T-Bone Walker
| T-Bone Walker | |
|---|---|
Publicity photo of Walker, 1942
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Aaron Thibeaux Walker |
| Also known as | Oak Cliff T-Bone |
| Born |
May 28, 1910 Linden, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | March 16, 1975 (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. In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 67 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Walker was born in Linden, Texas, of African-American and Cherokee descent. His 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.
Walker began his career as a teenager in Dallas in the 1920s. 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. Walker left school at the age of 10, and by 15 he was a professional performer on the blues circuit. Initially, he was Jefferson's protégé and would guide him around town 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. The 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 guitarist with Les Hite's orchestra. In 1940 he recorded with Hite for the Varsity label, but he was only featured as a singer.
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