The Fountainhead: Aaron Thibeaux 'T-Bone' Walker

y2karl — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 01:38:46 -0800

Consider Aaron Thibeaux Walker--if anyone ever deserved the title Godfather, King or Present at the Creation, it would be T-Bone Walker. Without T-Bone, there would be no B.B. King, Albert King, no Clarence Gatemouth Brown, no Pee Wee Crayton, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson ad infinitum to every blues guitarist whoever bent a tube amplified string thereafter. For rock and blues, electric lead guitar begins with him--he invented the language and then wrote the book and style manual, too. And he wrote the performance manual as well--dancing, doing splits, playing guitar behind his back while alternating betwen slow and smoky after hour blues and swinging combo and jazzy big band jumps. For examples of him at the height of his powers, give these Coralized mp3s--Cold Cold Feeling and Strollin' With Bones--a listen. And what a life he led, one that encompassed the whole genre--leading Blind Lemon Jefferson through the streets of Dallas as a boy, traveling as a teenager with medicine shows, playing with likes of Ma Rainey in the 20s, cutting a 78 in 1929 as Oak Cliff T-Bone before ever moving to LA in the 30s, picking up an electric guitar and creating what became known as Rhythm 'n Blues. As for YouTubery, here are Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong She's My Old Time Used To Be In a candid moment, here is T-Bone Walker with Chuck Berry, feeling good. And, as for you do-it-yourselfers, here are Play '40s and '50s Jump Style Blues Play Blues Guitar Like T Bone Walker - Guitar Lesson The Solo Secrets of T Bone Walker Meanwhile, there's some great anecdotage at The Rhumboogie Label. And as for more T-Bone goodness, well, Call Me When You Need Me...

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The Fountainhead: Aaron Thibeaux 'T-Bone' Walker