Walker was either born Autry DeWalt II or re-christened such following an earlier name, Oscar G. Mixon, on June 14, 1931. Although he mastered the crawl and the toddle, "Junior Walker" got that moniker not from frequent roaming but from his father, Roosevelt Walker. Still, after his family moved from Blytheville, Arkansas to South Bend, Indiana, people started noticing his special rhythms. In his new home, he could pursue his lifelong specialty: music. With his trusty tenor saxophone, Junior Walker blew through high school and nearby R&B and jazz clubs with the Jumping Jacks.
Yet he wasn't so focused on a straight-ahead path that he couldn't stop and appreciate others' talents, including those of organist Fred Patton and, later, blues guitarist Willie Woods.
After the rotating door of sidemen got its first spin, Junior Walker took the lead and served as the axis of what would become his signature band.
Having gigged in upper Indiana and lower Michigan, Walker settled down in the latter state. Late-1950s Battle Creek was the birthplace of what would officially be known as Jr. Walker and the All Stars: Woods, organist Vic Thomas, and Tony Washington on drums.
Here comes the inevitable Hitsville connection! Singer Johnny Bristol watched Jr. Walker and the All Stars during an El Grotto club performance. After wiping the sizzling grease off his brow, he told pal Harvey Fuqua about the band.
In 1961, Harvey the label hired the squealing saxophonist and his rip-roaring rhythm section. Records like "Cleo's Mood" established their promise before Motown acquired Harvey's roster and, in 1964, the band, which still featured Woods, Thomas, and Washington with Walker.
Jack Douglas, then James Graves, later took Washington's drum seat. It was the 1965 lineup of Walker, Thomas, Graves, and Woods that rode "Shotgun" to the top of the charts.
If Junior Walker had thought he could foresee his professional course, then Motown had found a way to catch him off guard. A vocalist's no-show for "Shotgun" had forced horn man Walker to lay the vocal track. To his bewilderment, Motown had kept it.
Whether he wanted it or not, the country would know him as singer-saxophonist Junior Walker.
Nonetheless, soul-selling was a good thing for Jr. Walker and the All Stars. They stuck to their forte--R&B instrumentals--and made some noise with originals like "Shake and Fingerpop" as well as in-house covers like "How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)." (For the band's mainly Motown discography, click here.) Graves went lickety-split in '66. Hits like "(I'm a) Road Runner" kept the group running on high-octane fuel. After a series of boogie-able party tunes, it was, perhaps, time to dribble syrup into the frying pan.
Doesn't sound appealing? Junior Walker wasn't enthused about the ballad "What Does It Take (to Win Your Love)" himself. Though he'd continued to insert vocals on his records, he didn't want to really, you know, carry a sweet tune!
Producers Bristol and Fuqua prevailed in the studio, as did Jr. Walker and the All Stars on the charts. As far as Top 5ers went, that 1969 song and their first Motown hit were poles apart. Pieces like "Gotta Hold on to This Feeling" and "Hip City, Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2" maintained their stylistic seesaw.
The band had gotten a late start at Motown compared to other acts. But that didn't delay its fading Pop-ularity in the 1970s. Thankfully, the R&B market hadn't shrugged it off. And regardless of commercial clout, Jr. Walker and the All Stars' raucous soul influenced many grateful funkmeisters that decade.
In the mid-to-late '70s, Junior Walker tried his horn at solo works with producer Brian Holland (Hot Shot), and then on Norman Whitfield's self-named label (Back Street Boogie). Still, by 1981, the world had found other musical idols.
That year heralded another unexpected turn. A band he didn't know from a genre he hadn't tried convinced him to guest-play on one of its songs. So, after one listen and with one take, he did. That improvised solo, during the refrain of Foreigner's "Urgent," was so outstanding that it brought Walker a new concert standard as well as a nice fee. As if he really did Blow the House Down at Motown, that 1983 album signified the end of Junior Walker's recording days.
So what did he do for the next decade? What he did second-best (if singing didn't count): He walked, or rather, roamed the globe, touring with his All Stars or his own junior, Autry DeWalt III, on drums.
Those were the '80s and '90s. Part of the latter, anyway: Cancer struck Junior Walker in 1993. Reportedly, as time went on, he had trouble with not only performing, but also walking.
On November 23, 1995, the disease extinguished the All Stars' leading light.
Walker's side men have kept the party going. Death has taken key members, like James Graves as early as 1967, and Willie Woods 30 years later from lung cancer.
But surviving Motown originals Thomas and Washington and musicians like saxophonist Kenny Walker and percussionist Acklee King have known not to give it up as part of "Jr Walkers Allstar Band" (note the official, legal name without some punctuation).
The singing--of praises--has continued with the group's 2002 induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "Shotgun."
Silence is especially disturbing if the music that once filled it was so lively. So go ahead, pop in and turn up that Jr. Walker and the All Stars record. No surprises, no new twists. Just some of the most pleasurably blistering foot-stompers on this end of the soul griddle.
