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
Stormy Monday
T-Bone Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They call it stormy Monday but Tuesday's just as bad
Wednesday's worse and Thursday's also sad
Yes, the eagle flies on Friday and Saturday I go out to play
Eagle flies on Friday and Saturday I go out to play
Sunday I go to church, then I kneel down and pray
Lord have mercy, my heart's in misery
Crazy about my baby, yes, send her back to me
The opening line of T-Bone Walker's classic blues tune, "Stormy Monday," sets the stage for what's to come: a series of depressing and heartbreaking observations on the ebb and flow of life. He notes how Tuesday is just as bad as Monday, Wednesday is even worse, and Thursday is also sad. The repetition of "they call it stormy Monday" serves to emphasize the relentlessness of life's struggles, as if there's no end to the challenges that we face. It's interesting to note how Walker uses weather as a metaphor for life's challenges, implying that just as a storm can't be avoided, neither can the problems that arise in our lives.
In the second half of the song, Walker shifts gears to talk about his own experiences. He notes that the eagle flies on Friday, and that's when he goes out to play. This seems to suggest that while life may be difficult, there are still moments of joy and freedom to be had. He balances this with another reference to Sunday, when he goes to church and prays for mercy. This adds another layer of complexity to the song, as it suggests that despite all the difficulties of life, there's still hope for redemption and grace.
Line by Line Meaning
They call it stormy Monday but Tuesday's just as bad
Mondays have a bad reputation, but Tuesdays are equally bad
Wednesday's worse and Thursday's also sad
As the week progresses, things get even worse
Yes, the eagle flies on Friday and Saturday I go out to play
On weekends, people enjoy themselves and take a break from work
Eagle flies on Friday and Saturday I go out to play
On weekends, people enjoy themselves and take a break from work
Sunday I go to church, then I kneel down and pray
On Sundays, people go to church and pray for guidance and strength
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me
Asking for God's mercy and help to get through difficult times
Lord have mercy, my heart's in misery
Expressing deep emotional pain and asking for relief
Crazy about my baby, yes, send her back to me
Expressing strong love and desire for a lost or distant partner
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Aaron T-Bone Walker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bikersoncall
I would agree, certainly among the top
5, I love Bobby Blands vocal treatment
of this song, and his arrangement was
9 times better than the original, with the
classy chord changes. Best Blues singer
of all time was Greg Allman.
I grew up listening to the Allman Bros
recording of this song, same arrangement
as Bobby's, what a masterpiece. They are
all missed, incredible talents.
@bikersoncall
@@grantsmythe8625 Yeah, and Dickie
never got the credit that he deserved,
'back in the day' all we had was
recordings and live performances, so
it was hard to know who was doing
what in a given song. Both him and
Duane were top notch. I think the biggest
selling single was Dickie's song;
Ramblin Man, not my favorite from the
Allmans but a fantastic song, seemed
a bit out of character to me for the
AB's but really a great song, from an
incredible player.
@rudtn98
They call it stormy Moday, but Tuesday's just as bad
They call it stormy Moday, but Tuesday's just as bad
Wednesday's worse, and Thursday's also sad
Yes the eagle flies on Friday, and Saturday I go out to play
Eagle flies on Friday, and Saturday I go out to play
Sunday I go to church, then I kneel down and pray
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me
Lord have mercy, my heart's in misery
Crazy about my baby, yes, send her back to me
@porkpiehatt4307
I played bari sax on a recording by Mr. Walker in 1966. That was a big deal for me as a teenager. I guess it still is.
@funkality
You're the fkin man! Ppl don't really know how much of a bad ass Mr T-bone was. What year is this recording?
@jonathanalpart7812
You're goddamn right it is.
@busterlives
Hey Mr. Hatt, want to be interviewed for a book where I discuss T-Bone Walker?
@jonsills5783
That's Cool!
@porkpiehatt4307
@@funkality 1966
@MsABryan
My good friend Albee used to sing this to me at work. RIP Albee. Still stormy Mondays and especially without you. <3
@jonnehayesjr.9299
Condolences 🙏🏾
@calebjones5895
The Resurrection day and a better world will come: See Psalm 37:29, John 5:28-29, Revelation 21:4 🌎
@kathrynlivermore5343
Brezzy and smooth flowing. Fantastic.