Tired of the generic electric guitar blues of the mid-1940s, Little Walter introduced to blues a new sound by simply combining the use of a guitar amp, mic, and a harmonica; a technique used among harmonica musicians to this day. He made his first released recordings in 1947 for Bernard Abram's tiny Ora-Nelle label, which operated out of the back room of the Abrams' Maxwell Radio and Records store in the heart of the Maxwell Street market area in Chicago. Little Walter thus became the first musician to use electric distortion on purpose. Little Walter is widely regarded as the best harmonica player ever, and you can hear much of his talent accompanying Muddy Waters's repertoire from the 50's, as well as his own numerous and successful recordings of that time.
Jacobs is generally included among blues music greats: his revolutionary harmonica technique has earned comparisons to Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix in its impact: There were great musicians before and after, but Jacobs' virtuosity and musical innovations reached heights of expression never previously imagined, and fundamentally altered many listeners' expectations of what was possible on blues harmonica. His body of work earned Little Walter a spot in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the sideman category on March 10, 2008, making him the only artist so honored specifically for his work as a harmonica player.
Jacobs made his first released recordings in 1947 for Bernard Abrams' tiny Ora-Nelle label, which operated out of the back room of Abrams' Maxwell Radio and Records store in the heart of the Maxwell Street market area in Chicago. These and several other early Little Walter recordings, like many blues harp recordings of the era, owed a strong stylistic debt to pioneering blues harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee Williamson). Little Walter joined Muddy Waters' band in 1948, and by 1950, he was playing acoustic (unamplified) harmonica on Muddy's recordings for Chess Records. The first appearance on record of amplified harmonica was Little Walter's performance on Muddy's "Country Boy" (Chess 1452), recorded on July 11, 1951. For years after his departure from Muddy's band in 1952, Chess continued to hire Little Walter to play on Waters' recording sessions, and as a result his harmonica is featured on most of Muddy's classic recordings from the 1950s.[8] As a guitarist, Little Walter recorded three songs for the small Parkway label with Muddy Waters and Baby Face Leroy Foster (reissued on CD as "The Blues World of Little Walter" from Delmark Records in 1993), as well as on a session for Chess backing pianist Eddie Ware; his guitar work was also featured occasionally on early Chess sessions with Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers.
Jacobs had put his career as a bandleader on hold when he joined Muddy's band, but stepped back out front once and for all when he recorded as a bandleader for Chess's subsidiary label Checker Records on 12 May 1952. The first completed take of the first song attempted at his debut session became his first hit, spending eight weeks in the number-one position on the Billboard R&B chart – the song was "Juke", and it is still the only harmonica instrumental ever to become a number-one hit on the Billboard R&B. (Three other harmonica instrumentals by Little Walter also reached the Billboard R&B top 10: "Off the Wall" reached number eight, "Roller Coaster" achieved number six, and "Sad Hours" reached the number-two position while Juke was still on the charts.) "Juke" was the biggest hit to date for Chess and its affiliated labels, and one of the biggest national R&B hits of 1952, securing Walter's position on the Chess artist roster for the next decade.
Little Walter scored fourteen top-ten hits on the Billboard R&B charts between 1952 and 1958, including two number-one hits (the second being "My Babe" in 1955), a level of commercial success never achieved by his former boss Waters, nor by his fellow Chess blues artists Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson II. Following the pattern of "Juke", most of Little Walter's single releases in the 1950s featured a vocal performance on one side, and a harmonica instrumental on the other. Many of Walter's vocal numbers were originals which he or Chess A&R man Willie Dixon wrote or adapted and updated from earlier blues themes. In general, his sound was more modern and uptempo than the popular Chicago blues of the day, with a jazzier conception and less rhythmically rigid approach than other contemporary blues harmonica players.
Upon his departure from Muddy Waters' band in 1952, he recruited a young band that was already working steadily in Chicago backing Junior Wells, The Aces, as his new backing band. The Aces consisted of brothers David Myers and Louis Myers on guitars, and drummer Fred Below, and were re-christened "The Jukes" on most of the Little Walter records on which they appeared. By 1955 the members of The Aces / Jukes had each left Little Walter to pursue other opportunities, initially replaced by guitarists Robert "Junior" Lockwood and Luther Tucker, and drummer Odie Payne. Jr. Others who worked in Little Walter's recording and touring bands in the '50s included guitarists Jimmie Lee Robinson and Freddie Robinson. Little Walter also occasionally included saxophone players in his touring bands during this period, among them a young Albert Ayler, and even Ray Charles on one early tour. By the late 1950s, Little Walter no longer employed a regular full-time band, instead hiring various players as needed from the large pool of local blues musicians in Chicago.
