The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 596

Number 596

Wilbert Harrison

"Kansas City"

(1959)
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Genre:Blues

Why are the "blues" such an underated genre? Ever since 1955, Rock and Roll has featured many so called "stronger" genres like Rock, Pop, Rap and Disco, yet the Blues seem to be second class American pop culture. I don't know about you, but i always felt that the Blues was responsible for "Rock n Roll's" progression. Elvis, the Beatles and Rolling Stones were all influenced by the legendry Blues by the likes of Chuck Berry's, Little Richard's, Fats Domino, BB King's and maybe even the "Wilbert Harrison's" of the time. I can only come to one conclusion, that the Blues were a fad, just like, say, Disco was and the simple fact .... people dont care about the Blues anymore. I just find that a shame. (Now where did i leave me original Fleetwood Mac albums?)
01.05.29 to 26.10.94

Perceived by casual oldies fans as a two-hit wonder (his 1959 chart-topper "Kansas City" and a heartwarming "Let's Work Together" a full decade later), Wilbert Harrison actually left behind a varied body of work that blended an intriguing melange of musical idioms into something quite distinctive.
Country and gospel strains filtered into Wilbert Harrison's consciousness as a youth in North Carolina. When he got out of the Navy in Miami around 1950, he began performing in a calypso-based style. Miami entrepreneur Henry Stone signed Harrison to his Rockin' logo in 1953; his debut single, "This Woman of Mine," utilized the very same melody as his later reading of "Kansas City" (the first rendition of the Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller composition by pianist Little Willie Littlefield came out in 1952, doubtless making an impression). Its flip, a country-tinged "Letter Edged in Black," exhibited Harrison's eclectic mindset.

After moving to Newark, NJ, Harrison wandered by the headquarters of Savoy Records one fortuitous day and was snapped up by producer Fred Mendelsohn. Harrison recorded several sessions for Savoy, beginning with a catchy cover of Terry Fell's country tune "Don't Drop It." Top New York sessioneers -- arranger Leroy Kirkland, saxist Buddy Lucas and guitarists Mickey Baker and Kenny Burrell -- backed Harrison on his 1954-56 Savoy output, but hits weren't forthcoming. That changed instantly when Harrison waxed his driving "Kansas City" for Harlem entrepreneur Bobby Robinson in 1959. With a barbed-wire guitar solo by Wild Jimmy Spruill igniting Harrison's no-frills piano and clenched vocal, "Kansas City" paced both the R&B and pop charts soon after its issue on Fury Records (not bad for a $40 session). Only one minor problem: Harrison was still technically under contract to Savoy (though label head Herman Lubinsky had literally run him out of his office some years earlier!), leading to all sorts of legal wrangles that finally went Robinson's way. Momentum for any Fury follow-ups had been fatally blunted in the interim, despite fine attempts with "Cheatin' Baby," the sequel "Goodbye Kansas City," and the original "Let's Stick Together."

Harrison bounced from Neptune to Doc to Constellation to Port to Vest with little in the way of tangible rewards before unexpectedly making a comeback in 1969 with his infectious "Let's Work Together" for Juggy Murray's Sue imprint. The two-part single proved a popular cover item -- Canned Heat revived it shortly thereafter, and Bryan Ferry chimed in with his treatment later on. Alas, it was an isolated happenstance -- apart from "My Heart Is Yours," a bottom-end chart entry on SSS International in 1971, no more hits were in Wilbert's future. But Harrison soldiered on, sometimes as a one-man band, for years to come. ~ Bill Dahl, [All Music Guide]

Side Note

Harrison died in 1994 in a Spencer, North Carolina nursing home at the age of 65. In 2001, his recording of "Kansas City" was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. His recording has also been named as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
For Elvis Presley see Number 840
For The Beatles see Number 947 & Number 894

For The Rolling Stones see Number 767 & Number 689

For Chuck Berry see Number 783

For Canned Heat see Number 937

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Im sure he was very quaint) and the Album ranked at Number (Beatles recorded this song? Didn't they?)

This song has a crowbarred rating of 72.2 out of 108