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Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll — Wynonie Harris: The Man Who Shook Down The Devil

Nick Tosches, Creem, August 1979

WE KNOW that rock 'n' roll, like panty hose and the sea, was not a human invention; that it was the work of the Holy Ghost. When, in an article called "Women Won't Leave Me Alone," published in the October, 1954, issue of Tan, Wynonie Harris bragged that he "started the present vogue of 'rocking' blues tunes," he failed to mention the Holy Ghost, who had chosen Harris — as he had earlier chosen the Virgin Mary, Blackbeard, and Aldo Ray's Mom — to serve him in his work. But Wynonie Harris was like that. Not even the Holy Ghost Hisself was safe from the unmoving sword of his arrogance.

Total word count of piece: 1054

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