On This Day in 2023, We Lost the “Wild Man” of Rock and Roll, Whom The Beatles Were Huge Fans of in Their Youth

Before there were The Beatles, there was another rock icon in Great Britain. And he had a name that no one could forget. Wee Willie Harris was a rock and roll singer who primarily saw success in his native England from the mid-1950s well through the 2010s. In fact, he was active in music right up until his death. Harris passed away on this very day, April 27, 2023, at the age of 90.

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Let’s celebrate the rock and roll icon by looking back at his career… and his unsurprising connection to the Fab Four.

Wee Willie Harris Was “Britain’s Wild Man of Rock ‘N’ Roll”

Wee Willie Harris, also known as Charles William Harris, was born on March 25, 1933, in London, England. He previously worked as a baker before launching his music career in the 1950s. He often performed at The 2i’s Coffee Bar in London as a pianist. There, he performed with the likes of Screaming Lord Sutch and Tommy Steele. In 1957, he appeared on the BBC’s Six-Five Special, and ruffled a few conservative feathers with his on-stage antics. Many believed that he would promote “teenage decadence.”

After that performance, his debut single, “Rockin’ At The 2 I’s”, dropped via Decca Records in 1957. None of his singles reached the UK Singles chart. But he did gain fame as a television and live show performer. He was known for his short height at 5 feet 2 inches, which led to his stage name, which was also a reference to Little Richard. Harris was also known for his brightly colored hair (often pink, sometimes green or orange) and flashy costumes.

Harris also had a connection to The Beatles. Paul McCartney and John Lennon allegedly were in line to get Harris’ autograph in Liverpool after a concert in 1958, years before The Beatles became famous.

In the 1960s, Wee Willie Harris toured with the likes of Conway Twitty and Johnny Preston. He continued to release music in the 1960s and performed nationally and internationally. In the 1970s, Harris came back into the public eye as a nostalgia act after singer Ian Dury namedropped him in the song “Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3”. In response, Harris dedicated an album to Dury, titled Twenty Reasons To Be Cheerful. Harris gained further cult fame when his early records were released on CD in 1999. 

Wee Willie Harris passed away on April 27, 2023, at the age of 90. Among British fans of rock and roll, he’ll likely never be forgotten.

Photo by Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images