Jr. Walker and the All Stars



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JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS



Jr. Walker and the All Stars



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Junior Walker



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Motown's skilled but mostly anonymous instrumentalists very rarely stepped out on their own. The lone exception to the rule was tenor saxman Junior Walker, whose rough-and-ready, old-school R&B was a marked contrast with the label's typically smooth, polished product. Walker's squealing gutbucket style was inspired by jump blues and early R&B, particularly players like Louis Jordan, Earl Bostic, and Illinois Jacquet. Possessed of a raspy, untrained voice, Walker's singing nonetheless complemented the energy of his sax playing, and he cut a wealth of danceable, party-hearty R&B for Motown during his heyday in the second half of the '60s.

Junior Walker was born Autry DeWalt II on June 14, 1931 (even hough Motown gave his birthdate as 1942) in Blytheville, AR. (Some accounts list his birth name as Oscar G. Mixon, which was then changed at some point during his early childhood.) DeWalt grew up in South Bend, IN, and began playing the saxophone in high school; he was soon performing in local jazz and R&B clubs with his first band, the Jumping Jacks, under the name Junior Walker. He next joined a trio led by drummer Billy "Stix" Nicks, which also featured organist Fred Patton; they soon added backing vocalist and guitarist Willie Woods, and played around northern Indiana and southern Michigan. Walker took over the group after Nicks joined the Army; in the late '50s, he relocated to Battle Creek, MI, and formed a band billed as Junior Walker & the All-Stars. Initially, they featured Patton, Woods, and drummer Tony Washington; Patton was later replaced by Victor Thomas, and Washington by Jack Douglas and, finally, James Graves. The All-Stars continued to play around the area, and took up a residency in Battle Creek's El Grotto club. There they were discovered by singer Johnny Bristol, who recommended them to his friend, ex-Moonglow Harvey Fuqua. Fuqua signed the group to his Harvey label in 1961; they made their first recordings in 1962, and the following year Fuqua's labels were absorbed by Motown. Walker & the All-Stars ended up on their Soul subsidiary, debuting for the label in 1964. In early 1965, they scored their first big hit with the dance tune "Shotgun," which marked Walker's vocal debut; in fact, the only reason he sang the song was that the vocalist he'd hired didn't show up for the session, and he was somewhat flabbergasted by the label's decision to leave his vocal intact. Berry Gordy's instincts proved right, however, when "Shotgun" topped the R&B charts and hit the pop Top Five. A steady stream of mostly instrumental R&B chart hits followed, including "Do the Boomerang," "Shake and Fingerpop," and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (Walker was, naturally, encouraged to record instrumental versions of Motown hits). In 1966, Graves left and was replaced by old cohort Billy "Stix" Nicks, and Walker's hits continued apace with tunes like "I'm a Road Runner" and "Pucker Up Buttercup." Toward the end of the '60s, seeking to diversify their approach, the All-Stars began recording more ballad material, complete with string arrangements and Walker vocals. That approach resulted in the group's second Top Five pop hit, the R&B number one "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)," which helped refuel Walker's career. He landed several more R&B Top Ten hits over the next few years, with the last coming in 1972.

Walker resurfaced as a solo artist during the disco era, working with producer Brian Holland beginning in 1976 with the single "Hot Shot"; a pair of albums followed. In 1979, Walker joined up with another former Motown mainstay in 1979, signing with producer Norman Whitfield's Whitfield label, though without much success. Walker returned to the spotlight in 1981 with a well-publicized (and well-executed) guest solo on Foreigner's Top Five hit "Urgent." Two years later, he re-signed with Motown and recorded Blow the House Down; by that time, his melodic style was being absorbed into a new generation of R&B-flavored jazz instrumentalists. Walker continued to tour through the '80s and '90s, sometimes with his son Autry DeWalt III playing drums. Unfortunately, in 1993 his activities were severely curtailed by cancer, which claimed his life on November 23, 1995. In the wake of his death, Billy "Stix" Nicks continued to tour with a version of the All-Stars. -- Steve Huey, All Music Guide


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LINKSYEARTITLE
1965 Shotgun [Motown]
1966 Soul Session
1966 Roadrunner
1967 Live
1969 Gotta Hold on to This Feeling
1969 Home Cookin'
1970 Live!
1970 A Gasss
1974 Jr. Walker & the All Stars: Live!
1971 Rainbow Funk
1971 Moody Jr.
1973 Peace & Understanding Is Hard to Find
1974 Jr. Walker & the All Stars
1974 Anthology
1976 Whopper Bopper Show Stopper
1976 Sax Appeal
1976 Hot Shot
1977 Motown Special
1978 Smooth
1979 Back Street Boogie
1983 Blow the House Down


