All She Wants to do is Rock

You’re listening to Wynonie “Mr. Blues” Harris’ 1949 chart-topping single, “All She Wants to do is Rock.” And, you’re on the Sound Beat

Harris dropped out of Creighton University in his hometown of Omaha to join a travelling revue. By 1940, he had relocated to LA and became a nightclub favorite, performing with the leading orchestras of the day, including Cab Calloway and Lionel Hampton. After recording for a series of labels in the late 40s, Harris joined King Records, which released this tune, the most successful of his solo career and his second #1 record.

And who says bluesmen aren’t poets? The second line, “stop all the clocks,” is said to be an homage to W.H. Auden’s 1936 poem of the same name, later renamed “Funeral Blues”.