Recording Career
1957 -
1963
As a guitar
player, I was very popular in and around Los Angeles due to the fact
that I could read music and knew a great number of the standard
songs that were popular for many years before my time. Additionally,
I could play the blues, and quite a number of country standards as
well.
T Bone Walker, a very popular blues guitarist and
singer, was quite an inspiration to me because of the way he played
and sang. His technique was very striking and his approach to solos
and the lines he played backing his vocals really impressed me. As a
result, my style of playing was along the lines of T Bone
Walker, Oscar Moore, who played with the King Cole Trio,
Bill Jennings, who recorded a number of records during the
50's, Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, a popular country
guitarist, Johnny Rodgers Jr., guitarist with the Roy
Milton Orchestra, in the late 50's, were all influences on my
playing style. Musically, a profound influence was the legendary
Les Paul, of Les Paul and Mary Ford. The sound of their
music, the arrangements and guitar embellishments were an
outstanding influence. I met Glen Campbell in 1962 while
working on the Chubby Checker Show, at the Cow Palace
in the San Francisco Bay Area. He showed me that light gauge
strings would add to my playing speed and technique. Also, he used a
"plain G" string and this helped add to my bluesy
expressions.
A most dynamic experience for me was to meet the
legendary guitarist, Pete Lewis, who played on all of
Johnny Otis' hit records of the 50's and 60's. He also was
instrumental in hits like "Midnite In The Barrel House", and
"Blues After Hours". Pete was an aggressive player and played
the blues with such feeling and emotion that you could feel the
notes that he played just like you could feel the vocalists that he
backed up. Vocalists like, Lil' Esther Phillips, Mel Walker
and many other artists made famous by Johnny
Otis.
I never imagined at the time that I
would one day be featured with the Johnny Otis Band, television
show and recording group in the 60's. Another dynamic influence
was Johnny "Guitar" Watson who became a good friend and with
whom I had the pleasure of doing live performances, night club, and
recording dates.
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Aaron
"T-Bone" Walker
A
legendary guitarist, vocalist, and band leader. I worked with him in
the 60's. He was a great player.
In the late
50's and into the 60's I had the opportunity to work with a
number of bands and vocalists, which brought me contact with a
number of entertainers that I never imagined that I would have even
met, let alone have the privilege to work with.
When I was
about ten or eleven years old, there was a night club in Dallas,
Texas called "The Rose Room." A neighborhood friend who's mom worked
at the club, told us never to come to the club. (right!) We always
"snuck" down to the club and listened when people that we had heard
about would be appearing there.
On one of
those nights, we heard that "T" Bone Walker and his band was
appearing. We were not able to sneak out that night but to my
delight, the next day he and some of his musicians were
visiting a lady in our neighborhood and they were jamming. The
music was inspiring and I knew that one day I would learn to play
that kind of
music. |
