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
Travelin' Blues
T-Bone Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
don't know where to go
i been everywhere baby
don't want to go back no more
left home when i was a kid
all i ever did was roam
now i want to settle down baby
but i ain't got no happy home
never been inside a passenger cart
the rods are all i know
so sorry baby
that i've got to go
so sorry baby
that i've got to go
by this time tomorrow i'll be a long ways down the road
The song "Travelin' Blues" by T-Bone Walker is about the life of a wanderer who has been on the road for a very long time. The singer is lost and doesn't know where he's going, but he does know that he's been everywhere and doesn't want to go back home. The lyrics express his desire to settle down, but it's clear that he doesn't have a happy home to return to. From the lines "left home when I was a kid, all I ever did was roam," we can understand that this is a life he was born into and has known since his childhood. He's become comfortable with traveling and doesn't know how to live any other way.
The singer mentions that he rides the cart from Chicago and has never been inside a passenger cart, highlighting the harsh reality of his situation. The rods are all he knows, and he doesn't have access to regular transportation. He says sorry to his lover, but he must go because he is compelled to travel. In conclusion, the song talks about the life of a wanderer who has become so accustomed to traveling that he doesn't know how to settle down or find happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
i been travellin travellin
I have been constantly moving from one place to another.
don't know where to go
I have no particular destination or purpose in my travels.
i been everywhere baby
I have traveled to numerous different locations.
don't want to go back no more
I have no desire to return to any of the places I have previously visited.
left home when i was a kid
I began traveling when I was young.
all i ever did was roam
Traveling and wandering is all I have ever known.
now i want to settle down baby
I now desire to have a stable home and life.
but i ain't got no happy home
Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a place where I feel comfortable and content.
i ride the cart from chicago
I have been traveling by freight train, not passenger train, from Chicago.
never been inside a passenger cart
I have only ever traveled on freight trains, and have not experienced traveling on a passenger train.
the rods are all i know
My main method of transportation has been by hopping onto freight trains.
so sorry baby
I feel remorseful, my dear.
that i've got to go
That I must leave and keep traveling.
by this time tomorrow i'll be a long ways down the road
Tomorrow, I will have traveled even farther away from you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: H EDDY OWENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Keith Randall
Yes Debra: there are two existing takes of this. This take (arguably the superior one) was issued as Travelling Blues.
Keith Randall
Debra : I take it back - this IS The Hustle Is On. I have discovered that Imperial Records made an error decades ago and called THIS track Travellin' Blues on at least two LPs, and this 45. The actual Travellin' Blues can be heard on The Complete T-Bone Walker set, which is posted on YouTube.
Debra Linton
this is the hustle