Jr. Walker & the All Stars
Encyclopedia
Junior Walker & the All Stars were signed to the Motown
label
in the 1960s, and became one of the label's signature acts.
and grew up in South Bend, Indiana
. His saxophone
style was the anchor for the band's overall sound. The other original members of the group were drummer
Tony Washington, guitarist
Willie Woods, and keyboardist
Vic Thomas.
His career started when he developed his own band
at the age of 14, in the mid 1950s as the 'Jumping Jacks'. His longtime friend Billy Nix (drummer) started his own group the 'Rhythm Rockers.' Periodically Nix would sit in on Jumping Jack's shows, and Walker would sit in on the Rhythm Rockers shows.
Nix obtained a permanent gig
at a local TV station in South Bend, Indiana, and asked Walker to join him and his keyboard player (Fred Patton) permanently. Shortly after, Nix asked Willie Woods, a local singer, to perform with the group; shortly after Woods would learn how to play guitar also. When Nix got drafted into the United States Army
, Walker convinced the band to move from South Bend to Battle Creek, Michigan
. While performing in Benton Harbor
, Walker found a drummer Tony Washington, to replace Nix. Eventually, Fred Patton (piano player) left the group, and Victor Thomas stepped in. The original name the 'Rhythm Rockers' was changed to the 'All Stars'. Walker's squealing gutbucket style was inspired by jump blues
and early R&B
, particularly players like Louis Jordan
, Earl Bostic
, and Illinois Jacquet
.
The group was spotted by Johnny Bristol
, and he recommended them to Harvey Fuqua
, in 1961, who had his own record labels. Once the group started recording
on the Harvey label, their name was changed to Junior Walker & the All Stars. When Fuqua's labels were taken over by Motown's Berry Gordy
, Jr. Walker & The All Stars became members of the Motown Records family, recording for Motown's Soul imprint in 1961.
The members of the band changed after the acquisition of the Harvey label. Tony Washington, the drummer, quit the group, and James Graves joined the group in the Motown family. Their first and signature hit was "Shotgun
", written by Junior Walker, and produced
by Berry Gordy and featured The Funk Brother's James Jamerson on bass. "Shotgun" reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
and #1 on the R&B
chart in 1965, and was followed by many other hits, such as "(I'm A) Road Runner", "Shake and Fingerpop" and covers
of the Motown tracks, "Come See About Me
" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)
". 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."
In 1969 the group had another hit enter the top 5, "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)
". A Motown quality control meeting rejected this song for single release but radio station
DJs
made the track popular, forcing Motown to release it as a single, whereupon it reached #4 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart. From that time on Walker sang more on the records than earlier in their career. He landed several more R&B Top Ten hits over the next few years, with the last coming in 1972.
In 1979, Junior Walker went solo and was signed to Norman Whitfield
's Whitfield Records
label. He was not as successful as he had been with the All Stars in his Motown period. Walker also played the sax on the group Foreigner
's "Urgent" in 1981. The solo was actually cobbled together from tapes that he had made with the band. He later recorded his own version of the Foreigner song for the 1983 All-Stars album Blow the House Down. Walker's version was also featured in the 1985 Madonna
film Desperately Seeking Susan
. In 1983, Walker was re-signed with Motown.
In 1988, Walker played opposite Sam Moore
as one-half of the fictional soul duo "The Swanky Modes" in the comedy Tapeheads
. Several songs were recorded for the soundtrack, including "Bet Your Bottom Dollar" and "Ordinary Man", produced by ex-Blondie member Nigel Harrison
.
at the age of 64. He had been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation
that year. Drummer James Graves died in 1967 in a car accident, and guitarist Willie Woods in 1997 at age 60. Victor "Vic" Thomas died Sunday, November 28, 2010 in Battle Creek, Mich.. Tony Washington is the only original surviving band member of the four that Harvey Fuqua signed to his label in 1961 and took to Motown with him.
Junior Walker's remains were buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, in Battle Creek, Mich, under a marker with both his birthname of Autry DeWalt Mixon, Jr., and his stage name displayed.
Walker's "Shotgun" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
Junior Walker & The All Stars were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2007.
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in the 1960s, and became one of the label's signature acts.
Biography
Walker was born Autry DeWalt Mixon, Jr. in Blytheville, ArkansasBlytheville, Arkansas
Blytheville is the largest city in and one of the two county seats of Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 15,620 at the 2010 census....
and grew up in South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
. His saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
style was the anchor for the band's overall sound. The other original members of the group were drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Tony Washington, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Willie Woods, and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Vic Thomas.
His career started when he developed his own band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
at the age of 14, in the mid 1950s as the 'Jumping Jacks'. His longtime friend Billy Nix (drummer) started his own group the 'Rhythm Rockers.' Periodically Nix would sit in on Jumping Jack's shows, and Walker would sit in on the Rhythm Rockers shows.
