Thurston Harris
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Thurston Harris (born Thurston Theodore Harris [1], 11 July 1931, Indianapolis, Indiana [2] — died 14 April 1990, Pomona, California [3]) was a male American singer, briefly popular in the early to mid 1950s.
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[edit] Career
Harris first appeared on record as the featured vocalist with The Lamplighters in 1953. Indeed, he recorded with the Lamplighters, one of the many groups on the early R&B scene in South Central Los Angeles, throughout the early 1950s. The group later evolved into The Tenderfoots, then The Sharps.
He is widely regarded as a one-hit wonder, who popularized the song "Little Bitty Pretty One", written by Bobby Day, and sang by Harris in 1957. It reached #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Much later, the song appeared on the soundtracks to films or television dramas, such as Telling Lies in America, Lipstick on Your Collar, and Christine.
In 1958, Harris scored a Top 20 R&B hit with "Do What You Did," but he failed to have any chart success afterwards. His other best known song was "Runk Bunk", recorded in 1959, and released by Aladdin Records (Aladdin 3452).
[edit] Cover versions
- Frankie Lymon's highest charting solo hit was a cover of "Little Bitty Pretty One", which peaked at number 58 on the R&B charts in 1960.
- A cover of "Runk Bunk" was one of the first songs recorded by the UK pop star, Adam Faith.[4]
[edit] Death
In 1990, Harris died of a heart attack in Pomona, California, at the age of 61 [5].
[edit] Legacy
Today, "Little Bitty Pretty One" remains a popular song from the late 1950s[6].
[edit] See also
List of 1950s one-hit wonders in the United States.
[edit] References
- ^ The Dead Rock Stars Club 1990 - 1991
- ^ Thurston Harris - AOL Music
- ^ This date in musical history: April 14
- ^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd., p. 46. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ 01 - 15 July
- ^ allmusic ((( Thurston Harris > Biography )))
