Boogie Woogie Red

• Born: October 18, 1925, Rayville, LA
• Died: 1985, Detroit, MI
• Active: '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s
• Genres: Blues
• Instrument: Vocals, Piano
• Representative Albums: "Live at the Blind Pig
• Representative Songs: "Red's Boogie", "Red's Rhumba", "Viper's Drag

Biography

Though a Louisiana native, Vernon Harrison has been associated with the Detroit blues sound as long as anyone. A Motor City resident since 1927, he began performing in the local clubs as a teenager. As a sideman he worked locally with Sonny Boy Williamson, Baby Boy Warren, and John Lee Hooker. Despite Red's renown for the blues and boogie-woogie style that earned him his nickname, he has recorded only a few times as a featured artist, and aside from a bit of European touring in the '70s, he has remained a local Detroit treasure, rarely appearing outside the area. ~ Jim O'Neal, All Music Guide