered it to Marvin Gaye, who embraced it despite the initial objections of Barry Gordy, who doubted the tune would sell…
R.I.P. Obie Benson
Thank you so much for making it work!
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JUNE 13—A GREAT DAY FOR R&B…
June 13,1960: Etta James hits #2 on the R&B chart and #33 on the pop chart with "All I Could Do Was Cry"…
June 13, 1962:Carla Thomas hits #9 on the R&B chart with "I'll Bring It Home To You"…
June 13, 1964: Dionne Warwick hits #6 with "Walk On By”…
June 13, 1964: Solomon Burke hits #33 with "Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)"…
June 13, 1965: I Can't Help Myself (The Four Tops) was a hit…
INDEED, A GREAT DAY FOR R&B...
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Originally a Gospel group, out of North Carolina—Who had already missed out on the charts when James Brown stole their first secular hit “Think”
