T-Bone Walker

Biography

Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter, and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 67 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

1910–1941: early years

Aaron Thibeaux Walker was born in Linden, Texas. His parents, Movelia Jimerson and Rance Walker, were both musicians. His stepfather, Marco Washington (a member of the Dallas String Band), taught him to play the guitar, ukulele, banjo, violin, mandolin, and piano.
Walker began his career as a teenager in Dallas in the 1920s. His stepfather was a musician, and Blind Lemon Jefferson, a family friend, sometimes came over for dinner. Walker left school at the age of 10, and by 15 was a professional performer on the blues circuit. Initially, he was Jefferson's protégé and would guide him around Deep Ellum, Dallas, for his gigs. 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. Pianist Douglas Fernell played accompaniment on the record.
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 as guitarist with Les Hite's orchestra. In 1940 he recorded with Hite for the Varsity label, but he was featured only as a singer. He started playing electric guitar in about 1940.

1942–1975: later years

In 1942, Charlie Glenn, the owner of the Rhumboogie Café, brought T-Bone Walker to Chicago for long stints in his club. In 1944 and 1945, Walker recorded for the Rhumboogie label, which was tied to the club, backed up by Marl Young's orchestra.
T-Bone Walker performed at the second famed Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. on October 12, 1946. Jack McVea, Slim Gaillard, The Honeydrippers, Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra, and Louis Armstrong were also on the program. Walker performed for the third Cavalcade of Jazz concert held in the same location on September 7, 1947, along with Woody Herman as Emcee, The Valdez Orchestra, The Blenders, The Honeydrippers, Slim Gaillard, Johnny Otis and his Orchestra, Toni Harper, The Three Blazers, and Sarah Vaughan.
Much of his output was recorded from 1946 to 1948 for Black & White Records, including his most famous 1947 song, "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)". Other notable songs he recorded during this period were "Bobby Sox Blues" (a No. 3 R&B hit in 1947) and "West Side Baby" (No. 8 on the R&B singles chart in 1948).
Throughout his career Walker worked with top-notch musicians, including trumpeter Teddy Buckner (on "Call It Stormy Monday"), pianist Lloyd Glenn, bassist Billy Hadnott (on the LP Hot Leftovers and 1947's "Long Skirt Baby Blues"/"Good-Bye Blues"), and tenor saxophonist Jack McVea (on "Don't Leave Me Baby" and "No Worry Blues×No Worry Blues2002 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1I Got a Break Baby3:172No Worry Blues2:433Don't Leave Me Baby2:494Bobby Sox Baby2:405I'm Gonna Find My Baby2:556I'm in an Aweful Mood2:457It's a Lowdown Dirty Deal2:548Don't Give Me the Runaround3:039Hard Pain Blues3:0210I Know Your Wig Is Gone2:4511T-Bone Jumps Again2:4312Stormy Monday3:0213She Had to Let Me Down3:1014She's My Old Time Used to Be2:4015Dream Girl Blues2:4016Midnight Blues2:4417Long Lost Lover Blues2:5618Triffin' Woman Blues3:0419Long Skirt Baby Blues2:5120Goodbye Blues3:08").
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 1957 and released by Atlantic Records in 1959.
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. However, several critically acclaimed albums followed, including I Want a Little Girl×I Want a Little Girl1973 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1I Want a Little Girl5:09A2I Hate to See You Go3:42A3Feeling the Blues6:11A4Leaving You Behind4:02B1Someone’s Going to Mistreat You3:28B2Baby Ain’t I Good to You4:31B3Ain’t This Cold, Baby6:34B4Late Hour Blues5:58 (Delmark Records, 1968). Walker recorded in his last years, from 1968 to 1975, for Robin Hemingway's music publishing company, Jitney Jane Songs. He won a Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording in 1970 for Good Feelin' while signed with Polydor Records, produced by Hemingway, followed by another album produced by Hemingway, Fly Walker Airlines, released in 1972.

Death

Walker's career began to wind down after he suffered a stroke in 1974. He died at his home in Los Angeles of bronchial pneumonia following another stroke in March 1975, at the age of 64.

