Topic: Death of a Blues Shouter

[Bunker Hill]

What follows is the longest of only three obituaries accorded to Wynonie Harris published in the British Melody Maker (August 16, 1969, p. 16). Twenty-six years later somebody managed to write a 179 page biography (Rock Mr. Blues: The Life and Music of Wynonie Harris) inspired by Jonas Bernholm's initial research attempts published in the gatefold sleeves of three LP reissues on the Route 66 label in 1977, 1982 and 1987. But I digress...to the obituary:

Death of a Blues Shouter
By Max Jones

TITLES like "Good Mornin' Judge," "Lovin' Machine," "Bloodshot Eyes," "Keep On Churnin"' and "All She Wants To Do Is Rock" may not ring a bell with many British blues or jazz buffs today.

But they did in the early Fifties when a sharp-looking singer named Wynonie Harris was enjoying what you might call a vogue on Vogue

These, and quite a few more, sold briskly on the Vogue label at that time, when the jazz form of R&B was enjoying a degree of commercial success.

After a while Wynonie, who used to be billed as "Mr Blues," faded from the record scene ? an unjust fate in view of his many engaging qualities.

Not a lot had been heard of him this year. Then Freddie King told me recently that Harris was seriously ill out on the West Coast, unlikely to work again.

Now comes news that the singer has died in Los Angeles at the age of 54.

It seems odd, in view of the shortage of good band blues vocalists, that more was not done with Wynonie. He never made it to this country although he should have proved popular with the audiences that welcomed Jimmy Rushing, Joe Turner and Jimmy Witherspoon.

For this is the kind of strong singer he was ? a man who handled blues and jazz material in a jazz context.

Wynonie sang blues often, but in a lumping, exuberant way which had much to do with Turner and the swing school of blues belters, also something to do with Louis Jordan's R&B approach and the style of a variety of jazz singers.

Listening to "Do It Again Please" on Vogue EP (no longer available), with its Basie-like feel to the band backing, I was reminded of Louis Prima by the high, slightly raspy sound of Wynonie's singing. Even T-Bone may be in the mix.

Elsewhere, and particularly on the "Battle Of The Blues" track on Liberty's "Blues Uptown" LP, where Harris and Turner share the stage, the jauntiness and thrust of his blues delivery are similar to Big Joe's.

Charles Keil, in his Urban Blues book, writes of the influence of the Western bands and of Kansas City on modern blues developments.

"Other singers like Cleanhead Vinson, Jimmy Witherspoon, Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris, Arbee Stidham ? carriers of the Kansas City shouting tradition ? were also appearing in the South and Midwest.

"Many of these men had records that sold more than a million copies to an almost entirely Negro market ? a market that came to be known as rhythm-and-blues."

Wynonie's "Bloodshot Eyes," which isn't a blues, was that type of hit.

Harris's early life has not been written up much. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, it seems, and started in music as a drummer. He then became a dancer, according to Hugues Panassie, "and finally, about 1940, a blues singer."

He first became known as a vocalist with Lucky Millinder's band, with which he recorded in 1944. By the next year, he was working as a single and recording in Hollywood under his own name.

With the Johnny Otis band he cut a two sided "Around The Clock Blues," with Howard McGhee on trumpet. Still on '45 he made "Wynonie's Blues" accompanied by Illinois Jacquet's All Stars (including Charlie Mingus and Bill Doggett) also a raft of sides with Jack McVea's band, Oscar Pettiford's and others.

Harris liked singing with jazz musicians, with bands that jumped. He was a rousing, humorous, slick sort of performer who shouted his lyrics ? which grew increasingly salty during these years?-with an infectiously lusty spirit.

His real success started when he began, in '47, a series of records for King, fronting bands which included such men as Dexter Gordon, Clyde Bernhardt, Lips Page, Cat Anderson, Joe Wilder and Milt Buckner.

Like Turner, 'Spoon, Rushing and a few more big-band bluesmen, Wynonie was a stylist ? a personality who performed in front of a band and left the instrumental support in other hands

Marshall Stearns wrote this about him in his Story Of Jazz: "In 1953, when the blues shouter Wynonie Harris played the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, he had a tenor saxophonist honking responses that would curdle the blood of a lesser man."

We heard some of these monster tenors on his records. They were part and parcel of the uninhibited brand of blues sold by Harris. But on another record he might have Joe Newman, or some such jazz expert, responding to his vocal interpretation.

On the "Battle" track mentioned already, Harris and Turner sing over a formidable 1947 band accompaniment (unhappily it is poorly recorded) which shows as the sleeve note points out, "not a little influence from the bop idiom."

The most recent report I read of "Mr Blues" was Pete Lowry's in Blues Unlimited No. 58. Wynonie was back at the Apollo.

This was late last year, and the writer's verdict was: "Here is a singer of fine talent and humour, possessing a great voice, hoarse but powerful?and when was HE last in a studio? "

When indeed. It?s a pity that powerful jazz voices have gone out of fashion.

[mississippijohnhurt1928]

Very interesting. I always found it ironic that Wynonie died of throat cancer.

[Slack]

Thanks for posting this Bunker -- I was introduced to Wynonie (great name) by buying many of Rhinos' "Blues Masters" series, well, the early ones anyway.  I'm a big fan.  Great article and title: "Death of a Blues Shouter" - you gotta love English reviewers for their language art. 

"Harris liked singing with jazz musicians, with bands that jumped. He was a rousing, humorous, slick sort of performer who shouted his lyrics ? which grew increasingly salty during these years?-with an infectiously lusty spirit."

My hero ... and I had to go put on "Good Rockin' Tonight"

[Bunker Hill]

Great article and title: "Death of a Blues Shouter" - you gotta love English reviewers for their language art. 

"Harris liked singing with jazz musicians, with bands that jumped. He was a rousing, humorous, slick sort of performer who shouted his lyrics ? which grew increasingly salty during these years?-with an infectiously lusty spirit."

The writer was a blues/jazz voice in a pop wilderness. The MM started out life in 1926 as a big band/jazz weekly. By late 50s most of that focus had been replaced by rock and roll and in 60s Max Jones was the last of the "40s jazz staffers" who somehow managed to keep his blues page through all the changes in pop music (Mersey beat, punk, new wave etc etc). He retired in 1982 and died 1993 (76). The MM met its own end in December 2000.

I'm running off at the mouth as usual. Who said, "you're telling us"? 

[Stuart]

I received the Daedalus Music catalog in the mail today. They're offering the four CD Proper Records Wynonie Harris collection,"Rockin' The Blues," for $9.98 (item code: 69001). There's a ton of interesting music on sale: Blues, Jazz, R&B, Classical, Country, World, etc. It  might be worth a visit to their website to peruse the offerings.

http://www.daedalusbooks.com/Products/?Media=Music