City Hall Records artist: Big Walker - Root Walking - New release review

I've been listening to a new release,Root Walking, by Big Walker. Big Walker has assembled 12 original compositions including 17th and 18th century poems. It's Hard, the opener is a standard Chicago blues track and grooves quite nicely. Raise A Rukus has the flavor of a back country compound with hoot and hollarin along with a stripped down blues singing, guitar and harp. Wild Black Bill uses the blues format to tell an interesting little story not unlike the early southern blues... very cool. Run Nigri Run really has that southern voodoo sound and is a great track. The Hypocrite Blues has the characteristics of a early American country song ... possibly from the Appalachians. Can't Take No Train head back to Chicago for a high steppin' early electric Mud type track. Midnight Special is the traditional track whose authorship is unknown. It was first recorded in around 1900 and has since been recorded by everyone from Ledbelly to CCR. There is a cool acoustic slide part on this track. You Got A Home In That Rock, a traditional spiritual, is done uptempo with a bit of a rock beat and nice harp work. Papa Guede gets that Little Feet/ New Orleans feel going and along with again nice slide and harp work is a really cool track. Devil's Cloth has that deep south voodoo sound and is very interesting. It's not just the rhythm with these tracks but how certain instruments and sounds are used strategically to create the ambiance... again very cool. Thirteenth Full Moon is a much more conventional rock format track and has a real nice groove including guitar and sax riffs that help to create the mood. Slave is another dark track in that voodoo sound. Big Walker seems to have the formula down to express these tracks in a very effective way. Instuments are used for effects and voices are used as instruments in an orchestra. Overall a very interesting composition.
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This is Big Walker playing blues in a more traditional fashion:

Dream Walking - Derrick Big Walker

Born in 1953 Fort Sill Lawton, Oklahoma, where his father, Golden Glove Boxer, Roy C Walker was stationed.
In 1962 Derrick moved to San Francisco with his mother, who worked in a Community Theater, where Big also acted in several children's productions. In San Francisco during this time the new music of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane etc, influenced him and his music. He was also a big fan of Clover

who had great influence on Derrick's decision to become a musician.

Derrick Walker, took some harmonica lessons from Paul Butterfield, he helped teach Derrick to sound like himself and play melodies, "not just licks". Bobby Forte - Villa Nova Dupré who played with BB King during the 60's and 70' s and Nole Juks who play with Jimmy Witherspoon

gave him saxophone lessons.

Derrick played with The Eddie Ray Rhythm And Blues Band,and the Luther Tucker Band backing artists such as Lowell Fulson, Percy Mayfield, Big Mama Thornton, Sonny Roads, Jimmy McCracklin and Sugar Pie De Santos. Derrick played with Michael Bloomfield and he was on his LP recording "Cruising for a Bruising".

Derrick began playing with a band called the Soul Rebels (1981), who were working for Bill Graham as a warm up band in Bill's nightclubs. They fronted acts such as the Dead Kennedy's, The Ramones, Greg Kihn, The Beat and many others. The bandleader was Dean Devnear, bass and drums were manned by the Stench Brothers who where a big part of Pearl Harbor and the Explosions. The Soul Rebels were considered San Francisco's most popular band at the time.

Derrick went to Europe in 1983, playing Saxophone on the streets, small clubs and festivals with Red Archibald. 1985 forming his own band playing the streets and culbs in Holland, Belgium, France, Germany and Spain. touring with Big Walker and his.

``The Black & White Blues Band. ``

1987-92 playing the blues harp with the ``Grinders``in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Germany.

He is the composer of "Stars in the Sky" and performed in two songs in the international film that made use of his music "Freud leaves Home".

2000. Derrick has undertaken several tours of Norway and Denmark, and regular club appearances in Sweden, with his new band the ``Blue Souls.``

He appeared often with folk blues artist Eric Bibb and played on several of Eric's CDs, and recorded gospel with Cyndee Peters on "Songs From The Heart".

He played harmonica and acted in The Broadway musical ``Big River.``

He appeared with Blues legend Jimmy Dawkins and Singer Zora Young at The Great British R'n'B Festival in Colne as well as touring playing festivals in Denmark and Sweden.
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”