Legacy

Walker was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Chuck Berry named Walker and Louis Jordan as his main influences. B.B. King cited hearing Walker's recording of "Stormy Monday×Stormy MondayStudio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Every Day I Have the Blues4:452I Woke Up This Morning6:163When I Grow Up7:434Long Lost Lover9:055Shake It Baby4:536Stormy Monday Blues4:517Why My Baby5:078Late Blues8:509Sail On5:0710T‐Bone Blues Special4:1611Treat Me So Low Down4:45" as his inspiration for getting an electric guitar. In his 1996 autobiography, King commented that when he first heard Walker, he thought "Jesus himself had returned to earth playing electric guitar. T-Bone's blues filled my insides with joy and good feeling. I became his disciple. And remain so today. My biggest musical debt is to T-Bone." Blues-rock soloing pioneer Lonnie Mack named Walker his principal blues guitar influence. Walker was admired by Jimi Hendrix, who imitated Walker's trick of playing the guitar with his teeth. Steve Miller stated that in 1952, when he was 8, Walker taught him how to play his guitar behind his back and also with his teeth. Walker was a family friend and a frequent visitor to Miller's family home, and Miller considers him a major influence on his career. "Stormy Monday" was a favorite live number of the Allman Brothers Band. The British rock band Jethro Tull covered Walker's "Stormy Monday" in 1968 for John Peel's "Top Gear". Eva Cassidy performed "Stormy Monday" on her 1996 Live at Blues Alley recording.
Walker influenced generations of musicians. According to Cleveland.com, he may have been the best R&B guitarist. He "pioneered electric blues by becoming the first artist to make the electric guitar a solo instrument and a true centerpiece of his stunning live shows".

Singles

"Wichita Falls Blues" / "Trinity River Blues" (Columbia, 1929) as 'Oak Cliff T-Bone'
"T-Bone Blues×T-Bone BluesAlbum · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 25 tracks1Misfortune Blues3:012That's Better For Me2:393I Got a Break Baby3:174Hyping Woman Blues2:495That Old Feeling Is Gone2:546T-Bone Shuffle3:007Bobby Sox Baby2:408You're My Best Poker Hand2:569It's a Lowdown Dirty Deal2:5510Lonesome Woman Blues2:4011I Wish You Were Mine2:5412T-Bone Jumps Again2:4313I'm in an Awful Mood2:4514Call It Stormy Monday but Tuesday Just as Bad3:0215I'm Gonna Move You Out2:5816Midnight Blues2:4517T-Bone Blues3:1718Description Blues3:0719Long Skirt Baby Blues2:5220The Plain Old Down Home Blues3:0621Mean Old World2:5422Prison Blues2:5023She's the Non-sleepin'est Woman3:0624Don't Leave Me Baby2:4925I'm Still in Love With You2:55" (Varsity, 1940) with Les Hite And His Orchestra
"Mean Old World×Mean Old World1 October 2002 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Don't Leave Me Baby2:462I'm Gonna Find My Baby2:533I Got a Break Baby3:154I Can't Stand Being Away from You3:075Mean Old World2:536Come Back to Me Baby Blues3:047Low Down Dirty Shame2:348Evening3:269She's Going to Ruin Me2:5310Trinity River Blues3:0611No Worry Blues2:4012My Baby Left Me2:5113I'm Still in Love With You2:5214T-Bone Blues3:1415Bobby Sox Blues2:3716T-Bone Boogie3:01" / "I Got a Break, Baby" (1942 [1945; 1948])
"Evening" (1944)
"Bobby Sox Blues" (1946)
"I'm in an Awful Mood" (1946)
"Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)" (1947)
"Long Skirt Baby Blues" / "Good-Bye Blues" (1947)
"I Want a Little Girl×I Want a Little Girl1973 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1I Want a Little Girl5:09A2I Hate to See You Go3:42A3Feeling the Blues6:11A4Leaving You Behind4:02B1Someone’s Going to Mistreat You3:28B2Baby Ain’t I Good to You4:31B3Ain’t This Cold, Baby6:34B4Late Hour Blues5:58" (1948)
"West Side Baby" (1948)
"T-Bone Shuffle×T-Bone ShuffleAlbum · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks1I Got a Break Baby3:172Mean Old World2:563My Baby Left Me2:554Come Back to Me Baby Blues3:095She Is Going to Ruin Me2:586Bobby Sox Blues7I’m Gonna Find My Baby8I Know Your Wig Is Gone9T‐Bone Jumps Again10Call It Stormy Monday11Long Skirt Baby Blues12Hypin’ Woman Blues13On Your Way Blues14That’s Better for Me15First Love Blues16Lonesome Woman Blues17Vacation Blues18T‐Bone Shuffle19Home Town Blues20Wise Man Blues21She’s the No‐Sleepin’est Woman22I Want a Little Girl23I’m Still in Love With You2:5824You’re My Best Poker Hand" (1948)
"Hypin' Women Blues" (1949)
"Glamour Girl" / "Strollin' With Bones" (1950)
"The Hustle is On×The Hustle Is On1 January 1990 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 28 tracks1I Got The Blues3:012Love Is Just A Gamble2:583Strollin' With Bones2:324Life Is Too Short2:475Street Walking Woman3:086Rail Road Station Blues2:437Cold Cold Feeling3:148Everytime2:329Get These Blues Off Me3:0410The Hustle Is On2:3111I Get So Weary2:4312News For You Baby2:2413The Sun Went Down2:2314High Society2:5915You Don't Love Me2:5816Party Girl2:1317I Got The Blues Again3:2018Tell Me What The Reason2:4219Blues Is A Woman2:5220You Don't Understand2:4221Through With Women3:1222Evel Hearted Woman2:4023Alimony Blues2:4424I'm About To Lose My Mind2:2625Baby, You Broke My Heart2:4326Got No Use For You2:4227Bye Bye Baby2:4928Blue Mood2:51" (1950)
"Cold Cold Feeling" (1952)

