Jr. Walker & The All Stars was an American soul band led by saxophonist Jun… Read Full Bio ↴Jr. Walker & The All Stars was an American soul band led by saxophonist Junior Walker. They were one of the Motown signature acts in the 1960s. Originally "The Rhythm Rockers," 1965 saw the release of their signature hit "Shotgun". They remained active on the charts through to 1972, disbanding in 1979.
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)
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)
Riding High On Love
Jr. Walker & The All Stars Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Jr. Walker & The All Stars:
(I'm a) Road Runner {{ArtistHeader | star = Green | wikipedia = Jr. Walker & The…
(I'm a) Roadrunner Money, who needs it? Just to live my life free and…
6 By 6 Moro vi har fra morgen til kveld Da er det så…
A Place In The Sun Wild apple trees blooming all around I must be in a…
Ain't That The Truth Hey man, what's wrong with you Hey man... play some blues! …
Ain't Too Proud to Beg I know you wanna leave me But I refuse to let…
And When I Die And when I die and when I'm dead, dead and…
Anyway You Wanna This is what you do This is what you do This is…
Anyway You Wannta Monday, barely Monday Lumbering through the home Pretend I'm…
Baby Don't Cha Worry Sip my drink, you got your glass of wine But I…
Baby You Know You Ain't Right What makes me treat you the way I do Gee,…
Blowin' In The Wind I Just Watched My Savior …
Brainwasher Rose print underwear Curly curly blonde blonde hair Shine li…
Come See About Me I've been crying 'Cause I'm lonely (for you) Smiles have all…
Cos You Know Me We lost in translation I'm honestly runnin' out of patience …
Country Boy Hey, bitch from New York City With them fake California…
Country Girl I love me a good country girl Something about her But, you…
Devil in the Bottle I come home late at night with my boots in…
Do I Love You Though you don't call anymore I sit and wait in vain I…
Do The Boomerang Now, you step to the left, baby You step to the…
Do You See My Love Oh, ooh, woo Bop, bop bi-a, bop, bop bi-a Woo, hoo, hoo,…
Don't Blame The Children Ever since the lucky night I found you I've hung around…
Everybody Get Together I'm falling in love with you I'm falling in love with…
Expressin' My Love Hello, my love How do you feel あなたのために今夜も眠れない 誰にこの身をささげよか そ…
Get Ready I never met a girl who makes me feel the…
Gotta Hold On To This Feeling The day without the shining sun Is a day without your…
Here Comes The Judge Here comes the heartache, the move out date Excuses for my…
Here Comes The Night Here comes the night, see the stars in the sky Shining…
Hewbie Steps Out (HOOK) I DONE SEEN SO McNY LEcVE ON SOMEBODY ELSES TERMS…
Hey Jude Hey Jude, don't make it bad Take a sad song and…
Hip City Hip City PT II …
Hip City Live Well, it's hard to live, it's hard to live in…
Holly Holy Holly holy eyes Dream of only you Where I am, what I…
Home Cookin I need home, home cookin', yeah! I need home, home cookin',…
Home Cookin' I need home, home cookin', yeah! I need home, home cookin',…
Honey Come Back Though you don't call anymore I sit and wait in vain I…
How Sweet It Is How sweet it is to be loved by you How sweet…
How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You) How sweet it is to be loved by you [C…
How Sweet It Is Live How sweet it is to be loved by you How sweet…
How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You How sweet it is to be loved by you How sweet…
I Couldn't Cry If I Wanted To cYE RIDIN' SOLO I'M ScVING SOULS TONIGHT IF SHE HIT ME…
I Found That Girl The girl that I marry will have to be As soft…
I Love You Madly (はっと見りゃ湘南御母堂) 華やかな女が通る まぼろしの世界は 陽に灼けた少女のように 身も心も溶ける Every n…
I Need You Though you don't call anymore I sit and wait in vain I…
I'm A Road Runner Money, who needs it Let me live a life free and…
I'm A Road Runner Baby Money, who needs it Let me live a life free and…
I'm So Glad Hear that lonesome whippoorwill? He sounds too blue to fly. …