Nix obtained a permanent gig
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
at a local TV station in South Bend, Indiana, and asked Walker to join him and his keyboard player (Fred Patton) permanently. Shortly after, Nix asked Willie Woods, a local singer, to perform with the group; shortly after Woods would learn how to play guitar also. When Nix got drafted into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Walker convinced the band to move from South Bend to Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
. While performing in Benton Harbor
Benton Harbor, Michigan
Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan which is located west of Kalamazoo. The population was 10,038 at the 2010 census. It is the lesser populated of the two principal cities included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
, Walker found a drummer Tony Washington, to replace Nix. Eventually, Fred Patton (piano player) left the group, and Victor Thomas stepped in. The original name the 'Rhythm Rockers' was changed to the 'All Stars'. Walker's squealing gutbucket style was inspired by jump blues
Jump blues
Jump blues is an up-tempo blues usually played by small groups and featuring horns. It was very popular in the 1940s, and the movement was a precursor to the arrival of rhythm and blues and rock and roll...
and early R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, particularly players like Louis Jordan
Louis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the...
, Earl Bostic
Earl Bostic
Earl Bostic was an American jazz and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist, and a pioneer of the post-war American Rhythm and Blues style. He had a number of popular hits such as "Flamingo", "Harlem Nocturne", "Temptation", "Sleep", "Special Delivery Stomp", and "Where or When", which showed off his...
, and Illinois Jacquet
Illinois Jacquet
Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo....
.
The group was spotted by Johnny Bristol
Johnny Bristol
Johnny Bristol , was an American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
, and he recommended them to Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua, was an African-American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive.Fuqua founded the seminal R&B/doo-wop group the Moonglows in the 1950s...
, in 1961, who had his own record labels. Once the group started recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
on the Harvey label, their name was changed to Junior Walker & the All Stars. When Fuqua's labels were taken over by Motown's Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
, Jr. Walker & The All Stars became members of the Motown Records family, recording for Motown's Soul imprint in 1961.
The members of the band changed after the acquisition of the Harvey label. Tony Washington, the drummer, quit the group, and James Graves joined the group in the Motown family. Their first and signature hit was "Shotgun
Shotgun (song)
"Shotgun" is a 1965 single by Junior Walker & the All Stars, produced by Berry Gordy Jr. and Lawrence Horn. It reached number one on the U.S. R&B Singles chart for four non-consecutive weeks and was a Top 10 Pop smash, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100...
", written by Junior Walker, and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Berry Gordy and featured The Funk Brother's James Jamerson on bass. "Shotgun" reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #1 on the R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart in 1965, and was followed by many other hits, such as "(I'm A) Road Runner", "Shake and Fingerpop" and covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the Motown tracks, "Come See About Me
Come See About Me
"Come See About Me" is a 1964 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.The song became third of five consecutively released Supremes songs to top the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States...
" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
"How Sweet It Is " is a 1964 hit song written and produced by the Motown songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was originally recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye and became one of his most popular songs...
". 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."
In 1969 the group had another hit enter the top 5, "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)
What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)
What Does It Take is a 1969 crossover single by Jr. Walker & The All Stars. The single was one of Jr. Walker's most successful releases becoming a hit on the both the R&B and pop singles chart. "What Does It Take ," written by Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua and Vernon Bullock, made it into the...
". A Motown quality control meeting rejected this song for single release but radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
DJs
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
made the track popular, forcing Motown to release it as a single, whereupon it reached #4 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart. From that time on Walker sang more on the records than earlier in their career. He landed several more R&B Top Ten hits over the next few years, with the last coming in 1972.
In 1979, Junior Walker went solo and was signed to Norman Whitfield
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
's Whitfield Records
Whitfield Records
Whitfield Records was a record label, founded in 1975 by former Motown producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield and active until 1982. Whitfield Records was distributed throughout its entire existence by Warner Bros...
label. He was not as successful as he had been with the All Stars in his Motown period. Walker also played the sax on the group Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
's "Urgent" in 1981. The solo was actually cobbled together from tapes that he had made with the band. He later recorded his own version of the Foreigner song for the 1983 All-Stars album Blow the House Down. Walker's version was also featured in the 1985 Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
film Desperately Seeking Susan
Desperately Seeking Susan
Desperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 American comedy-drama film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Rosanna Arquette and Madonna.-Plot:...
. In 1983, Walker was re-signed with Motown.
In 1988, Walker played opposite Sam Moore
Sam Moore
Samuel David Moore is an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the tenor vocalist for the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 through 1981...
as one-half of the fictional soul duo "The Swanky Modes" in the comedy Tapeheads
Tapeheads
Tapeheads is a 1988 comedy film directed by Bill Fishman. The film stars John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore, and Junior Walker. The movie was produced by Michael Nesmith, who is seen briefly in the film as a bottled water delivery man.-Plot:...
. Several songs were recorded for the soundtrack, including "Bet Your Bottom Dollar" and "Ordinary Man", produced by ex-Blondie member Nigel Harrison
Nigel Harrison
Nigel Harrison is an English musician, and best known as the bass player of the rock band Blondie....
