T-Bone Walker

For the football player, see Aaron Walker (American football).
T-Bone Walker

Publicity photo of Walker, 1942
Background information
Birth name Aaron Thibeaux Walker
Also known as Oak Cliff T-Bone
Born (1910-05-28)May 28, 1910
Linden, Texas, U.S.
Died March 16, 1975(1975-03-16) (aged 64)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres Blues, electric blues, Texas blues, Chicago blues, jump blues, West Coast blues
Occupation(s) Musician, composer, bandleader
Instruments Guitar, vocals, piano, banjo, ukulele, violin, mandolin
Years active 1928–1975
Labels Atlantic, Black & Blue, Black & White, Blues Way Records, Brunswick, Capitol, Charly, Columbia, Duke, Imperial, Modern, Polydor, Reprise

Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was an influential pioneer and innovator of the jump blues and electric blues sound.[1][2] In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 67 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[3]

Biography

Early years

Walker was born in Linden, Texas, of African-American and Cherokee descent. Walker's parents, Movelia Jimerson and Rance Walker, were both musicians. His stepfather, Marco Washington, taught him to play the guitar, ukulele, banjo, violin, mandolin, and piano.[4]

Walker began his career as a teenager in Dallas in the early 1900s. His mother and stepfather (a member of the Dallas String Band) were musicians, and Blind Lemon Jefferson, a family friend, sometimes came over for dinner.[5] Walker left school at the age of 10, and by 15[3] he was a professional performer on the blues circuit. Initially, he was Jefferson's protégé and would guide him around town for his gigs.[4] In 1929, Walker made his recording debut with Columbia Records, billed as Oak Cliff T-Bone, releasing the single "Wichita Falls Blues" backed with "Trinity River Blues". Oak Cliff is the community in which he lived at the time, and T-Bone is a corruption of his middle name. The pianist Douglas Fernell played accompaniment on the record.[1]

Walker married Vida Lee in 1935; the couple had three children. By the age of 25, Walker was working in clubs on Central Avenue, in Los Angeles, sometimes as the featured singer and guitarist with Les Hite's orchestra.[5]

Newfound style

Much of his output was recorded from 1946 to 1948 for Black & White Records, including his most famous song, "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)" (1947).[1] Other notable songs he recorded during this period were "Bobby Sox Blues" (a number 3 R&B hit in 1947)[6] and "West Side Baby" (number 8 on the R&B singles charts in 1948).[7]

Throughout his career Walker worked with top-notch musicians, including the trumpeter Teddy Buckner, the pianist Lloyd Glenn, the bassist Billy Hadnott, and the tenor saxophonist Jack McVea.

He recorded from 1950 to 1954 for Imperial Records (backed by Dave Bartholomew). Walker's only record in the next five years was T-Bone Blues, recorded during three widely separated sessions in 1955, 1956 and 1959 and released by Atlantic Records in 1960.

By the early 1960s, Walker's career had slowed down, in spite of an energetic performance at the American Folk Blues Festival in 1962 with the pianist Memphis Slim and the prolific writer and musician Willie Dixon, among others.[1] However, several critically acclaimed albums followed, such as I Want a Little Girl (recorded for Delmark Records in 1968). Walker recorded in his last years, from 1968 to 1975, for Robin Hemingway's Jitney Jane Songs music publishing company. He won a Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording in 1971 for Good Feelin', while signed by Polydor Records, produced by Hemingway,[4] followed by another album produced by Hemingway, Fly Walker Airlines, released in 1973.[8]

Walker at the American Folk Blues Festival in Hamburg, March 1972

Walker's career began to wind down after he suffered a stroke in 1974.[1] He died of bronchial pneumonia following another stroke in March 1975, at the age of 64.[1][9]

Legacy

Walker was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980[10] and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.[9][11]

Chuck Berry named Walker and Louis Jordan as his main influences.[12] B.B. King cited hearing Walker's recording of "Stormy Monday" as his inspiration for getting an electric guitar.[13] Walker was admired by Jimi Hendrix, who imitated Walker's trick of playing the guitar with his teeth.[5] "Stormy Monday" was a favorite live number of the Allman Brothers Band.

Discography

As sideman

With Jimmy Witherspoon

With Eddie Vinson

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dahl, Bill. "T-Bone Walker Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  2. ↑ Dance, Helen Oakley. "Walker, Aaron Thibeaux (T-Bone)". The Handbook of Texas Online. Denton: Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 2008-01-27. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "100 Greatest Guitarists". Rolling Stone. 23 November 2011. ISSN 0035-791X.
  4. 1 2 3 Nadal, James. "Profile of T-Bone Walker". All About Jazz. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. pp. 58–59. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  6. ↑ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 13. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  7. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Blues Masters: The Very Best of T-Bone Walker – T-Bone Walker | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  8. ↑ "T-Bone Walker | Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  9. 1 2 "T-Bone Walker Blues Guitarist Career Profile". Blues.about.com. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  10. ↑ "Performers in Blues Hall of Fame". Blues Foundation. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "T-Bone Walker: Inducted in 1987". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  12. ↑ Harper, Johnny. "T-Bone Walker: Blues Guitar Godfather". There Productions. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  13. ↑ Welding, Pete (1991). The Complete Imperial Recordings, 1950–1954 (CD booklet). T-Bone Walker. Hollywood, CA: EMI Records USA. pp. 9–10. CDP-7-96737-2.
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