Big Walter Horton

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风格: #芝加哥布鲁斯　#电声布鲁斯　#布鲁斯
地区: United States of America 美国

艺人介绍

by Steve Huey

Big Walter Horton, sometimes known as Shakey Walter Horton, is one of the most influential blues harmonica players of all time, and a particular pioneer in the field of amplified harmonica. He isnt as widely known as his fellow Chicago blues pioneers Little Walter or Sonny Boy Williamson II, due mostly to the fact that, as a rather shy, quiet individual, he never had much taste for leading his own bands or recording sessions. But his style was utterly distinctive, marked by an enormous, horn-like tone, virtuosic single-note lines, fluid phrasing, and an expansive sense of space. Hortons amplified harp work graced sides by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Rush, Johnny Shines, Tampa Red, and many others; he was frequently cited as an inspiration by younger players, and most accounts of his life mention a testimonial from legendary bassist/songwriter Willie Dixon, who once called Horton the best harmonica player I ever heard.

Horton was born April 6, 1917, in Horn Lake, MS, near Memphis. He began teaching himself to play the harmonica — a gift from his father — at age five, and moved with his mother to Memphis not long after, where he played in Handy Park (near the famed Beale Street) for tips. During his preteen years in the late 20s, he played — and likely recorded at least a couple of sides — with the Memphis Jug Band (as Shakey Walter); he also learned more about his craft from Will Shade, the Jug Bands main harmonica player, and Hammie Nixon, a cohort of Sleepy John Estes. Horton played wherever he could during the Depression — dances, parties, juke joints, street corners — and teamed up with the likes of Robert Johnson, Johnny Shines, Homesick James, and David Honeyboy Edwards, among others; he also worked as a sideman in several touring blues bands, including those of Ma Rainey and Big Joe Williams, and spent his first brief period in Chicago. In 1939, he backed guitarist Charlie Little Buddy Doyle on some sessions for Columbia. Around the same time (according to Horton himself), he began to experiment with amplifying his harmonica, which if accurate may have made him the first to do so.

However, Horton largely dropped out of music for much of the 40s, working a variety of odd jobs to make ends meet (although he reportedly gave pointers to both Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson II during this era). He returned to active duty in 1948, playing with the young B.B. King; the following year, he hooked up with bandleader Eddie Taylor. He recorded several sides for Sam Phillips in 1951, which were leased to Modern/RPM and credited to Mumbles (a nickname that particularly rankled Horton). The following year he recorded with longtime friend Johnny Shines, and was invited to settle permanently in Chicago by Eddie Taylor. In early 1953, not long after arriving, Horton got a chance to record with Muddy Waters, since regular harpman Junior Wells had been drafted into military service. Horton wound up joining Waters band for most of the year, playing on cuts like Forty Days and Forty Nights and Mad Love (I Want You to Love Me). However, he was fired by years end for breaking band commitments — either due to excessive drinking or playing too many side gigs, depending on the account.

By that point, however, Horton had established himself as a session man at Chess Records. He also returned to Memphis in 1953 to record several more sides for Sam Phillips Sun label, along with guitarist Jimmy DeBerry; their single Easy ranks as one of the all-time classic harmonica instrumentals, and a Horton signature tune. Horton subsequently returned to Chicago, where he continued his session work for Chess (including several more with Waters) and recorded his own Chess singles under the auspices of producer Willie Dixon. He also cut sides for Cobra, States (Hard Hearted Woman), and Jewel during the 50s (again, mostly with Dixon producing), and turned in some of his greatest performances on Chicago blues classics like Jimmy Rogers Walking by Myself, Otis Rushs I Cant Quit You Baby, and Johnny Shines Evening Sun.

In 1964, Horton recorded his first full-length album, The Soul of Blues Harmonica, for Chess subsidiary Argo; it was produced by Dixon and featured Buddy Guy as a sideman, though it didnt completely capture what Horton could do. Two years later, Horton contributed several cuts to Vanguards classic compilation Chicago/The Blues/Today!, Vol. 3, which did much to establish his name on a blues circuit that was thriving anew thanks to an infusion of interest from white audiences; it also showcased his pupil Charlie Musselwhite. In addition to his own recordings, the 60s found Horton working often in Jimmy Rogers band, and performing and recording with the likes of Johnny Shines, J.B. Hutto, Johnny Young, Big Mama Thornton, Koko Taylor, Robert Nighthawk, Sunnyland Slim, and the original version of Fleetwood Mac. Toward the end of the decade, he took on more pupils, most notably Peter Madcat Ruth and Carey Bell, the latter of whom recorded with his mentor on the 1973 Alligator LP Big Walter Horton With Carey Bell. Horton also became a regular on Willie Dixons Blues All Stars package tours, which made their way through America and Europe over the 60s and 70s.

Despite the considerable acclaim he enjoyed from his peers, Horton never became a recording star on his own; he simply lacked the temperament to keep a band together for very long, preferring the sideman work where his shyness was less of a drawback. That, coupled with his often heavy drinking, meant that money was often scarce, and Horton kept working steadily whenever possible. After his 1973 album with Bell, he became a mainstay on the festival circuit, and often played at the open-air market on Chicagos legendary Maxwell Street, along with many other bluesmen. In 1977, he joined Johnny Winter and Muddy Waters on Winters album Im Ready, and during the same period recorded some material for Blind Pig, which later found release as the albums Fine Cuts and Cant Keep Lovin You. Horton appeared in the Maxwell Street scene in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, accompanying John Lee Hooker. He died of heart failure on December 8, 1981, and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame the following year.

Big Walter Horton　沃尔特 · 霍顿

艺人介绍

最新简评（共33条）

Big Walter Horton 沃尔特 · 霍顿

艺人介绍

最新简评（共33条）

Big Walter Horton　沃尔特 · 霍顿