Wilbert Harrison

Wilbert Harrison struck casual oldies listeners as little more than a two-hit artist thanks to the 1959 chart-topping “Kansas City” and the 1969 feel-good single “Let’s Work Together,” yet he actually assembled a wide-ranging catalog that fused an unusual mix of styles into a sound all his own.

Growing up in North Carolina, Harrison absorbed country and gospel influences early on. After his Navy discharge, he settled in Miami around 1950 and began working in a calypso-inflected approach. Local businessman Henry Stone placed him on the Rockin’ imprint in 1953; the first release, “This Woman of Mine,” carried the same melody that would later define his version of “Kansas City,” a composition first recorded by pianist Little Willie Littlefield in 1952. The B-side, the country-flavored “Letter Edged in Black,” underscored Harrison’s wide-ranging tastes.

Relocating to Newark, New Jersey, Harrison one day passed the Savoy Records offices and was promptly signed by producer Fred Mendelsohn. His Savoy tenure opened with a lively reading of Terry Fell’s country number “Don’t Drop It.” High-caliber New York players—arranger Leroy Kirkland, saxophonist Buddy Lucas, and guitarists Mickey Baker and Kenny Burrell—supported the 1954–1956 sessions, though none yielded hits.

Everything shifted in 1959 when Harrison cut the forceful “Kansas City” for Harlem promoter Bobby Robinson. A stinging guitar break by Wild Jimmy Spruill drove Harrison’s spare piano and intense vocal, sending the track to the top of both the R&B and pop lists soon after its Fury Records release, all from a $40 session. A lingering Savoy contract with Herman Lubinsky triggered lengthy legal disputes that Robinson ultimately won, yet the delays drained momentum from subsequent Fury singles such as “Cheatin’ Baby,” the follow-up “Goodbye Kansas City,” and “Let’s Stick Together.”

Harrison drifted through Neptune, Doc, Constellation, Port, and Vest without notable success until 1969, when an infectious remake of his own 1962 “Let’s Stick Together” appeared as “Let’s Work Together” on Juggy Murray’s Sue label and revived his career. The number quickly became a favorite for covers—Canned Heat recorded it soon afterward, while Bryan Ferry later offered his take on the original “Let’s Stick Together.” The resurgence proved short-lived; aside from the low-charting “My Heart Is Yours” on SSS International in 1971, further hits eluded him. Harrison nevertheless kept performing for years afterward, occasionally appearing as a one-man band.