Biography of junior walker
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Jr. Walker & The All Stars was an American soul band led by saxophonist Junior Walker. They were one of the Motown signature acts in the 1960s. Originally "The Rhythm Rockers," 1965 saw the release of their signature hit "Shotgun". They remained active on the charts through to 1972, disbanding in 1979.
Walker was either born Autry DeWalt II or re-christened such following an earlier name, Oscar G. Mixon, on June 14, 1931. Although he mastered the crawl and the toddle, "Junior Walker" got that moniker not from frequent roaming but from his father, Roosevelt Walker. Still, after his family moved from Blytheville, Arkansas to South Bend, Indiana, people started noticing his special rhythms. In his new home, he could pursue his lifelong specialty: music. With his trusty tenor saxophone, Junior Walker blew through high school and nearby R&B and jazz clubs with the Jumping Jacks.
Yet he wasn't so focused on a straight-ahead path that he couldn&
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Junior Walker and the All Stars
(L-R) Junior Walker, James Grave, Willie Woods, Victor Thomas
The only Motown instrumentalist to make recordings under his own name, Junior Walker scored a number of hits between 1965 and 1970. Featuring his dynamic tenor saxophonesolos and raspy voice, Junior Walker was one of Motown's more idiosyncratic performers
Members:
Junior Walker nee Autry Dewitt - tenor sax, piano, vocals
Willie Woods - guitar
Vic Thomas - organ
James Graves - drums
Born Autry DeWalt Mixon in Blythesville, Arkansas on June 14, 1931 Walker grew up in South Bend, Indiana. It was there while in high school where he took saxophone and picked up his nickname. Inspired by Louis Jordan Walker fell in love with the saxophone. Soon after graduating high school Walker turned professional and played in local
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Obituary: Junior Walker
The saxophone doesn't feature enough in popular music. Too often, it has become synonymous with the bland doodlings of Kenny G or been buried in a horn section used to punctuate chord changes. Junior Walker, the American tenor sax player, was one of the prime exponents of the instrument in all its rasping glory. His playing on Motown classics like "Shotgun", "(I'm A) Roadrunner" and "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" as well as Foreigner's "Urgent" straddled genres and decades and can still be heard on Gold stations the world over. At various times, he worked with partners whose musical roots went all the way back to the birth of rock 'n' roll itself.
Born Autry DeWalt II in 1942 in Blythesville, Arkansas, the saxophonist was nicknamed Junior by his stepfather, whose name was Walker. When he turned professional in 1962, he took up the scen name of Junior Walker while still signing his compositions with the DeWalt monicker.
Walker's honking, hard- driv