If you think you never heard of Aaron Thibeaux Walker, think again on
NATIONAL T-BONE WALKER DAY!
Born of Black and Cherokee descent on May 28, 1910 in Linden, Texas, T-Bone Walker would give us “Stormy Monday” and the electric guitar as we know it.
He also played piano, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and violin, but it was his pioneering electric guitar work that changed music and opened the eyes of such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry to the possibilities of the Blues and the electric guitar.
Walker wrote the blueprint for Jump Blues, taking the raw Delta music to another level of sophistication and showmanship (Hendrix got his trick of playing guitar with his teeth from him). T-Bone Walker fronted a big band with a big sound, always working with the top musicians of his day.
There isn’t an electric blues player or Rock & Roller alive who doesn’t owe T-Bone Walker a debt of gratitude.
•Suggested Activities: Walking the Blues, cranking it up.