If You Can Want I want you, I want you I want you any way…
Indiana Wants Me Now that we are friends I really do like your style You…
It Takes Two What does it take to win your love for me? How…
It's Alright Do What You Gotta Do Man, I can understand how it might be Kind of hard…
It's Too Late Stayed in bed all mornin' just to pass the time. There's…
Just Can't Get Enough There's crime in the city streets Always trouble in the midd…
Just The Way You Are Don't go changin' just to try to please me You never…
Keep On Lovin' Me I remember when it all began You couldn't keep your body Fro…
Last Call We've been talking for a while And I think I like…
Love 夜明けの街ですれ違うのは 月の残骸と昨日の僕さ 二度と戻れない境界を越えた後で 嗚呼 この胸は疼いてる 振り向くたびに…
Love Ain't Enough Listen to the rain a-fallin' Can't you hear that lonesome so…
Love's Gone Bad There was a time I was feeling so hopeless, It's a…
mark anthony Today was a day for the mother to meet the…
Me And My Family Super, if they could see me now That little gang of…
Money The best things in life are free But you can keep…
Moonlight In Vermont Pennies in a stream Falling leaves, a sycamore Moonlight in …
Mother You Smother You Mother I love you And I know that you love me…
My Baby Loves Me My baby loves me, oh yeah My baby needs me,…
My Lonely World Welcome To My World Verse 1 : Zee Avi Can we go…
My Love Hello, my love How do you feel あなたのために今夜も眠れない 誰にこの身をささげよか そ…
My My My 俺と寝ろ我 雑踏に消えろ 舌の根を勃て舐めくわえろ 婦女食わんど知恵熱 飲ます精で ちと鼻炎 うなされど願う慕情 生ま…
Neither One Of Us Your hearts been playing tricks on you It's pulsing in and…
Never Can Say Goodbye I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now Never…
No Greater Love I've had some trouble, I've felt much pain But through it…
Oh Be My Love Be my love, for no one else can end this…
One More Heartache You're back in town again spreadin' talk around That I'm sti…
Peace And Understanding I aint diggin what im seeing People dying cant believe it Yo…
Probe Your Mind If the wife and I are fussin', brother, that's alright 'Cau…
Pucker Up Buttercup Intro: [sax solo over chorus chords] Pucker up, Buttercup…
Right on Brother and Sisters Brothers need sisters, sisters need brothers All need the m…
Road Runner Money, who needs it Let me live a life free and…
Roadrunner Money, who needs it Let me live a life free and…
Save Me You fell out your mama's puss and I cried them…
Shake & Fingerpop Now, we're gonna rock you We're gonna roll, you With my so…
Shake And Fingerpop Said put on your wig, woman Were goin' out to…
Shake Me Wake Me Feeling my way through the darkness Guided by a beating hear…
Shoot Your Shot say, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah Yeah-yeah, shoot your shot What I m…
Shot Gun I said shotgun shoot 'em 'fore he run now do…
Something When an irresistible force Such as you Meets an old immova…
Something you got Something you got, baby Makes me work all day Something you …
Stand By Me When the night has come. And the land is dark, And the…
Standing In The Shadows Of Love Standing in the shadows of love Waiting for the heartaches t…
Stop! In the Name of Love One man come in the name of love, One man come…
Take Me Girl, I'm Ready Take me as I am Someone you don't know Even in the…
Take This Heart Of Mine I remember the photo we took Cause you taped it in…
The Happening So its done, I'm tossed into an open world i…
These Eyes These eyes cry every night for you. These arms long to…
This Old Heart Of Mine I remember the photo we took Cause you taped it in…
Three Four Three Where she at? Where she at? (Awww) Where your friend go? Who…
Until You Come Back To Me Though you don't call anymore I sit and wait in vain I…
US I need you in my life I need you by my…
Walk In The Night walk in the night (repeated)…
Way Back Home Oh, there's good 'n bad things About the South, boy Oh, and…
What A Day What if I told you my whole blueprint Would you think…
What Does It Take What does it take to win your love for me? How…
