Jump Mr Blues

There was no one like Wynonie Harris during his lifetime and there's been no one like him since his demise. Wynonie was more of everything, more of a blues singer, more of a personality, more of a self-publicist, more of a womaniser. He devoured life in man-sized chunks and spat out the bits he didn't need. He began as a dancer then worked as an MC at clubs in his home town of Omaha, Nebraska. With Jimmy Rushing and 'Big' Joe Turner as his models, he became an exuberant blues singer. He joined Lucky Millinder's band in 1944 and had his first R&B No.1 with 'Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well'. 'Good Rockin' Tonight' and 'All She Wants To Do Is Rock' also made No.1, and a string of hits, including 'Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee', 'Sittin' On It All The Time', 'Grandma Plays The Numbers', 'I Like My Baby's Pudding', 'Bloodshot Eyes' and 'Lovin' Machine', reflected his popularity during the late 1940s and early 1950s.Moving to the West Coast, Harris recorded for a number of independent labels, including Apollo, Aladdin and Hamp-Tone, as well as the Nashville-based Bullet, before joining King in December 1947 and cutting 'Good Rockin' Tonight' at his first sessions. His raucous, sexually explicit repertoire struck a chord with audiences, who watched his outrageous stage act at the concert tours that became a constant in his life. Off-stage he was just as uncompromising, surrounding himself with compliant females, despite being married with a daughter. Drink flowed and morals collapsed with relentless regularity. Artists and audiences alike identified him as a force of nature prepared to ignore society's rules. Harris's career ended with the arrival of the 1960s. Music had moved on and he was suffering the consequences of the life he'd led. Nevertheless, a remake of 'Bloodshot Eyes' for Roulette in 1960 revealed an undiminished talent. The strength of that talent to sing and entertain is captured to full effect in these 50 tracks.