Walker was born in Linden, Texas of African and Cherokee descent. Walker's parents, Movelia Jimerson and Rance Walker, were both musicians. His stepfather, Marco Washington, taught him to play the guitar, ukulele, banjo, violin, mandolin and piano.
Early in the 1920s, the teenage Walker learned his craft among the street-strolling string bands of Dallas. His mother and stepfather (a member of the Dallas String Band) were musicians, and family friend Blind Lemon Jefferson sometimes joined the family for dinner. Walker left school at age 10, and by 15, he was a professional performer on the blues circuit. Initially, he was Jefferson's protégé and would guide him around town for his gigs. In 1929, Walker made his recording debut with a single for Columbia Records, "Wichita Falls Blues"/"Trinity River Blues," billed as Oak Cliff T-Bone. Oak Cliff was the community he lived in at the time and T-Bone a corruption of his middle name. Pianist Douglas Fernell was his musical partner for the record.
Walker married Vida Lee in 1935 and the couple had three children. By the age of 26 Walker was working the clubs in Los Angeles' Central Avenue, sometimes as the featured singer and guitarist with Les Hite's orchestra.
His distinctive sound developed in 1942 when Walker recorded "Mean Old World" for Capitol Records. Much of his output was recorded from 1946–1948 on Black & White Records, including 1947's "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad)", with its famous opening line, "They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad". He followed up with his "T-Bone Shuffle" and "Let Your Hair Down, Baby, Let's Have a Natural Ball". Both are considered blues classics.
Throughout his career Walker worked with the top quality musicians, including Teddy Buckner (trumpet), Lloyd Glenn (piano), Billy Hadnott (bass), and Jack McVea (tenor sax).
Following his work with Black & White, he recorded from 1950-54 for Imperial Records (backed by Dave Bartholomew). Walker's only record in the next five years was T-Bone Blues, recorded over three widely separated sessions in 1955, 1956 and 1959, and finally released by Atlantic Records in 1960.
By the early 1960s, Walker's career had slowed down, in spite of a hyped appearance at the American Folk Blues Festival in 1962 with Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon, among others. A few critically acclaimed albums followed, such as I Want a Little Girl. Walker recorded in his last years, 1968 - 1975, for Robin Hemingway's Jitney Jane Songs music publishing company, and he won a Grammy Award in 1971 for Good Feelin' (Polydor), produced by Robin Hemingway. "Fly Walker Airlines", Polydor, also produced by Hemingway, was released in 1973.
T-Bone Walker died in 1975, at the age of 64. He is interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
Walker's influence extended beyond his music. Chuck Berry called Walker and Louis Jordan (as well as Jordan's guitarist, Carl Hogan) his main influences. T-Bone Walker was the childhood hero of Jimi Hendrix, and Hendrix imitated some of Walker's ways throughout his life. Years before Hendrix, Walker was playing guitar with his teeth or in strange positions.
Walker was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987
High Society
T-Bone Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
she gets the best of everything
yes i got a society woman
she gets the best of everything
she lives in luxury
but she keeps me in the strings
well she want to be a cover girl
and make headlines in the news
i eat plain old kidney stew
i love my society woman
but love ain't worth the price i pay
i bought enough love to last me until my dying days
These lyrics describe the life of a man through the prism of his relationship with a woman who comes from a wealthy and respectable background. It is clear from the song that the man feels some sort of inferiority towards the woman because of her higher social status. The woman, on the other hand, seems to be fully aware of her advantage and uses it to get the best things in life for herself, often at the expense of her partner.
Despite all this, the man is deeply in love with the woman and willing to put up with the disadvantages of their relationship. He believes that even though love may not be enough to bridge the gap between them, it is still worth holding onto for as long as he can. Ultimately, the lyrics convey a message of sacrifice, compromise, and the complexities of relationships between people from different backgrounds and social classes.
Line by Line Meaning
i've got a society woman
I am in a relationship with a woman who is wealthy and part of high society.
she gets the best of everything
She has access to the finest things in life, such as luxurious clothing, accessories, and experiences.
yes i got a society woman
I am proud to have this woman in my life and part of my social circle.
she lives in luxury
She resides in a luxurious lifestyle that is comfortable and provides her with all of the amenities that she desires.
but she keeps me in the strings
Although she provides me with many comforts and benefits, I am still under her control and influence.
well she want to be a cover girl
She has ambitions to become a model and have her picture featured on the cover of popular magazines.
and make headlines in the news
She desires to be famous and have her name and image recognized on a national or international level.
she eats steaks and chicken
She indulges in expensive and high-quality food items such as steak and chicken.
i eat plain old kidney stew
I must settle for simpler and more affordable meals, such as kidney stew.
i love my society woman
I have genuine affection and admiration for this woman, despite the challenges and sacrifices that come with being in a relationship with her.
but love ain't worth the price i pay
Although my love for her is strong, the price I pay to be in this relationship, both financially and emotionally, may not be worth it in the end.
i bought enough love to last me until my dying days
I have invested enough money and effort into this relationship that should hopefully sustain me until the end of my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EVERETT JACK WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Keith Randall
Just great...so relaxed, superb sounds/recording. A classic, no less. Many thanks for posting this, my man TheBluesfan12
screwmaster404
T-Bone had some great horn players on his sessions.
58theoldman
JUST SO SMOOTH . I WAS 1 YEAR OLD THAN. LUV IT.
busessuck1
I thought T-bone was like 6ft 6", either that guitar's massive or he's real small... it's his sound that gives him the big presence, like Charley Patton
L dee
i heard some other performer doing HIGH SOCIETY...i didnt know T BONE was the OG artist! THIS SONG IS BAAD!! xoxo
L dee
This song is bad ass.!!
mrJimCharles
Otis Rush did a nice one of this on the live at Wise Fools record.
L dee
thank you for putting this up here =)
Neil Ross
T bone was recording with Dave Bartholemew's band around this time. So that's probably Dave on trumpet.
Neil Ross
T bone was jockey size.