.
Death
Junior Walker died on November 23, 1995 in Battle Creek, Michigan of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at the age of 64. He had been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation
Rhythm and Blues Foundation
The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music....
that year. Drummer James Graves died in 1967 in a car accident, and guitarist Willie Woods in 1997 at age 60. Victor "Vic" Thomas died Sunday, November 28, 2010 in Battle Creek, Mich.. Tony Washington is the only original surviving band member of the four that Harvey Fuqua signed to his label in 1961 and took to Motown with him.
Junior Walker's remains were buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, in Battle Creek, Mich, under a marker with both his birthname of Autry DeWalt Mixon, Jr., and his stage name displayed.
Walker's "Shotgun" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
Junior Walker & The All Stars were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2007.
Albums
- TML11017 - Shotgun
- STML/TML11029 - Soul Session
- STML/TML11038 - Road Runner
- STML/TML11097 - Home Cookin'
- STML/TML11120 - Junior Walker's Greatest Hits
- STML/TML11140 - These Eyes
- STML11152 - Live
- STML11167 - A Gassssssssss!
- STML11198 - Rainbow Funk
- STML11211 - Moody Jr
- STML11224 - Greatest Hits Vol 2
- STML11234 - Peace & Understanding Is Hard To Find
- STML11274 - Jr Walker & The Allstars
- STML12018 - Hot Shot
- STML12033 - Sax Appeal
- Back Street Boogie – Whitfield, 1979
- Blow the House Down – Motown, 1983
- TMSP1129 - Anthology
- STMS5054 - Greatest Hits
Singles
| Year | Song title | U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... | U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | "Shotgun Shotgun (song) "Shotgun" is a 1965 single by Junior Walker & the All Stars, produced by Berry Gordy Jr. and Lawrence Horn. It reached number one on the U.S. R&B Singles chart for four non-consecutive weeks and was a Top 10 Pop smash, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100... " |
4 | 1 | - |
| "Do The Boomerang" | 36 | 10 | - | |
| "Shake And Fingerpop" | 29 | 7 | - | |
| "Cleo's Back" | 43 | 7 | - | |
| 1966 | "(I'm a) Road Runner (I'm a) Road Runner " Road Runner" is a hit song by Junior Walker & the Allstars. Written by the song-writing team of Lamont Dozier and Brian and Eddie Holland it was released on the Tamla Motown label in 1966 and reached the top twenty in the U.S. and the U.K.... " |
20 | 4 | 12 |
| "Cleo's Mood" | 50 | 14 | - | |
| "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) "How Sweet It Is " is a 1964 hit song written and produced by the Motown songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was originally recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye and became one of his most popular songs... " |
18 | 3 | 22 | |
| "Money (That's What I Want), Pt.1 Money (That's What I Want) "Money " is a 1959 hit single by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. The song was written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, and became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise.... " |
52 | 35 | - | |
| 1967 | "Pucker Up Buttercup" | 31 | 11 | - |
| "Shoot Your Shot" | 44 | 33 | - | |
| "Come See About Me Come See About Me "Come See About Me" is a 1964 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.The song became third of five consecutively released Supremes songs to top the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States... " |
24 | 8 | ||
| 1968 | "Hip City, Pt. 2" | 31 | 7 | - |
| "Home Cookin' | 42 | 19 | - | |
| 1969 | "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) What Does It Take is a 1969 crossover single by Jr. Walker & The All Stars. The single was one of Jr. Walker's most successful releases becoming a hit on the both the R&B and pop singles chart. "What Does It Take ," written by Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua and Vernon Bullock, made it into the... " |
4 | 1 | 13 |
| "These Eyes These Eyes (song) "These Eyes" is a 1968 song by the Canadian rock band The Guess Who. The song was co-written by the group's lead guitarist Randy Bachman and lead singer Burton Cummings and originally included on the band's 1968 album Wheatfield Soul. Bachman had the original piano chords with an original title of... " |
16 | 3 | - | |
| 1970 | "Gotta Hold on to This Feeling" | 21 | 2 | - |
| "Do You See My Love (For You Growing)" | 32 | 3 | - | |
| "Holly Holy Holly Holy "Holly Holy" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond. Released as a single in October 1969, it was quite successful as the follow-on to "Sweet Caroline", reaching number 6 on the U.S. pop singles chart by December... " |
75 | 33 | - | |
| "Carry Your Own Load" | - | 50 | - | |
| 1971 | "Take Me Girl, I'm Ready" | 50 | 18 | - |
| "Way Back Home" | 52 | 24 | 35 | |
| 1972 | "Walk in the Night" | 46 | 10 | 16 |
| 1973 | "Gimme That Beat, Pt. 1" | - | 50 | - |
| 1979 | "Wishing on a Star" | - | 89 | - |
See also
- List of soul-jazz musicians
- List of Motown Records artists
- List of soul musicians
- List of people from Arkansas
External links
- The History of Rock 'n' Roll
- [ Allmusic]