Born Walter Horton in Horn Lake, Mississippi, USA he was playing a harmonica by the time he was five years old. In his early teens, he lived in Memphis, Tennessee and claimed that his earliest recordings were done there in the late 1920s with the Memphis Jug Band, although there is no documentation, and many have since disputed this claim. (He also claimed to have taught some harmonica to Little Walter and the original Sonny Boy Williamson, although these claims are unsubstantiated, and in the case of the older Williamson, somewhat suspect.) As with many of his peers, he spent much of his career existing on a meagre income and living with constant discrimination in a segregated America. In the 1930s he played with various blues performers across the Mississippi delta region. It's generally accepted that his first recordings were made in Memphis, backing guitarist Little Buddy Doyle on recordings for the Okeh and Vocalion Records labels, in 1939. These recordings were in the acoustic duo format popularized by Sleepy John Estes with his harmonicist Hammie Nixon, among others. On these recordings, Walter's style is not yet fully realized, but there are clear hints of what is to come. He eventually stopped playing the harp for a living due to poor health, and worked mainly outside of music in the 1940s. By the early 1950s, he was playing music again, and was among the first to record for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, who would later record rock and roll superstars Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and country giant Johnny Cash. The early Big Walter recordings from Sun include performances from a young Phineas Newborn, Jr. on piano, who later gained fame as a jazz pianist.
During the early 1950s he first appeared on the Chicago blues scene, where he frequently played with fellow Memphis and Delta musicians who had also moved north, including guitarists Eddie Taylor and Johnny Shines. When Junior Wells left the Muddy Waters band at the end of 1952, Horton replaced him in Muddy's band long enough to play on one session with Muddy in January of 1953. Big Walter's style had by then fully matured, and he was playing in the heavily amplified style that became one of the trademarks of the Chicago blues sound. His harmonica playing is characterized by a deep, rich tone, and precise articulation, using the full register of the harp and utilizing the higher notes of the harp with great dexterity. His tone was consistently deeper or 'heavier' than Little Walter's, but with phrasing that was more in keeping with the Memphis traditions, and less adventurous and improvisational than the jazzier explorations employed by his chief harmonica rival Little Walter. He also made great use of techniques such as tongue-blocking. Many blues harmonica aficionados consider Horton's solo on Jimmy Rogers' 1956 Chess recording "Walking By Myself" to be his greatest moment, and a high point of post-war Chicago blues.
Also known as "Mumbles", and "Shakey" because of his head motion while playing the harmonica, Horton was active on the Chicago blues scene during the 1960s as blues music gained popularity with white audiences. From the early 1960s onward, he recorded and appeared frequently as a sideman with Eddie Taylor, Johnny Shines, Johnny Young, Sunnyland Slim, Willie Dixon and many others. He toured extensively, usually as a backing musician, and in the 1970s he performed at blues and folk festivals in the U.S. and Europe, frequently with Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars. He has also appeared as a guest on recordings by blues and rock stars such as Fleetwood Mac and Johnny Winter. In the late 1970's he toured the country with Homesick James Williamson, Richard Molina, Bradley Pierce Smith and Paul Nebenzahl, and appeared on National Public Radio broadcasts. His musical output was somewhat inconsistent over the course of his career, unpredictably wavering between brilliant and workmanlike, and much of his best work was done as a sideman. Some of the best compilations of his own work are Mouth-Harp Maestro and Fine Cuts. Also notable is the low-key but excellent Big Walter Horton and Carey Bell album released by Alligator Records in 1972.
A quiet, unassuming man,[citation needed] Horton is remembered as one of the most gifted harmonica players in the history of blues music. He died in Chicago in 1981, and was buried in the Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.
Look also Walter "Shakey" Horton.
Have A Good Time
Big Walter Horton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pray like Paul
Dumb as they come
That's all, that's all
Have a good time
Gonna Have a good time
We wanna have a good time,
We wanna rock n' roll all night long
Spend my money
upon my clothes
I never have to worry,
'Cause my hair just rolls
Have a good time
Ugh, Have a good time
We gonna have a good time,
We gonna rock n' roll all night long
Spend my money
upon my clothes
I never have to worry,
'Cause my hair just rolls
Have a good time
Ugh, Have a good time
We gonna have a good time,
We gonna rock n' roll all night long
Fish like Peter
Pray like Paul
Dumb as they come
That's all, that's all
Have a good time
Ugh, Have a good time
We gonna have a good time
We gonna rock n' roll all night long
Big Walter Horton's song "Have A Good Time" is a simple blues tune with a repeating chorus that exclaims a desire to have a good time and rock n' roll all night long. The lyrics are straightforward and easy to understand. The first two lines, "Fish like Peter, pray like Paul," refer to the apostles Peter and Paul from the Bible, suggesting that the singer is well-rounded and has a bit of both in him. The next two lines, "Dumb as they come, that's all, that's all," indicate that despite this well-roundedness, the singer is not particularly intelligent.
The final three verses all repeat each other, noting that the singer spends his money on clothes and never has to worry because his hair "just rolls" - meaning he has a good head of hair that always looks good. The song then returns to the repeating chorus, emphasizing the message of having a good time and rocking all night long.
Overall, the song is a fun and carefree anthem about enjoying oneself and not worrying about the mundane things in life. It has a simple message that speaks to the desire for a good time and celebrating that joy through music.
Line by Line Meaning
Fish like Peter
Be like Peter, who was a fisherman by trade.
Pray like Paul
Be like Paul, who became an apostle and preached the Gospel.
Dumb as they come
People may see us as simple and uneducated, but that's just how we are.
That's all, that's all
There's nothing more to it, it's just who we are.
Have a good time
Let's enjoy ourselves.
Gonna Have a good time
We are definitely going to have a good time.
We wanna have a good time,
We desire to have a good time.
We wanna rock n' roll all night long
We want to party and have a good time all night long.
Spend my money
I use my earned money to enjoy life.
upon my clothes
I invest in dressing myself up with the latest fashion.
I never have to worry,
I don't have to be troubled or anxious.
'Cause my hair just rolls
Because my wavy hair is always on point.
Ugh, Have a good time
Expressing enthusiasm for having a good time.
We gonna have a good time,
We are definitely going to have a good time.
We gonna rock n' roll all night long
We want to party and have a good time all night long.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID C LARUE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind