Little Walter (1930–1968) was an American blues artist who is generally regarded as the most influential blues harmonica player of his era.[1] Most of his earliest recordings were as a sideman, when he contributed harmonica to songs by Chicago blues musicians such as Jimmy Rogers and Muddy Waters.[2] As the featured artist, he recorded the instrumental "Juke" in 1952. The single reached number one on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart[a] and launched his career as a solo artist.[2]
| Little Walter discography | |
|---|---|
| Compilation albums | 8 |
| Singles | 36 |
| Singles as accompanist | 49 |
| Albums as accompanist | 9 |
A string of popular singles followed, including "Mean Old World", "Blues with a Feeling", and "Key to the Highway".[2] His "My Babe" was one of the biggest R&B sellers of 1955.[4] In addition to his solo career, Little Walter continued to record harmonica for songs by other artists. His harmonica can be heard on many of Muddy Waters' most famous songs, such as "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", and "Got My Mojo Working".[5][6]
Little Walter recorded at a time when blues musicians were primarily singles artists. His records were released on Checker Records, run by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil.[7] The one album released during his lifetime is a compilation issued by Chess Records, titled The Best of Little Walter (1958).[8] Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at number 198 in its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[9] Little Walter died in 1968, a time when interest in electric blues shifted the focus from singles to albums. Chess continued to issue compilations of his earlier singles as well as previously unreleased recordings.[2] In 2009, The Complete Chess Masters: 1950–1967 was issued by the Checker/Chess successor, Hip-O Records/Universal. The five compact disc box set contains 126 recordings and is believed to represent all of his solo recordings. In 2010, the set received a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album.[10]
Singles
Most of Little Walter's first recordings from 1947 to 1951 were as a harmonica player backing bluesmen, such as Jimmy Rogers, Sunnyland Slim, and Muddy Waters.[11] However, a few songs recorded during this period were issued on singles, which were credited to Little Walter. These include releases on Chance Records (as "Little Walter J."),[12] and Parkway and Regal (as "Little Walter Trio").[11] After Leonard and Phil Chess began promoting him as a featured artist on their Checker label in 1952, his singles were variously credited as "Little Walter and His Night Cats",[13] "Little Walter and His Nightcaps",[14] "Little Walter and His Jukes",[15] or simply "Little Walter".[16] These singles were issued on 78 rpm and 45 rpm records, when they were the standard formats.
| Title A-side / B-side | Year | Label (Cat. no) | Chart peak U.S. R&B[b] [17] | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Ora Nelle Blues" / "I Just Keep Loving Her" (A-side by Othum Brown) | 1947 | Chance (1116) | — | [18] |
| "Just Keep Lovin' Her" / "Moonshine Blues" | 1950 | Parkway (502) | — | [18] |
| "Muskadine Blues" / "Bad Acting Woman" | 1950 | Regal (3296) | — | [18] |
| "Juke" / "Can't Hold Out Much Longer" | 1952 | Checker (758) | 1 | [19] |
| "Sad Hours" / | Checker (764) | 2 | [19] | |
| "Mean Old World" | 1953 | 6 | [19] | |
| "Don't Have to Hunt No More" / "Tonight with a Fool" | Checker (767) | — | [19] | |
| "Tell Me Mama" / | Checker (770) | 10 | [19] | |
| "Off the Wall" | 8 | [19] | ||
| "Blues with a Feeling" / "Quarter to Twelve" | Checker (780) | 2 | [20] | |
| "You're So Fine" / "Lights Out" | 1954 | Checker (786) | 2 | [20] |
| "Oh Baby" / "Rocker" | Checker (793) | 8 | [20] | |
| "You Better Watch Yourself" / "Blue Light" | Checker (799) | 8 | [21] | |
| "Last Night" / "Mellow Down Easy" | Checker (805) | 6 | [21] | |
| "My Babe" / "Thunder Bird" | 1955 | Checker (811) | 1 | [21] |
| "Roller Coaster" / "I Got to Go" | Checker (817) | 6 | [21] | |
| "Too Late" / "I Hate to See You Go (Come Back Baby)" | Checker (825) | — | [22] | |
| "Who" / "It Ain't Right" | 1956 | Checker (833) | 7 | [23] |
| "One More Chance with You" / "Flying Saucer" | Checker (838) | — | [23] | |
| "Just a Feeling" / "Teenage Beat" | Checker (845) | — | [23] | |
| "It's Too Late Brother" / "Take Me Back" | Checker (852) | — | [23] | |
| "Nobody But You" / "Everybody Needs Somebody" | 1957 | Checker (859) | — | [23] |
| "Boom, Boom Out Goes the Lights" / "Temperature" | Checker (859) | — | [24] | |
| "The Toddle" / "Confessin' the Blues" | 1958 | Checker (890) | — | [24] |
| "Key to the Highway" / "Rock Bottom" | Checker (904) | 6 | [24] | |
| "My Baby Is Sweeter" / "Crazy Mixed-Up World" | 1959 | Checker (919) | — | [25] |
| "Everything Gonna Be Alright" / "Back Track" | Checker (930) | 25 | [25] | |
| "Me and Piney Brown" / "Break It Up" | Checker (938) | — | [25] | |
| "Ah'w Baby" / "I Had My Fun" | 1960 | Checker (945) | — | [24] |
| "My Babe" / "Blue Midnight" (remix) | Checker (955) | [c] | [27] | |
| "I Don't Play" / "As Long as I Have You" | 1961 | Checker (968) | — | [28] |
| "Crazy For My Baby" / "Crazy Legs" | Checker (986) | — | [29] | |
| "Just Your Fool" / "I Got to Find My Baby" | 1962 | Checker (1013) | — | [30] |
| "Up the Line" / "Southern Feeling" | 1963 | Checker (1043) | — | [28] |
| "Shake Dancer" / "Diggin' My Potatoes" (B-side by Washboard Sam) | 1964 | Checker (1071) | — | [24] |
| "I'm a Business Man" / "Dead Presidents" | Checker (1081) | — | [28] | |
| "Mean Ole Frisco" / "Blue and Lonesome" | 1965 | Checker (1117) | — | [25] |
| A dash (—) denotes a release that did not reach the charts. | ||||
Selected compilation albums
As with most blues musicians before the mid-1960s, Little Walter was a singles artist. The one album released during his lifetime, the compilation Best of Little Walter, was issued on the Checker-affiliated Chess Records in 1958.[31] After his death, additional songs were compiled on albums, sometimes by other record companies without authorization[32] or, as author Richie Unterberger noted, the "legality was dubious".[33] The compilation albums listed are issued by Chess and its successors.
