Wilbert Harrison (January 5, 1929 – October 26, 1994) was an American singe… Read Full Bio ↴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.
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.
Stagger Lee
Wilbert Harrison Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Stagger Lee' by these artists:
Bill Haley The night was clear and the moon was yellow And…
Bill Wyman's Bootleg Kings When he night was clear and the moon was yellow And…
Bobby Rydell The night was clear and the moon was yellow And the…
Dion The night was clear, and the moon was yellow And the…
Dirty Three and Nick Cave It was back in '32 when times were hard He had…
Eric Clapton/Wynton Marsalis The night was clear And the moon was yellow And the leaves…
Fats And His Cats I was standin' on the corner When I heard my bull…
Good Golly! It's Mr. Nick! It was back in '32 when times were hard He had…
Grateful Dead 1948, Xmas eve, with a full moon over town Stagger Lee…
James Brown The night was clear and the moon was yellow And the…
Jamie Oldaker The night was clear And the moon was yellow And the leaves…
Johnny Rivers The night was clear and the moon was yellow And…
Lloyd Price The night was clear And the moon was yellow And the leaves…
Marvin & Johnny The night was clear and the moon was yellow And…
Mel & Tim It was over a hundred years ago in eighteen sixty-one It…
Modern Life Is War My name is Stagger Lee. And I'm walking through the ice…
Molly O'Brien; Tim O'Brien It was over a hundred years ago in eighteen sixty-one It…
Neil Diamond The night was clear and the moon was yellow And the…
Neil Sedaka The night was clear and the moon was yellow And…
Nick Cave It was back in thirty-two, when times were hard He had…
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds It was back in '32 when times were hard He had…
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds It was back in '32 when times were hard He had…
Nick Cave and The Bad SeedsNick Cave & The Bad Seeds It was back in '32 when times were hard He had…
P J Proby I was standin on the corner When I heard my bull…
P.J. Proby I was standin on the corner When I heard my bull…
Phil Lesh Ft. John Scofield 1948, Xmas eve, with a full moon over town Stagger Lee…
Price Lloyd The night was clear And the moon was yellow And the leaves…
Professor Longhair (intro) The night was clear, and the moon was yellow …
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (L. Price/H. Logan) The night was clear and the moon was…
Taj Mahal The night was clear and the moon was yellow And the…
Taj Mahal & the Hula Blues The night was clear And the moon was yellow And the leaves C…
The Bad Seeds Nick Cave & It was back in '32 when times were hard He had…
The Blue Aeroplanes Stagger Lee was a bad man and everybody know He toted…
The Fabulous Thunderbirds I was standin' on the corner When I heard my bull…
The V.I.P.'s I was standin on the corner When I heard my bull…
The Youngbloods The night was dark and the moon was yellow And the…
Tim & Mollie O'Brien It was over a hundred years ago in eighteen sixty-one It…
Tommy Roe The night was clear and the moon was yellow And the…
V.I.P.'s The I was standin on the corner When I heard my bull…
Wilson Pickett The night was clear and the moon was yellow And the…
Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Feat. Taj Mahal The night was clear And the moon was yellow And the leaves C…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Wilbert Harrison:
1960 Far between sundown′s finish and midnight's broken toll We d…
Blue Monday Blue Monday, how I hate blue Monday Got me workin'…
Goodbye Kansas City I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come I'm…
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%E2%80%99s Work Together Together we will stand Divided we'll fall Come on now people…
Let's Stick Together Together we will stand Divided we'll fall Come on now people…
Let's Stick Together Let's Work 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 Stick Together And now, the marriage vow is very sacred The man put…
Lets Work Together Together we will stand Divided we'll fall Come on now people…
Let’s Stick Together Together we'll 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…
Louie Louie Louie Louie, oh no Me gotta go Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said Louie Lo…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@stevenbfairbanks
Look at this smooth as silk dude playing a bad ass piano with such calm smooth debonairre sass!
@TheGraveyardDog
I am almost ashamed to say that this is my first deep dive into Wilbert Harrison’s music; I have been extremely impressed by simply a single track for over 30 years, but until tonight I never heard more. I only wish I knew what I had been missing all this time. I am most impressed by not only by his depth, but also how easy he makes it look; almost like he’s on the verge of bored with it, but engaged enough with the audience to keep them looking for more. I absolutely adore this video!
@evelynclark3926
Look up Stagger Lee
@modelbass
Amazing singer, musician, and writer. Legendary Blues man that deserves more accolades...
@JBlingBling03
I have heard this song so many times and never knew who sang it or anything about Mr. Harrison. I’m so impressed with his cool demeanor, while playing these two wonderful songs. so happy that YouTube exist and we get to see. The people who have contributed greatly to music.
@elvismylove48
🥰
I always loved this song
This recording gives it justice.❤
@ccfliege
and he's playing it in C# which is pretty hard to boogie. Sad that there aren't more recordings of him
@georgemusic4all4seasons
Oh this was great, one of my dads favorite songs, thanks for posting.
@dynjarren8355
He was cool like Nat King Cole! I always liked this song! A big hit that makes me want to go to KC! And find a crazy little woman there!
Cool song!
Good Hair, too! 👏🏻😊
@imnokid1
Love the ciggie burning in the ashtray!