He studied music under Walter Dyett at DuSable High School, as had many other successful Chicago musicians (including Nat King Cole, Clifford Jordan, Johnny Griffin, Gene Ammons, Julian Priester, and others).

He later studied music at Roosevelt University; by that time he was proficient on piano, vibraphone, and tenor saxophone.

Leaving military service, Harris worked in New York City before returning to Chicago where he signed a contract with Vee Jay Records.

Harris released several different versions of his composition over the years, including both studio and live concert recordings.

He was to re-work the track two years later, stretching it out to over seven minutes in length, for his hit version on which he played saxophone.

Although the musicians had been unable to rehearse, their session was so successful that a recording of it was released by Atlantic as Swiss Movement.

From 1970 to 1975, he experimented with new instruments of his own invention (the reed trumpet was a trumpet with a saxophone mouthpiece, the saxobone was a saxophone with a trombone mouthpiece, and the guitorgan was a combination of guitar and organ), with singing the blues, with jazz-rock (he recorded an album with Steve Winwood, Jeff Beck, Albert Lee, Ric Grech, Zoot Money, Ian Paice and other rockers).