I love this guy.. found out about him from the blues brothers clip below a couple of years ago but can't find much more of his stuff,did he do any solo recordings?
Wow wow Jfllr!! Big Walter is the "Mother of Blues Harp" waaay up there with Sonny Boy Williamson I and II, Jr. Wells, James Cotton etc. There are heaps of recordings, solo AND as sideman. He goes by the name "Big Walter", "Big Walter Horton", "Walter Horton" , "Shakey Walter Horton", "Mumbles Horton" and who knows what... There are also plenty clips of him on you tube
---------- DutchBones Tube
Last Edited by on Oct 10, 2009 4:29 AM
Big Walter Horton AKA Shakey Horton was the best Chicago blues harp player for my money.
The great Willie Dixon stated that Big Walter was the best harmonica player he had ever heard.
He had the biggest fattest tone of anybody. His music is a must have for any blues harp player.
He recorded tons of albums both as a sideman and a front man. Just go on iTunes and type him in. Or do a web search for Walter Horton CD's on Google.
If you get nothing else by Walter get the CD's "An Offer You Can't Refuse" and the JOB recordings with Johnny Shines.
Personally though I recommend you just get every single recording of his you can find and then study the hell outta them.
Last Edited by on Oct 10, 2009 5:07 AM
Click on track #6 here "It's Not Easy", and listen at the 1:50 mark. What an ungodly deep tone he gets there, even for Big Walter. I get chills everytime I hear it.
http://www.rhapsody.com/bigwalterhorton/live-at-the-knickerbocker--jsp-records
Last Edited by on Oct 11, 2009 2:45 PM
I remember a time when I first started listening to Muddy Waters, and I thought Big Walter, James Cotton and Jerry Portnoy were all the same guy -- and his name was Little Walter, I'd read.
Well, what a joy it has been to discover otherwise.
I'll vouch for Can't Stop Loving You (Her?) as my favorite album. The tone he gets in Tin Pan Alley alone is remarkable. It also has Honeydripper and Big Walter's Boogie on it. It is a classic "must have" harmonica album.
Kingley...nope. Big Walter died when his heart stopped in the hospital, but only after being attacked in a mugging. Some say one of his ne'er-do-well son in laws was involved.
After Shakey had some notice because of "The Blues Brothers", Jimmy Rogers asked Walter to go on a European tour, and he went. Course, the standard was not to pay him until the gig was over, cause he (BW) would go out and get plastered and be unable to play. So, after some months of touring, BW comes home with a wad that he immediately flashes in one of his local hangouts...several thousand dollars at least. Once outside, he was gang mugged. When he was down, one of the perps ( reputedly his step son ) kicked his head against the curb. It was amazing that he did not die instantly, but he lingered in the hospital before the ticker gave out. His wife did not press charges because her son was involved.
Thanks for the insight Joe. I didn't know any of those details.
Mighty sad that Walter had to go out of this world that way. At least though his greatness will always live on in the hearts, minds and playing of just about every blues harmonica player alive.