Jacobs was frequently utilized on records as a harmonica accompanist behind others in the Chess stable of artists, including Jimmy Rogers, John Brim, Rocky Fuller, Memphis Minnie, The Coronets, Johnny Shines, Floyd Jones, Bo Diddley, and Shel Silverstein, and on other record labels backing Otis Rush, Johnny Young, and Robert Nighthawk.
Jacobs suffered from alcoholism and had a notoriously short temper, which in late 1950s led to a series of violent altercations, minor scrapes with the law, and increasingly irresponsible behavior. This led to a decline in his fame and fortunes beginning in the late 1950s, although he did tour Europe twice, in 1964 and 1967. (The long-circulated story that he toured the United Kingdom with The Rolling Stones in 1964 has since been refuted by Keith Richards). The 1967 European tour, as part of the American Folk Blues Festival, resulted in the only film/video footage of Little Walter performing that is known to exist. Footage of Little Walter backing Hound Dog Taylor and Koko Taylor on a television program in Copenhagen, Denmark on 11 October 1967 was released on DVD in 2004. Further video of another recently discovered TV appearance in Germany during this same tour, showing Little Walter performing his songs "My Babe", "Mean Old World", and others were released on DVD in Europe in January 2009, and is the only known footage of Little Walter singing. Other TV appearances in the UK (in 1964) and the Netherlands (in 1967) have been documented, but no footage of these has been uncovered. Jacobs recorded and toured only infrequently in the 1960s, playing mainly in and around Chicago.
In 1967 Chess released a studio album featuring Little Walter with Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters titled Super Blues.
Death
A few months after returning from his second European tour, he was involved in a fight while taking a break from a performance at a nightclub on the South Side of Chicago. The relatively minor injuries sustained in this altercation aggravated and compounded damage he had suffered in previous violent encounters, and he died in his sleep at the apartment of a girlfriend at 209 E. 54th St. in Chicago early the following morning. The official cause of death indicated on his death certificate was "coronary thrombosis" (a blood clot in the heart); evidence of external injuries was so insignificant that police reported that his death was of "unknown or natural causes", and there were no external injuries noted on the death certificate. His body was buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Evergreen Park, IL on February 22, 1968. His grave remained unmarked until 1991, when fans Scott Dirks and Eomot Rasun had a marker designed and installed.
[Legacy
Music journalist Bill Dahl described Little Walter as "king of all post-war blues harpists", who "took the humble mouth organ in dazzling amplified directions that were unimaginable prior to his ascendancy." His legacy has been enormous: he is widely credited by blues historians as the artist primarily responsible for establishing the standard vocabulary for modern blues and blues rock harmonica players. His influence can be heard in varying degrees in virtually every modern blues harp player who came along in his wake, from blues greats such as Junior Wells, James Cotton, George "Harmonica" Smith, Carey Bell, and Big Walter Horton, through modern-day masters Sugar Blue, Billy Branch, Kim Wilson, Rod Piazza, William Clarke, and Charlie Musselwhite, in addition to blues-rock crossover artists such as Paul Butterfield and John Popper of the band Blues Traveler. Little Walter was portrayed in the 2008 film, Cadillac Records, by Columbus Short.
Little Walter's daughter, Marion Diaz Reacco, has established the Little Walter Foundation in Chicago, to preserve the legacy and genius of Little Walter. The foundation aims to create programs for the creative arts, including music, animation and video.
Stephen King's novel, Under the Dome, also features a character named Little Walter Bushey, based on Little Walter.
You
Little Walter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Left me here to cry
Now I love her
Know she's my desire
Know she's my desire
Know she's my desire
Know she's my desire
Know she's my desire
Came home this mo'nin
'Bout half past four
Found that note
Lyin' on my floor
"Goin' away and leave you
You just don't know"
Heard some bad talk
Somethin' that you said
Somethin' that you said
Somethin' that you said
Come on back, baby
Honey, please don't go
Well, I love you
You'll never know
You'll never know
You'll never know
You'll never know
My kind-a baby
You know it's so
I could tell you
You know it ain't no joke
Know it ain't no joke
Come on back, baby
Don't do me wrong
You know I love you
Please, come back home
Come on back home
Come on back home
Come on back home
The lyrics of "You'd Better Watch Yourself" by Little Walter and His Jukes is a warning to a potential love interest. The singer has given everything to this person - money, his heart, and material possessions like a Cadillac - and yet he is aware that she might leave him. The repetition of the phrase "You better watch yourself" emphasizes the gravity of the situation, and warns the other person that the singer is keeping watch.
