Aaron Thibeaux Walker or T-Bone Walker or Oak Cliff T-Bone (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the most important pioneers of electric guitar. He is also believed to have been the first bluesman to use an amplified acoustic guitar.
Walker was born in Linden, Texas of African American and Cherokee descent.
When he was a young man his family moved to a region of south Dallas known as Oak Cliff where he met and learned from Blind Lemon Jefferson, another blues musician. Walker's recording debut was "Wichita Falls Blues"/"Trinity River Blues", recorded for Columbia Records in 1929 under the name Oak Cliff T-Bone.
His distinctive sound didn't develop until 1942 , when Walker recorded "Mean Old World" for Capitol Records. His electric guitar solos were among the first heard on modern blues recordings and set a standard that is still followed.
Much of Walker's output was recorded from 1946–48 on Black &...
Created by dipity
on Jan 24, 2008
Last updated: 03/11/10 at 01:18 PM