Wilbert Harrison (January 5, 1929 – October 26, 1994) was an American singer, pianist, guitarist, and harmonica player. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, the soul and rnb artist influenced numerous musicians during his mutli-decade career and also played a role in the evolution of rock n roll music. Harrison's best known for having a Billboard #1 record in 1959 with the song "Kansas City", the track still picking up widespread airplay for years and years. Read Full BioWilbert Harrison (January 5, 1929 – October 26, 1994) was an American singer, pianist, guitarist, and harmonica player. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, the soul and rnb artist influenced numerous musicians during his mutli-decade career and also played a role in the evolution of rock n roll music. Harrison's best known for having a Billboard #1 record in 1959 with the song "Kansas City", the track still picking up widespread airplay for years and years.
The song was was one of the first credited collaborations by the acclaimed musical team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the men writing it back in 1952. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. Harrison sang "Kansas City" for the Harlem based entrepreneur Bobby Robinson, and he recorded additional singles for the Fire and Fury record labels, which were owned and operated by Robinson.
After this spike of widespread success, Harrison continued to perform and record, exciting his many fans. However, it would be another ten years before he again cracked the Billboard Top 40 when he released "Let's Work Together (Part 1)", a track that went to #32 in early 1970 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 1970 hit version was distributed as a single through Sue Records (Sue 11) and was backed with "Let's Work Together (Part 2)". The full version of the tune, a five minute and ninteen second song that was included on the Sue Records album SSLP-8801, was simply called "Let's Work Together". An earlier version of the full song by Harrison came out in 1962 as "Let's Stick Together" (on Fury 1059 and Fury 1063).
A sign of Harrison's strong influence on soul music, cover versions of his song would be later be hits for both the American rock band Canned Heat and the British singer-songwriter Bryan Ferry. It was also recorded by country rock group The Kentucky Headhunters for the soundtrack to the Mickey Rourke film 'Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man'. Harrison had some additional success with "My Heart Is Yours", and his non-charting singles continued to be beloved among many American rnb fans. He toured for many years with a band known as 'Wilbert Harrison and The Roamers', as well as a solo act.
Harrison died of a stroke 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, and has also been named as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Harrison was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
The song was was one of the first credited collaborations by the acclaimed musical team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the men writing it back in 1952. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. Harrison sang "Kansas City" for the Harlem based entrepreneur Bobby Robinson, and he recorded additional singles for the Fire and Fury record labels, which were owned and operated by Robinson.
After this spike of widespread success, Harrison continued to perform and record, exciting his many fans. However, it would be another ten years before he again cracked the Billboard Top 40 when he released "Let's Work Together (Part 1)", a track that went to #32 in early 1970 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 1970 hit version was distributed as a single through Sue Records (Sue 11) and was backed with "Let's Work Together (Part 2)". The full version of the tune, a five minute and ninteen second song that was included on the Sue Records album SSLP-8801, was simply called "Let's Work Together". An earlier version of the full song by Harrison came out in 1962 as "Let's Stick Together" (on Fury 1059 and Fury 1063).
A sign of Harrison's strong influence on soul music, cover versions of his song would be later be hits for both the American rock band Canned Heat and the British singer-songwriter Bryan Ferry. It was also recorded by country rock group The Kentucky Headhunters for the soundtrack to the Mickey Rourke film 'Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man'. Harrison had some additional success with "My Heart Is Yours", and his non-charting singles continued to be beloved among many American rnb fans. He toured for many years with a band known as 'Wilbert Harrison and The Roamers', as well as a solo act.
Harrison died of a stroke 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, and has also been named as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Harrison was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
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Goodbye Kansas City
Wilbert Harrison Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Goodbye Kansas City' by these artists:
Wilbert Harrison I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come I'm…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Wilbert Harrison:
Blue Monday Blue Monday, how I hate blue Monday Got me workin'…
Kansas City I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come I'm…
Kansas City Twist I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come I'm…
Let's Stick Together Together we will stand Divided we'll fall Come on now people…
Let's Work Together Together we will stand Divided we'll fall Come on now people…
Let's Work Together Parts 1 & 2 Together we'll stand Divided we'll fall Come on now people…
Lets Work Together Together we will stand Divided we'll fall Come on now peop…
Let’s Stick Together Together we'll stand Divided we'll fall Come on now people…
Louie Louie Louie Louie, oh no Me gotta go Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said Louie Lo…
The lyrics can frequently be found in the comments below, by filtering for lyric videos or browsing the comments in the different videos below.
Ewe Doob
Unbelievable, this guy ripped off his own song.
Mike Carpenter
lol
Mou Jalout
So was this a sequel to the other song? He went to Kansas City, stayed there a while and then went back to NYC? Ha Ha! Good sound!
Roger Black
Another great rendition of the great Kansas City
imperialfreek
Richard Smith, It's a mixed blessing..to me, it's missing the bass piano notes and rhythm of the piano part which was so integral to KC disc, but it has another guitar solo by Wild Jimmy Spruill( I love Spruill)..it's an exciting find, nevertheless! Apparently there were 2 diffeent versions of this..listen to the Fury Records posting
John Rosales lll
This is real music I grew up listening to his type music old rock and roll Doo wops and and blues I got a six-year-old son that he listen to these type of songs with me this type of music will live on forever
joeycmusic
Wild Jimmy Spruill on Guitar
Daniel Stump
Wilbert Harrison -- an important musical pioneer.
Elvis Lennon
when did he do this ?
ausfan100
This is a later stereo remake of this song which mistakenly was included on a Relic CD in the early 90s. The original issued version of the song on Fury 1028 is posted elsewhere on YT and has a much closer backing to "Kansas City".