In the first verse, the singer tells the person to watch themselves because he has his eyes on them. This could imply that he will take revenge if they try to cheat on him. He also warns the person not to steal his love and run away; if they do, they will have to face the consequences. The second verse describes how the person has left the singer and made him cry, despite knowing how much he loved her. The third verse indicates that the singer has given the person everything they wanted, and yet they are still unsure of their love for him.
Overall, the song is a warning to someone who might try to take advantage of the singer's feelings. It is a heartfelt plea to be faithful and trustworthy, or face the consequences of their actions. The repetition of the phrase "You better watch yourself" underscores the singer's vulnerability and determination to protect himself.
Line by Line Meaning
You better watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You better watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You better watch yourself,
Pay attention to your behavior
'Cause I've got my eyes on you
I'm keeping an eye on you
You can steal my love, and go away
You can leave me, taking away my love
Don't tell me you'll see me another day
Don't come back to me again
You got to watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You got to watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You got to watch yourself,
Pay attention to your behavior
'Cause I've got my eyes on you
I'm keeping an eye on you
You've gone and left me,
You have abandoned me,
You left me here to cry
You left me alone, crying
You know I love you,
You know I care about you
You know you might sigh
But you don't reciprocate my feelings
You got to watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You got to watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You got to watch yourself,
Pay attention to your behavior
'Cause I've got my eyes on you
I'm keeping an eye on you
I gave you all my money,
I provided you with all of my money,
Everything too
And everything else too
A fine Cadillac, tell me,
Even a fine car, tell me why?
Whatcha gonna do
What are you planning to do?
You got to watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You got to watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You got to watch yourself,
Pay attention to your behavior
'Cause I've got my eyes on you
I'm keeping an eye on you
Well the people are all talkin'
People are spreading rumors about us
All over town
All around the town
Say you don't love me,
They say you don't have feelings for me,
You're gonna let me down
You're going to disappoint me
You better watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You better watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You better watch yourself,
Pay attention to your behavior
'Cause I've got my eyes on you
I'm keeping an eye on you
Tell me what's the matter,
Tell me, what's wrong?
Whatcha gonna do?
What are you planning to do?
Well you're gonna quit me,
You are going to leave me,
Then you say you're thru
You tell me that we're done
You better watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You better watch yourself
Pay attention to your behavior
You better watch yourself,
Pay attention to your behavior
'Cause I've got my eyes on you
I'm keeping an eye on you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WALTER JACOBS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J. R.
Simplesmente BOM!
Dan Frechette
This is not only a great example of simple and perfect blues hamonica playing - it's also a FINE song.
Huedtunes
little walter is incredible, I thought butterfield was the best harp player till I heard this guy! He's butterfield's inspiration
Sherry the gypsy Salzman
This song always takes me to my happy place
Evelyn Roberts
When I was a teenager living in New York I used to play this song all of the time. Loved Little Walter and his music. Too bad he died so young, he did love to fight.
Danthecoinman
Walter wanna bust ass.
Evelyn Roberts
Little Walter (Marion Jacobs) loved to fight and drink, a bad combination. It's what took him out early as talented as he was. This song was a favorite of mine and I often think of how many more hits he might have made had he lived longer. Muddy tried to help him, but according to the movie Muddy did introduce him to drinking, he wasn't strong enough to handle the drinking. We all know that someone hit him in the head which caused possibly a brain injury that he could not overcome. I don't know the whole story of how he died, but he had got in a fight before he died. A bad temper is never a good thing
Don Deering
The booze story sounds like a story Junior Wells told about himself, when someone introduced him to alcohol (can't remember who, but it wasn't Muddy Waters).
Danthecoinman
@Smoothie That booze ...
Smoothie
That's just Hollywood shit. In the book Blues With A Feeling it's said he started drinking way before he came to know Muddy