What Does It Take (to Win Your Love) {35 seconds of sax intro} What does it take (What does it…
What Does It Take ? What does it take to win your love for me? How…
Where Did Our Love Go Baby, baby, baby don't leave me Ooh, please don't leave me…
Where Do We Go From Here Slowly but surely I've watched your love die now you run…
Where Were You Where were you When the rain came down Where were you that…
Who's Lovin' You 最終電車がもうすぐ 二人の距離を 果てしなくしてしまうよ その一歩踏み出したら 一体どれだけ離れてしまうの 愛してる 大…
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life You are the sunshine of my life That's why I'll always…
You Haven't Done Nothin' We are amazed but not amused By all the things you…
You Keep Me Hangin' On I feel unwanted I feel neglected I'm feeling famished due to…
You're All I Need To Get By [Chorus] You're all I need, every breath you breathe through…
You're The Loser Now Oh, all the battles that I've won They don't matter now…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Jr. Walker:
Back Street Boogie Yall know my body I don't even know why yall playing…
Darling Come Back Home You want to go away Say you want to leave today What…
Don't Let Me Go Astray I’m so sorry For everything I did (For everything I did) I…
Everything Good To You I believe in you I believe in you I believe everything every…
Gotta Hold On To This Feeling The day without the shining sun Is a day without your…
Hole In The Wall Yeah, my bucket's got a hole in it Yeah, my bucket's…
How Sweet It Is How sweet it is to be loved by you How sweet…
My Love Excuse me Know your tired of excuses You've been tryna get m…
Pucker up buttercup Pucker up, buttercup I wanna kiss you one time Pucker up, …
Road Runner Money, who needs it Let me live a life free and…
Shake and Fingerpop Said put on your wig, woman Were goin' out to…
Shoot Your Shot I say, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, shoot your shot,…
What Does It Take What does it take to win your love for me? How…
Wishing on A Star Wishing on a star Anybody can Everybody has Since the world …
You Can Run But You Can't Hide Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
We have lyrics for these tracks by The All Stars:
Blue Skies Blue skies smilin' at me Nothin' but blues skies do I…
Blue Turning Grey Over You Gee, how I miss Your tender kiss, And the wonderful things w…
Body and Soul My heart is sad and lonely For you I sigh, for…
C Jam Blues Baby, take me down to Duke's place Wildest box in town…
Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans And…
Down in the Boots Way down yonder in New Orleans In the land of the…
Ev'rything I've Got I've got you under my skin. I've got you deep in…
Get out of Town The farce was ended, The curtains drawn, And I at least pret…
Guitar Man Everyone wants to play Oh, oh, the guitar man Strummin' the …
How Sweet It Is How sweet it is to be loved by you How sweet…
I Am on Top I am your singer 僕の生きがいは 数えきれないその笑顔 「愛の詩」も「魂の声」も あなたがくれた プレゼ…
Oh Lady Be Good Listen to my tale of woe, It's terribly sad but…
On My Mind 夜毎 彼女の telephone number 涙ながらに問いかける 飲み過ぎて君をからかいがちに いきなり抱きすくめた…
Once in a While Once in a while will you try to give One little…
Out of This World If this world were mine, I'd place at your feet All…
Rose Room I want to take you to a little room A little…
Shotgun I said shotgun shoot 'em 'fore he run now do…
Swing Low Sweet Chariot I looked over Jordan and what did I see? Comin' for…
The Man I Love (はっと見りゃ湘南御母堂) 華やかな女が通る まぼろしの世界は 陽に灼けた少女のように 身も心も溶ける Every n…
They Got to Come Well they tell me I'm a pie up in the…
Tin Roof Blues Yes, a New Orleans woman She's alright with me I said New…
What Does It Take What does it take to win your love for me? How…
When It’s Sleepy Time Down South Homesick tired All alone in a big city Why should…
Whispering Whispering while you cuddle near me Whispering so no one can…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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