Revisiting T-Bone Walker Via Miracle of "Lost" Video and a Found 1947 Autobiography

That T-Bone Walker set from '67 I posted on Friday has been a constant companion ever since; so too this collection featuring his debut single (1929's "Trinity River Blues") and one of the greatest best-ofs ever released for any artist. That Monterey Jazz Fest appearance, matter of fact, proved to...

By Robert Wilonsky

March 23, 2011

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That T-Bone Walker set from '67 I posted on Friday has been a constant companion ever since; so too this collection featuring his debut single (1929's "Trinity River Blues") and one of the greatest best-ofs ever released for any artist. That Monterey Jazz Fest appearance, matter of fact, proved to be the stage upon which he laid the groundwork for his record Good Feelin', awarded the Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording Grammy in '71.

And since posting that find, two things have arrived in the in-box courtesy the fine Friends of Unfair Park -- that blurry video you see above, from which one of the recordings was taken, and a T-Bone-in-his-own words from a record collectors' magazine (The Record Changer) published in 1947. Which makes it pre-"Stormy Monday."

The latter, pristinely preserved, comes from the collection of none other than the great George Gimarc, whose mighty mountain of rock-and-roll-and whatnots is matched only by his willingness to share small pieces of it with us from time to time. And in the piece, Walker talks a great deal about meeting Bessie Smith in Fort Worth and growing up in Dallas -- and then moving out in 1933, the only black man in an all-white band. Both the video and article are essential additions to the bluesman's history and blues fan's collection.

T-Bone Walker On T-Bone Walker, 1947

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