| Title | Album details | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|
| The Best of Little Walter | [34] | |
| Hate to See You Go |
| [34] |
| Boss Blues Harmonica |
| [35] |
| Confessin' the Blues |
| [36] |
| The Essential Little Walter | [34] | |
| Blues with a Feeling | [34] | |
| His Best: The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection |
| [37] |
| The Complete Chess Masters (1950–1967) |
| [38] |
As accompanist
Singles
| Title A-side / B-side | Year | Listed artist(s) | Label (Cat. no) | Chart peak U.S. R&B[d] [6] | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Ora Nelle Blues" / "I Just Keep Loving Her" (A-side by "Little Walter J.") | 1947 | Othum Brown | Chance (1116) | — | [18] |
| "Blue Baby" / "I Want My Baby" | 1948 | Sunnyland Slim and Muddy Water [sic] | Tempo-Tone (TT-1002) | — | [18] |
| "Boll Weevil" / "Red Headed Woman" | 1950 | Baby Face Leroy Trio | Parkway (104) | — | [18] |
| "Rollin' and Tumblin'" Part 1 / Part 2 | Baby Face Leroy Trio | Parkway (501) | — | [18] | |
| "You're Gonna Need My Help I Said (Gonna Need My Help)" / "Sad Letter Blues" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1434) | — | [31] | |
| "That's All Right" / "Ludella" | Jimmy Rogers | Chess (1435) | — | [31] | |
| "Louisiana Blues" / "Evans Shuffle" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1441) | 10 | [31] | |
| "Going Away Baby" / "Today Today Blues" | Jimmy Rogers | Chess (1442) | — | [31] | |
| "Joliet Blues" / "So Glad I Found You" | Johnny Shines | Chess (1443) | — | [31] | |
| "Long Distance Call" / "Too Young to Know" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1452) | 8 | [31] | |
| "Wandering Lover" / "Lima Beans" | 1951 | Eddie Ware | Chess (1461) | — | [31] |
| "Honey Bee" / "Appealing Blues" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1468) | — | [31] | |
| "Money Marbles & Chalk" / "Chance to Love" | Jimmy Rogers | Chess (1476) | — | [31] | |
| "Still a Fool" / "My Fault" (not on A-side) | Muddy Waters | Chess (1480) | 9 | [31] | |
| "She Moves Me" / "Early Morning Blues (Before Daybreak)" (not on B-side) | Muddy Waters | Chess (1490) | 10 | [31] | |
| "Dark Road" / "Big World" | Floyd Jones | Chess (1498) | — | [19] | |
| "Jealous Woman" / "Give Love Another Chance" (not on B-side) | 1952 | Eddie Ware | Chess (1507) | — | [31] |
| "All Night Long" / "Country Boy" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1509) | — | [31] | |
| "Please Have Mercy" / "I Can't Be Satisfied" (not on B-side) | Muddy Waters | Chess (1514) | — | [19] | |
| "Rattlesnake" / "It Was a Dream" | John Brim | Checker (769) | — | [19] | |
| "Me and My Chauffeur" / "Broken Heart" (not on B-side) | Memphis Minnie | Checker (771) | — | [19] | |
| "Turn the Lamp Down Low (Baby Please Don't Go)" / "Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man" (not on B-side) | 1953 | Muddy Waters | Chess (1542) | — | [20] |
| "Left Me with a Broken Heart" / "Act Like You Love Me" | Jimmy Rogers | Chess (1543) | — | [20] | |
| "Mad Love (I Want You to Love Me)" / "Blow Wind Blow" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1550) | 6 | [20] | |
| "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" / "She's So Pretty" | 1954 | Muddy Waters | Chess (1560) | 3 | [20] |
| "Just Make Love to Me (I Just Want to Make Love to You)" / "Oh Yeah" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1571) | 4 | [20] | |
| "Chicago Bound" / "Sloppy Drunk" | Jimmy Rogers | Chess (1574) | — | [20] | |
| "I'm Ready" / "I Don't Know Why" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1579) | 4 | [21] | |
| "I'm a Natural Born Lover" / "Loving Man" (not on A-side) | Muddy Waters | Chess (1585) | — | [20] | |
| "I Want to Be Loved" / "My Eyes (Keep Me in Trouble)" | 1955 | Muddy Waters | Chess (1596) | — | [21] |
| "Manish Boy (Mannish Boy)" / "Young Fashioned Ways (Old Fashioned Ways)" (not on A-side) | Muddy Waters | Chess (1602) | — | [21] | |
| "Diddley Daddy" / "She's Fine, She's Mine" (not on B-side) | Bo Diddley | Checker (819) | — | [23] | |
| "Sugar Sweet (I Can't Call Her Sugar)" / | Muddy Waters | Chess (1612) | 11 | [23] | |
| "Trouble No More" | 7 | [23] | |||
