• Bear Family Records® dedicates a CD album to 'Mr. Blues' full of allusions to his themes of the time - alcohol, women, gambling dens - in the »Rocks« series.

• Fantastic original rhythm 'n' blues from the late 1940s and early ›50s, created at King Studios in Cincinnati.

• Classics of the genre such as »Good Rockin' Tonight«, »Lollipop Mama« or the mischievous »Good Morning Judge« – Harris created some of the best R&B hits ever.

• Accompanied by a squad of the best musicians of his era, including Red Prysock, Wynonie Harris rocks wildly on this excellent compilation by Nico Feuerbach.

• The liner notes by our Chicago rock expert Bill Dahl shed light on the background of rhythm'n'blues and the life story of ›Mr. Blues‹.

• Meticulously remastered recordings and, according to the Bear Family standard, many illustrations and photos in the extensive booklet.

Of all the seasoned blues shouters who formed a crucial basis for the rise of rock 'n' roll with their rough vocals in front of saxophone-dominated jump combos, none embodied this role as enthusiastically as Wynonie Harris. ›Mr. Blues‹, as he was known from coast to coast, portrayed a world he knew well, full of alcohol, women, gambling, and all sorts of sordid affairs that resonated with his huge fan base in the late 1940s and early '50s.

Wynonie's rousing hits for Syd Nathan's King Records of Cincinnati provide many of the highlights on "Wynonie Harris Rocks," led by his '48 number one R&B hit Good Rockin' Tonight and his equally scorching songs "Lollipop Mama," "All She Wants To Do Is Rock," "I Want My Fanny Brown," "Sittin' On It All The Time," "Good Morning Judge," and "Bloodshot Eyes." No less strong were Wynonie's mighty house rockers "Quiet Whiskey," "Bite Again, Bite Again," "Shake That Thing," "Git With The Grits," and the aptly titled rock Mr. Blues. And that's exactly what Mr. Blues does in this non-stop collection: he rocks like crazy, supported by high-profile musicians such as tenor saxophonists Hal "Cornbread" Singer, Tom Archia, Johnny Griffin and Red Prysock.

Harris's slightly hoarse, often lascivious vocals were as distinctive as they were recognizable; without Wynonie and his leather-clad comrades-in-arms (let's not forget that Elvis covered Good Rockin' Tonight as a Sun single, which illustrates Harris' influence; Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, Carl Perkins and James Brown later also recorded versions) rock and roll might never have existed!

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