T-bone Walker

[blastingas10]

Someone on here stated that Robert Johnson is the most underrated blues man, well I would say that title belongs to T-bone Walker. As one of the first people to ever record with an electric guitar, he inspired everyone from B.B. King to Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and The Allman Brothers band. Author of one of the most famous blues standards of all time, "Call it stormy Monday." He is the godfather of the electric blues, a sound which he created.

"When I heard T-Bone Walker play the electric guitar I had to have one."- B.B. King


"All the things people see me do on the stage I got from T-Bone Walker." - Chuck Berry


"When T-Bone Walker came, I was into that. That was the sound I was looking for." - Albert King

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 one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the electric guitar. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked him at #47 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

T-Bone Walker is the stage name for Aaron Thibeaux 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.

Early in the 1920s, the teenage Walker learned his craft amongst the street-strolling string bands of Dallas. His mother and stepfather, (member of the Dallas String Band) were musicians, and family friend Blind Lemon Jefferson sometimes joined the family for dinner. Walker had left school at age 10, and by 15, he was a professional performer on the blues circuit, with famed performer Charlie Christian as his mentor. Initially, he was Jefferson's protégé and would guide him around town for his gigs. In 1929, Walker made his recording debut with a single for Columbia Records, "Wichita Falls Blues"/"Trinity River Blues," billed as Oak Cliff T-Bone.

By 1942, with his second album release, Walker's new-found musical maturity and ability had advanced to the point that Rolling Stone claimed that he "shocked everyone" with his newly developed distinctive song upon the release of his first single "Mean Old World", on the Capitol Records label.

Walker was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980,and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Chuck Berry named Walker and Louis Jordan as his main influences. B.B. King cites hearing Walker's "Stormy Monday" record as his inspiration for getting an electric guitar. Walker was admired by Jimi Hendrix who imitated Walker's trick of playing the guitar with his teeth. "Stormy Monday" was a favorite live number for The Allman Brothers Band.

[Jedey]

Jimi also liked playing the guitar behind his head like T-Bone Walker.

[blastingas10]

Doing the splits while playing behind his head. haha holy ****! thats unreal