(http://www.soullyoldies.com/jr-walker-and-the-all-stars.html)
Get Ready
Jr. Walker & The All Stars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(it's alright)
Whenever I'm asked who makes my dreams real
I say that you do
(you're outta sight)
So fee fi fo fum
Look out baby 'cause here I come
So get ready
I'm gonna try to make love to you so get ready
So get ready here I come
I'm on my way
If you wanna play hide and seek with love let me remind you
(it's alright)
The loving you're gonna miss and the time it takes to find you
(it's outta sight)
So fiddle-lee-dee fiddle-lee-dum
Look out baby 'cause here I come
And I'm bringing you a love that's true so get ready
So get ready
I'm gonna try to make love to you so get ready
So get ready here I come
I'm on my way
All my friends shouldn't want me to I understand it
(be alright)
I hope I'll get to you before they do the way I planned it
(be outta sight)
So twiddle-dee-dee twiddle dee dum
Look out baby 'cause here I come
And I'm bringing you a love that's true so get ready
So get ready
I'm gonna try to make love to you so get ready
So get ready here I come.
I'm on my way.
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
The lyrics to Jr. Walker & The All Stars' song "Get Ready" express the singer's deep admiration and affection for a particular girl who has captured his heart. He states that he has never met anyone who makes him feel the way she does, emphasizing her significance in his life. When asked who makes his dreams come true, he confidently declares that she is the one. The repetition of "you're outta sight" and "it's alright" conveys a sense of excitement and joy that she brings to his life.
The singer expresses his intention to pursue a romantic relationship with this girl ("I'm gonna try to make love to you"). He uses playful language such as "fee fi fo fum," "fiddle-lee-dee fiddle-lee-dum," and "twiddle-dee-dee twiddle dee dum" to create a lighthearted and rhythmic atmosphere. It's as if he is playfully warning her to get ready for the love he is about to bring into her life. The repeated line "so get ready, here I come" emphasizes his determination and his eagerness to start this romantic journey with her.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of anticipation, love, and excitement. The song celebrates the thrill of newfound love and the desire to embark on a romantic adventure with someone who has captured their heart.
Line by Line Meaning
I never met a girl who makes me feel the way that you do (it's alright)
I have never encountered a girl who can evoke the same emotions within me as you do. And it's absolutely fine.
Whenever I'm asked who makes my dreams real, I say that you do (you're outta sight)
Whenever someone inquires about who brings my dreams to life, I proudly declare that it is you. You are amazing.
So fee fi fo fum
Expressing a sense of anticipation and excitement.
Look out baby 'cause here I come
Be prepared, my love, because I am approaching with determination and purpose.
And I'm bringing you a love that's true so get ready
I am offering you a genuine and sincere love, so be prepared to receive it.
So get ready
Prepare yourself for what is about to happen.
I'm gonna try to make love to you so get ready
I will make an effort to express my love physically, so be prepared for that.
I'm on my way
I am currently en route to you.
If you wanna play hide and seek with love let me remind you (it's alright)
If you wish to engage in a game of hiding and seeking emotions, let me reassure you that it's okay.
The loving you're gonna miss and the time it takes to find you (it's outta sight)
You will regret missing out on the love that will come your way and the amount of time it will take to locate it will be incredible.
So fiddle-lee-dee fiddle-lee-dum
Conveying a playful and lively attitude.
All my friends shouldn't want me to I understand it (be alright)
I comprehend that my friends might desire me as well, but it's okay.
I hope I'll get to you before they do the way I planned it (be outta sight)
I hope to reach you before they do, just as I had envisioned. It will be fantastic.
So twiddle-dee-dee twiddle dee dum
Expressing a sense of playfulness and excitement.
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
Prepare yourself, my love, because I am about to make my presence known, my boy.
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
Be prepared, my love, because I am approaching, my boy.
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
Prepare yourself, my love, because I am about to make my presence known, my boy.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: William Robinson Jr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Oswald
What a fabulous all time track. It will live on long after I've gone.
sprotteshj
Me too … From here to eternity … And beyond … In a better world than this …
Peter Balac
Jesus, this song made the hair on the back of my neck stand up! Marston club 1973 what a great song. My son loves this song he's 20 just goes to show a great song will always be appreciated
sprotteshj
Yeahhhh … !
Rob Beadle
stunning
Rosemary Cosby
I LOVE to hear his sax- Jr. Walker was one of the VERY BEST.
david leaper
Incredible piece of music
Chauncy Washington
No one can estimate the value of Jr.'s contribution to the music world.....no one had a greater influence on kids wanting to play the sax...he brought a new dimension to the pop, soul, and r&b genre, in contrast to the british invasion, although his style of Northern Soul was sought after in the European market. He brought an interesting smoothness and polish to the elemental forms of his music....Jr. was pure class, he never failed to give his all..100% to his audiences. Jr.'s horn was unmistakably his, unique...that great sound was his and his alone.
Adrian Cooke
Is there anything more exhilarating than Junior Walker at his best?
JOHN, JR. Bennett
what makes Jr. Walker songs so exhilarating is when he sings he is living what he is singing about, a lot of his songs still gives me goose bumps every time i hear them