Albums

Classics in Jazz (Capitol [10"], 1954)
T-Bone Blues (Atlantic, 1955/1956/1957 [1959])
Sings the Blues (Imperial, 1960)
I Get So Weary (Imperial, 1961)
The Great Blues Vocals and Guitar of T-Bone Walker (His Original 1945-1950 Performances) (Capitol, 1963)
"Hey Hey Baby" / "Should I Let Her Go" (Modern, 1965)
The Truth (Brunswick, 1966 [1968]) also released as The Legendary T-Bone Walker
Stormy Monday Blues (BluesWay, 1967)
Funky Town (BluesWay, 1968)
I Want a Little Girl (Delmark, 1968 [1973]) also released as Feelin' the Blues (Black & Blue)
Good Feelin' (Polydor, 1968 [1969])
Everyday I Have the Blues (BluesTime, 1969)
Super Black Blues (BluesTime, 1969) with Big Joe Turner, Otis Spann
Super Black Blues: Volume II [live] (BluesTime, 1970) with Leon Thomas, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Big Joe Turner
Stormy Monday Blues (Wet Soul/SSS International, 1970 [1971])
Fly Walker Airlines (Live in Montreux) (Polydor, 1972)
Well Done (Home Cooking, 1973) also released as Back on the Scene: Texas 1966
Very Rare (Reprise, 1973) 2-LP
Hot Leftovers (Imperial [France], 1985)

As sideman

With Norman Granz Jazz At The Philharmonic

J.A.T.P. in London, 1969 (Pablo, 1989) Double LP; Walker supplied three songs: "Woman You Must Be Crazy", "Goin' To Chicago", and "Stormy Monday×Stormy MondayStudio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Every Day I Have the Blues4:452I Woke Up This Morning6:163When I Grow Up7:434Long Lost Lover9:055Shake It Baby4:536Stormy Monday Blues4:517Why My Baby5:078Late Blues8:509Sail On5:0710T‐Bone Blues Special4:1611Treat Me So Low Down4:45"
With Jay McShann

Confessin' the Blues (Black & Blue, 1970; Classic Jazz, 1978)
With Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson

Kidney Stew is Fine (Delmark, 1969) also released as Wee Baby Blues (Black & Blue)
With Jimmy Witherspoon

Evenin' Blues (Prestige, 1963)
With various artists

The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World (Pablo, 1967 [1975]) Four LP box set; Walker's tracks were "Woman You Must Be Crazy" and "Stormy Monday"