T-Bone Walker, real name Aaron Thibeaux Walker, was a Texan guitarist and singer who pioneered the electric guitar as an instrument to be cherished and put center stage rather than consigned to merely accompaniment.
This video shows T-Bone Walker playing two songs live with Norman Granz’ ‘Jazz at the Philharmonic’ in the UK. The songs are Woman, You Must Be Crazy and Goin’ To Chicago Blues. And they’re both awesome.
T-Bone Walker’s style of playing and showmanship were emulated by Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix (amongst others), both of whom went on to influence of guitarists. So what starts with T-Bone Walker can be traced all the way through to guitarists of today.
It’s no surprise then that T-Bone Walker is regularly voted near the top of lists of the best guitarists of all time. Influencing people who went on to create even better sounds from the electric guitar is arguably more important than anything else.
