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
T-Bone Blues
T-Bone Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes I love my baby, she's so mean to me
I'm gonna change my way of living baby, move across the deep blue sea
You know you didn't want me baby, when you climbed up on my knee
You were drinkin' moonshine whiskey mama, tryin' to jive poor me
Yes I love you, yes I love you, yes I love, and I don't care what you do
Brownskin woman, who might you're good man be
Say the reason why I ask you baby, you sure look good to me
T-Bone Walker's song "T-Bone Blues" is a blues classic that reflects the pain and emotional turmoil caused by a failing romantic relationship. The lyrics describe T-Bone's love for his partner despite the fact that she is mean to him. He acknowledges that he needs to make changes in his life, including moving away from her. In the second verse, T-Bone reflects on his partner's past mistreatment of him, including drinking alcohol and trying to manipulate him with jive talk. However, despite everything, he still loves her and doesn't care what she does.
The third verse introduces a new character, a "brownskin woman." T-Bone expresses his admiration for her and asks about her relationship status, suggesting that she could be a good match for him. Overall, the song is a heartfelt representation of the struggles of love and relationships, particularly in the context of the blues genre.
Line by Line Meaning
I love my baby, she's so mean to me
Despite my partner's cruel behavior towards me, I still have feelings of affection towards her
Yes I love my baby, she's so mean to me
I confirm that I am indeed fond of my partner, despite her mistreatment towards me
I'm gonna change my way of living baby, move across the deep blue sea
In response to my partner's cruel behavior, I plan to make a major life change by moving far away from her
You know you didn't want me baby, when you climbed up on my knee
I am aware that my partner may have had selfish motivations when she showed me affection in the past
You were drinkin' moonshine whiskey mama, tryin' to jive poor me
I suspect that my partner may have pretended to have romantic interest in me while under the influence of alcohol
Yes I love you, yes I love you, yes I love, and I don't care what you do
Although my partner mistreats me, I cannot help but love her despite her flaws
Brownskin woman, who might you're good man be
I am curious to know who the lucky man is that gets to be with this attractive woman
Brownskin woman, who might you're good man be
I am impressed by the physical appearance of this woman with brown skin
Say the reason why I ask you baby, you sure look good to me
I express my admiration for this woman and inquire about her relationship status to see if she is available to be with me
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