Wee Willie Harris
| Wee Willie Harris | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Charles William Harris |
| Born |
25 March 1933 Bermondsey, London, England |
| Genres | Rock and roll, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Labels | Decca, HMV, Polydor, Parlophone, and others |
Wee Willie Harris (born Charles William Harris, 25 March 1933, Bermondsey, London) is an English rock and roll singer. He is best known for his energetic stage shows and TV performances since the 1950s, when he was known as "Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll".
Harris left his job at a Peek Freans bakery in London to start his music career. He began performing at The 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, where he was the resident piano player, performing with Tommy Steele, Adam Faith, Screaming Lord Sutch and others. He was named for his 5' 2" height. In November 1957 he was picked by the TV producer, Jack Good, to appear in the BBC show Six-Five Special. His appearances on the show led to concerns being expressed in the media about the BBC's role in "promoting teenage decadence". His debut single, "Rockin' At the 2 I's", was released on the Decca label in December 1957, and was followed by several others, although none reached the UK Singles Chart.
He became a popular performer on TV shows and in live performances, and was known for his unrelenting energy, multicoloured dyed hair (often green, orange or pink), and clothes including "larger-than-life stage jackets that looked like the coat hanger was still inside, tight drainpipe trousers, and a huge polka-dot bow tie". Another critic wrote that: "He gyrates like an exploding Catherine wheel, emitting growls, squeals and what sounds like severe hiccupping".Paul McCartney and John Lennon reportedly queued for his autograph when he played in Liverpool in 1958.
In May 1960 he joined a tour of the UK featuring Conway Twitty, Freddy Cannon and Johnny Preston. He continued to record in the 1960s, for HMV, Polydor and Parlophone, and continued to perform in the UK as well as in Israel, Spain and elsewhere, and on cruise ships.
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