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1965 Shotgun [Motown]

1. Shotgun
2. Cleo's Mood
3. Do the Boomerang
4. (I'm A) Road Runner
5. Shake and Fingerpop
6. Shoot Your Shot
7. Tune-Up
8. Hot Cha
9. Monkey Jump
10. Tally Ho
11. Cleo's Back
12. Ain't That the Truth


1966 Soul Session

1966 Roadrunner

1967 Live

1969 Gotta Hold on to This Feeling

1969 Home Cookin'

01. Come See About Me
02. What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)
03. Home Cookin'
04. Sweet Soul
05. Hip City, Pt. 1
06. Hip City, Pt. 2
07. Sweet Daddy Deacon
08. Fannie Mae
09. The Things I Do for You
10. Baby Ain't You Shame


1970 Live!

01. Introduction
02. Shake and Fingerpop
03. Hot Cha
04. (I'm A) Road Runner
05. Tune-Up
06. Ame' Cherie (Soul Darling)
07. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)
08. Moonlight in Vermont
09. Cleo's Back
10. Shotgun
11. Finale: Heart Break



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1970 A Gasss

1970 Jr. Walker & The All Stars: Live

1. Hip City (pt. 1)
2. Hip City (pt. 2)
3. Sweet Soul
4. Home Cookin'
5. Something You Got
6. (I Know) I'm Losing You
7. Come See About Me
8. What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)
9. Medley: Shotgun & What Does It Take



1971 Rainbow Funk

1. Way Back Home
2. Take Me Girl, I'm Ready
3. Feeling Alright
4. Right On Brothers And Sisters
5. Teach Them To Pray
6. Something
7. Psychedelic Shack
8. Pieces Of A Man
9. These Things Will Keep Me Loving You



1971 Moody Jr.

1973 Peace & Understanding Is Hard to Find

1974 Jr. Walker & the All Stars

1. (I'm A) Road Runner
2. Shake and Fingerpop
3. Baby You Know You Ain't Right
4. Pucker up Buttercup
5. Nothing But Soul
6. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)
7. Any Way You Wanta
8. Cleo's Mood [instrumental]
9. Satan's Blues
10. Hot Cha [instrumental]
11. Monkey Jump
12. Shotgun
13. Money (That's What I Want)
14. Ame' Cherie (Soul Darling)
15. Shoot Your Shot
16. Eight Hour Drag [instrumental]
17. Cleo's Back
18. Sweet Soul [instrumental]


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1974 Anthology

1. Shotgun
2. Do The Boomerang
3. Shake And Finger Pop
4. Cleo's Mood
5. I'm A Road Runner
6. How Sweet It Is(to be loved by you)
7. Money(that's what I want)
8. Pucker Up Buttercup
9. Shoot Your Shot
10. Come See About Me
11. Hip City (pt 1)
12. Home Cookin'
13. What Does It Take(to win your love)
14. There Eyes
15. Gotta Hold On To This Feeling
16. Do You See My Love For You Growing
17. Holly Holy
18. Don't Blame The Children
19. Moody Junior
20. Way Back Home
21. Walk In The Night
22. Groove Thang
23. Gimme That Beat(pt 1)
24. I Don't Need No Reason
25. Peace And Understanding(is hard to fine)



1976 Whopper Bopper Show Stopper

01. Whopper Bopper Show Stopper
02. You Are the Sunshine of My Life
03. You're on Fire
04. Leap and Peep
05. Don't Make No Plans
06. I Could Never Love Another(After Loving You)
07. I Want You
08. Love Ain't Enough
09. My Love



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1976 Sax Appeal

1976 Hot Shot

1977 Motown Special

1978 Smooth

1979 Back Street Boogie

01. Backstreet Boogie
02. Girl I Wanna Marry You
03. Wishing on a Star
04. Hole in the Wall
05. Don't Let Me Go Astray
06. Tiger in My Tank
07. Sax Attack


1983 Blow the House Down

01. Sexpot
02. Rise and Shine
03. Closer Than Close
04. Ball Baby
05. Too
06. Urgent
07. In and Out
08. Blow the House Down


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