The average rock 'n' roll fan probably has no idea who Wy-no-nie Harris is. But the bluesman got the proper respect in his home state, where he's known as an early influence on popular music.
Harris was inducted into the Nebraska Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in a weekend ceremony in Omaha.Jerry Phillips, son of Sun Records mogul Sam Phillips, said Harris was one of a handful of black artists who helped shape modern rock 'n' roll.
"My dad feels he was able to help black artists open doors, and the black influence (in rock) can't be denied," Jerry Phillips said.
One of Elvis Presley's early hits was a Harris tune - "Good Rockin' Tonight." Harris himself - nicknamed "Mr. Blues" - is credited with the 1940s hits "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well" and "Hurry Hurry."
Harris, born in Omaha in 1920, died of throat cancer in 1969.
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