Clapton's comment is so off the mark it's embarassing: there is absolutely nothing "so crude" about Little Walter's sound. It's amplified blues harmonica technique and style at it's very best.
I hate that a movie about a musician has to come out (in many cases, not all) for a musician to get into the R&R Hall of Fame, especially the Chess Rec guys, all except Etta, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters got in after some movie's released.
Chuck Berry inducted 86 (After Back to the Future & he was the first real Rocker)
Little Walter was definitely the greatest harp player & he should have been inducted back in the 70s! Half the bands then were doing at least one Little Walter cover back then
He cups his hands, bends the note down to a flattened 5th, and while he unbends he releases the cup, to make tha Wah Wah sound. It's either the 4draw on an A harp or Thr 3 draw on a c harp.
6 people forgot to hit the play button to watch this video. Thats why they disliked it. Anyway, I play the Marine Band M. Hohner Diatonic Harmonica and started imitating Bob Dylan's playing. Can you tell me if its possible to play blues and make the kind of sound that Rick Estrin makes at 0:52 with this kind of a harmonica? If so, then how do you do it?because I am not able to and whenever I play the harmonica, I end up playing some kind of a Dylan/Guthrie like melody which mostly sounds merry.
The harmonica lends itself to being one of those instruments where it is tempting to show off or play really fast. Not Little Walter, it was always about the music and man could that guy SWING! On his uptempo stuff he always had that "bounce" that I don;t think I have ever heard from anyone else. And believe it or not, I also loved his singing too.
I own quite a few blues albums but one I never get tired of is The Best of Little Walter. He had that "something" other artists strive to achieve. His voice, his harmonica, and his songwriting are among the best of any blues artist. Playing through an amp created a whole new sound that still sounds fresh to this day. That's how I like my blues, raw and fresh. That's Little Walter!
Man!! So that the merely curious viewer might be even more intrigued, I wish they had used sound clips from some of his many more amazing saxy swingin songs!!
i love this music im black and i listen to all different music of all races but nothing can touch old black music in terms of feeling i never get this type of feel from white musicians
It's all about the tone! Little Walter has an unmistakable sound that I have never seen completely duplicated. Hooray for life and living!!! Joey Vaughan "World Blues Attack"
This is incredible. I've heard some harmonica players today but wow, nothing compares to this. I think people today just add special effects, kind of ruins the original rawness of the instrument IMO. Awesome vid, thanks for posting this.
After seeing Cadillac Records , the beatings that he took were just awful , u can see his scared up face. Between that stuff ,the racism, and the drinking, it was a tough life, 38 yrs.old ,way too young
Sam Lay hits the nail on the head when he says LW played it like a sax. That's exactly how I hear him. Nobody I heard has his Invention with his Runs/Phrases.
@n0gar. What, are You tryin to Take The Credit for the work of Great Artists?. YOU ain't no Great Artist, so shut yo mouth from it's mindless flappin.
Man...there's some serious historians on this page. I'm not sure where the harmonica came from, or from what it evolved....but one thing I do know is that Little Walter played that shit better than anyone that ever lived.
I can't believe that EC says that Little Walter's playing was 'crude' - maybe he meant the noice on the scratchy old vinyls? LW's playing is forceful and dynamic, but IMO there's nothing 'crude' about it.
this musician is one of the most important for blues music, of course. I didn't know much about this guy before watching the caddilac records movie. I assume it, but I have seen some videos and songs, So i realized the great sound he does. I like listenint to his music a lot now. I, already, loved muddy waters and now I like little walter too> BLUES forever,,good bye
P.S. To all the Blues Fans.I just dicovered a song called Bad bad wiskey.( My Grandmother used to sing around the house)She Also Sung a song that go's "I'm Gonna Comb my hair and let my wig fall down".Was there such a song?
whenever little walter did those side-to-side vibrato's, I thought he moved the harp with his hands. now that I watch more people, I think your acually supposed to move your head, not the harp.
Anyone interested in Little Walter needs to read Tony Glover's book, the definitive biography, "Blues With A Feeling", Routledge Press. Read it, A fine piece of work by someone who has five decades of credibility.
No, the real Little Walter wasn't much like the character portrayed in "Cadillac Records". For the real Little Walter story, read the biography - information is in the description for this clip.
Little Walter was indeed a great harp player.But I like Alan Wilson (late of Canned Heat) more than Little Walter.Wilson`s tone was richer and fuller.
if u liked this, You guys HAVE to see cadillac records, tells an AMAZING story of how Muddy Waters and Little Walter's career started and the first label them and the Rolling Stones were signed to
Loved that movie - I watched it twice in a week and I never watch a movie more than once . Little Walter was phenomenal and the entire movie was really great - always have been a sucker of early Chicago blues sound /
To guitarrob2012. As I study blues and various artists, I know that Little Walter love to play with a "A" harp. Many of his solos and songs are with "A" and "C" Hope this helped you.