| "Blues All Day Long" / "You're the One" | 1956 | Jimmy Rogers | Chess (1616) | — | [40] |
| "Forty Days and Forty Nights" / "All Aboard" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1620) | 7 | [23] | |
| "Be Careful" / "You Got Me Where You Want Me" | John Brim | Chess (1624) | — | [23] | |
| "Don't Go No Farther" / "Diamonds at Your Feet" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1630) | 9 | [23] | |
| "Just to Be with You" / "I Got to Find My Baby" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1644) | — | [23] | |
| "Got My Mojo Working" / "Rock Me" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1652) | — | [23] | |
| "I Live the Life I Love (I Love the Life I Live)" / "Evil" | 1957 | Muddy Waters | Chess (1680) | — | [23] |
| "Groaning the Blues" / "If You Were Mine" | Otis Rush | Cobra (5010) | — | [24] | |
| "Love That Woman" / "Jump Sister Bessie" | Otis Rush | Cobra (5015) | — | [24] | |
| "What Have I Done" / "Trace of You" | Jimmy Rogers | Chess (1687) | — | [24] | |
| "Close to You" / "She's Nineteen Years Old" | 1958 | Muddy Waters | Chess (1704) | 9 | [24] |
| "Walking Thru the Park (Walking in the Park)" / "Mean Mistreater" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1718) | — | [24] | |
| "Clouds in My Heart" / "Ooh Wee" | Muddy Waters | Chess (1724) | — | [22] | |
| "Read Way Back" / "I'm Your Doctor" | 1960 | Muddy Waters | Chess (1752) | — | [25] |
| "Look What You've Done" / "Love Affair" (not on B-side) | Muddy Waters | Chess (1758) | — | [23] | |
| "Got My Mojo Working Part 1 (live)" / "Woman Wanted" (not on A-side) | Muddy Waters | Chess (1774) | — | [25] | |
| A dash (—) denotes a release that did not reach the charts. | |||||
Albums
Songs recorded with Little Walter as a sideman are included on many compilations by Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers.[8] Albums with four songs recorded live in the late 1960s have been released by several issuers of bootleg recordings.[41] These often appear along with songs by Otis Rush on albums with titles such as Live in the Windy City and At the Chicago Blues Festival.[28] Additional live recordings from the 1967 American Folk Blues Festival have circulated on unofficial sources.[42]
| Title | Listed artist(s) | Album details | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramblin' on My Mind: A Collection of Classic Train and Travel Blues | Various artists |
| [28] |
| Super Blues | Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, and Little Walter | [42][43] | |
| Masters of Modern Blues, Volume 4 | Robert Nighthawk, Houston Stackhouse |
| [28] |
| They Call Me Muddy Waters | Muddy Waters |
| [42] |
| Johnny Young and His Friends | Johnny Young |
| [28] |
| The Blues World of Little Walter | Little Walter and Baby Face Leroy |
| [2] |
| Mandolin Blues | Johnny Young, Yank Rachell, Carl Martin, Willie Hatcher |
| [28] |
| Down Home Slide | Various artists |
| [28] |
| Down Home Harp | Various artists |
| [28] |
Notes
Footnotes
Citations
References
- "Bubbling Under the Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 72, no. 27. July 4, 1960. ISSN 0006-2510.
- "New Album Releases". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 24. June 17, 1967. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Dahl, Bill (1996). "Little Walter". In Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Koda, Cub (eds.). All Music Guide to the Blues. Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
- Glover, Tony (2002). Blues with a Feeling: The Little Walter Story. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415937108.
- Koda, Cub (1996). "Little Walter, Muddy Waters". In Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Koda, Cub (eds.). All Music Guide to the Blues. Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
- Unterberger, Richie (1996). "Little Walter". In Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Koda, Cub (eds.). All Music Guide to the Blues. Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
- Whitburn, Joel (1988). "Little Walter, Muddy Waters". Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Record Research. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.