MOG

Happy Birthday to T-Bone Walker, born on this day in 1910 in Linden, Texas. Schooled in blues guitar by Blind Lemon Jefferson, blessed with a powerful singing voice, boasting a born showman's innate sense of how to engage an audience, a gifted songwriter who penned "Stormy Monday" and "T-Bone Shuffle" among others, and one of the first musicians to play an electric guitar in public, T-Bone Walker's influence on electric blues cannot be overstated. In order to convey Walker's significance more emphatically and expressively than I am able, I give you the words of music journalist Robert Santelli, from _The Big Book Of Blues:_

"T-Bone Walker was a creator of modern blues and a pioneer in the development of the electric guitar sound that shaped virtually all of popular music in the post-World War II period. Equally important, Walker was the quintessential blues guitarist. He influenced virtually every major post-World War II guitarist, including B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. No one has been able to match Walker's incredible command of tone and dynamics, his intricate jazz-flavored chording, or his ability to sustain excitement, both in what he played and how he played it. Walker was the master of the shuffle rhythm, and an incredibly effective soloist. Few guitarists, blues, rock, or otherwise have played with more self-assurance and more presence, or have exhibited a more intimate understanding of how to elicit precisely phrased sounds from the instrument, than Walker."

Walker grew up in Dallas, and at 10 years old he was helping Blind Lemon Jefferson move around the streets of the city as he performed for tips - Walker often held the tin can. Not surprisingly, it was during this time that T-Bone (born Aaron Thibeaux Walker) began playing the guitar with guidance from Jefferson. By age 19 he made his first recording for Columbia, and then at 20 he won a talent contest - the prize was a performance with Cab Calloway's band. From there he relocated to Los Angeles and played with several bands throughout the '30s. Around 1935 or '36, he began experimenting with a prototype electric guitar, which gave him a distinct leg up when playing with large dance bands - prior to the electric, guitarists had been relying on specially-designed steel resonator guitars to project their sound further without the aid of amplification. Walker became an expert in using amplication to shape his tone and precisely control his balance with the rest of the band.

In 1941 Walker became a headliner and started his own band, and he spent portions of that decade in both Chicago and L.A., performing extensively but also recording some of his most significant output, including "Stormy Monday" and "T-Bone Shuffle" in 1946. In the 1950s his recordings waned a bit in popularity, though he was still turning out gems like "The Hustle Is On," "Railroad Station Blues" and "Walking By Myself." His live performances suffered somewhat in this period because he toured with pickup bands rather than a consistent, well-rehearsed ensemble. Walker was also developing health problems due to alcoholism, but for the most part it wasn't yet affecting his playing.

In the 1960s he continued to perform, but recorded substantially less. He toured Europe for the first time and was popular enough that he returned several times. He played many festivals to great acclaim, and appeared at significant venues like Carnegie Hall and the Fillmore East in New York. But as the '70s began, his failing health caught up with him; the constant drinking was poisoning his body and his stomach was plagued with ulcers. In 1974 he suffered a stroke that ended his musical career, and 1975 he died of bronchial pneumonia.

The clip below is apparently from 1962, with Walker performing "Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong." However, I'm sure it's not from the American Folk Blues Festival in Germany as the YouTube poster claims - this is a staged film performance complete with a thoughful, understated introduction from a bespectacled gentleman I don't recognize. But Walker is clearly playing and singing live rather than lip-syncing, and it is a great performance - very illustrative of what made him so special, right down to his idiosyncratic way of wearing and holding his guitar.