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Article: T-Bone Walker: electrifying the blues. (electric guitarist)(Cover Story)
- Article from:
- Guitar Player
- Article date:
- August 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 New Bay Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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T-Bone Walker struck the stormy world of the blues like a lightning bolt from the heavens. Infusing the blues with a sophisticated, uptown flavor, Walker helped redirect the course of the music, taking it from juke joints and road houses to swank nightclubs and large theaters. Favoring swing rhythms and big band accompaniment, Walker blended jazz and blues and became a seminal figure in the development of urban blues and early rock and roll.
T-Bone was a flamboyant entertainer whose wild stage antics were in sharp contrast to the more conservative sit-down performances of most of the country blues musicians who preceded him. Dancing, doing splits, and playing the ...