The amp and mic set-up he used is still the holy grail for many harpist:s. He was supposed to have used two Amps and two wand MICs taped together, a line going to each amp. Volume cranked way up. His sound was massive, hornplayer like. He might have used a treble-effect to get some of that great tone. But even unamplified his tone was said to be unreal. How he did it is still a matter of speculation....
"He was supposed to have used two Amps and two wand MICs taped together, a line going to each amp."
No - that never happened. That's a mistake made by someone who saw a photo of him playing, and thought that the shadow of his mic cable was a second mic cable. But there's absolutely no evidence that it ever happened. Do a google search for "little walter's microphones" and click on the first result for more info and photos.
My source is the book "Blues with a feeling: The Little Walter Story", by Tony Glover, Scott Dirks and Ward Gaines page 121. It is a transcript of a witness account by Joe Lee Bush.
Indeed, I cannot say it is a fact... hence my reservation ('supposed to have').
I suppose a lot about Walter, his gear and his style is also mythologised.
I can recomend this book to all enthousiasts, by the way.
Enough of Bush's recollections have been conclusively proven wrong (his claim that LW used a reverb unit, years before they were even available; the number of times he claims to have seen LW perform in Atlanta far exceeds the number of times he actually played there)and the fact that he's the only person EVER to claim to have seen LW doing this (and was a 15 year old kid when he claims to have seen it) casts enough doubt to safely disregard this claim as the result of an overactive imagination.
The Walter & Louis Myers interview which was published in Living Blues quoted Walter as saying that he played through a National P.A. system using two separate channels wth two 'biscuit' mics taped together, in order to maximise the depth of tone.
I haven't read all of the comments here but in case it hasn't been said: how come it's taken so long for Walter to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
I'm afraid you're mistaken about the taped-together mics. Neither Little Walter nor Louis Myers said anything like that in the Living Blues interview - please check again for confirmation.
I'm sure you're right but I will check my cassette copy of the interview sometime. I don't have the Living Blues mag anymore. I treasured it for years then discarded it in a fit of self-deprivation!
All this stuff is interesting but I'm not sure it really matters. Walter had lots of different sounds, different amps, different mics. If you're a listener, just enjoy it and if you play harp, find your own sound! That's why Paul Butterfield used a Shure vocal mic.
You may be right about Louis using the wrong word and Walter just going along rather than correcting him. There are only a few photos of Walter's gigs from the '50s, and he's definitely using a JT-30 "bullet" in all of them. But I've listened to the tape, and Louis definitely says "biscuit" in the interview.
BTW, I've had several of the Astatic "biscuit" mikes, and I don't think they're horrible at all. I like the way they feel, and the original elements sound great to me.
acoustic tone is all in the voice. just like any wind instrument, all the tone is in the voice. I've noticed that most great harp players are also phenominal singers. playning both seem to demend the same skills. playing a wind instrument is like singing, nobody will ever be able to sound exactly the same.
Okay jayscott49. Thanks for the insight. It seems like that movie has struck a nerve with many people. I didn't realize that there were so many passionate Blues fans out there. Well, keep the info. coming. It's all very interesting and informative.
You weren't asking me, but if you're familiar with these artists and the history of Chess (for instance there were 2 Chess Bros, Leonard and Phil), the degree to which they've made these artists into cartoons for the sake of 'plot' is pretty hard to take, especially considering the incredible stories that are truly there. Imo, the movie 'Honeydripper', featuring Gary Clark Jr, is much better even if it's 'fiction'.
Calling Little Walter crude seems inaccurate to me. To me his sound is simultaneously both angelic and demonic, raw and refined. And what a voice! I believe every word he sings.
i totally agree. Walter was a serious and thoughtful artist, just like any of the famous NY painters of the time, in the Coltrane vein on his instrument, FUCKING SMART AS HELL! plus his singing is some of the best ever, he's one of a kind in every way. to depict him or any of these artists as impulsive 'forces of nature' does them a disservice and is bullshit too.
I just finished watching Cadillac Records. I like to go back and look at the real people the movies portray. I really have alot of respect for these guys, how talented they were. RIP Lil Walter. cupid4040
He could make a harmonica almost sound like a saxophone - what power!! And yet, a very smooth, if not polished, great voice. He really could sing, too. Another one that so many owe so much to. Way out cool to see the color footage of him and the Howlin'Wolf together!!! And all those warm appreative words from great musicians like Junior Wells... really moving.
Just finished watching Cadillac Records. What a powerful history lesson. A well spent $4.99 I must say. R.I.P and much respect to all of the ORIGINAL"architects of Rock and Roll."
i agrree..just watched the movie myself (two times). hadn't even heard of little watlerbefore then; and i definitely didn't know all those big names where on the same label. great movie and taught me a lot about the architects of blues and rock n roll
the problem with the clapton debate is you need to hear his playing during his heyday with cream and pre cream when he would hook his gibson (les paul with cream an sg) up to marshall stax and turn them all the way up, this is when he was at his best.
The problem w/ Clapton is he never really had to pay his dues not even like Johnny Winter & Jimi. He came along at a time when white students commercializing blues was in vogue but he was copying people from the start & didn't really come into his own until he finally became down & out, artificially, by stooping to drug addiction, the lowest common denominator to hitting rock bottom, the point at which he could finally feel the pain necessary to unleash the genuine blues that came after Cream.
What Clapton did was give several bluesmen a chance for Europe (especially England) to hear them. They had gone into obscurity in America but Europe gave them new life!! :)
I grew up with the music of Little Walter.A pioneer of the blues harp. He was a tragic figure because of the racism of the era and the rise of Rock and Roll he had not received his due until Cadillac Records. I mean he should have been one of the first inductees in the Rock and Roll (sic) Hall of Fame. Calling his music crude or raw? It was brillant,an emotional soulful expression of the human soul. That's what the blues is all about.
The point : To whom do you apply the term crude & to whom don't you? If all great music has a strong emotional, (crude), aspect, we needn't use the term at all, except to point out unsophisticated, unrefined artists. This's painfully -untrue- in LW's case. Considering that EC's accepted expert opinion limited to blues, it can fairly be assumed he's comparing LW to other blues artists. This makes it even more absurd: There are so many bluesmen who fit the definition of crude better than LW.
There is NOTHING "crude" about Little Walter. He was swinging and had a unique voice. He is FAR more legitimate than Eric Clapton. F that guy, seriously. If you saw Scorsese's "The Blues" series, you know that Clapton figured prominently in the footage, yet mentioned nothing of any of the modern blues greats that he MUST be aware of. Let's see Clapton play like Hollywood Fats or Junior Watson or Rusty Zinn. Those cats would blow him out of the water on his BEST DAY! FUCK CLAPTON!
To finish, I find your reply offensive, naiive and quite pompous, although you are probably being deliberately provocative. Joe Bonamassa´s music can be described as occasionally crude or raw, does that make me racist? I think not.
Accept it for what it is, a compliment! This is about love of the blues. YOU are the only one using long out moded stereotypes and looking for "deeper social ramifications" and frankly I find it offensive, especially when you don´t know anything about me - or apparently Eric Clapton.
long as everybody know that this is where rock and roll came from!muddy waters, lil walter, etta james and chuck berry!( not rolling stones or the beetles
Little Walter was one hardass bluesman. Hard living, hard drinking, tough son of a bitch. Sam Lay got it right--no arguments, Little Walter was the greatest ever, never see another like him. Oh, and shut the fuck, Clapton, nobody cares what you think. Just go away.
Before you correct E.C. use a dictionary. Crude in this context means raw and natural. He is not criticising him, listen to what he says for goodness sake!
I'm a student of history and music. I'm not really concerned with what the dictionary says. I'm speaking of the deeper social ramifications of the word and its usage in relation to the black artist. Black artists from various continents have long been viewed as more "primitive," more "natural," etc. Ultimately, that view is an ignorant and racist one. It's like the view of the black athlete as being naturally gifted, while the white one relies on smarts. Look deeper. You're already behind. :)
I am surprised at your response. EC is simply saying that LW´s playing was raw,(that´s what made him great)he does NOT mention any of the other adjectives that YOU do, which I agree can be racist in certain contexts, but you are the one using them.
He talks about his MUSIC, which was "a powerful influnce" on him, because it had "so much emotion". He´s referring to the music and the musician, not the "black artist" as YOU say. I think you are looking TOO deeply, which is what can cause friction in the first place.
First, calm down. Discuss this rationally, not emotionally. I didn't say anything about you. Do you know what a smiley is? In fact, you were the one who singled me out, called me out, and pegged me as the dumb, unaware one. So, you're being hypocritical, charging me with things you've done. Calm down a bit, then we can discuss this on rational terms. In a society in which so many don't think, and respond with knee-jerk reactions, I'd rather risk thinking too much, then not enough. Go cool down.
I am perfectly calm, I just took offense at your comment "Look deeper. You're already behind". My reaction was not knee jerk, more the result of years working in the field of community race relations. I am not here to discuss racism or social awareness, I just want to enjoy the music (and learn some harp) and I´m sure you do to. Anyway, good bye and good luck :)
Perhaps you should go back and read your small burst of posts. Those posts have some anger behind them. I used a smiley face. The statement was tongue in cheek. Hence the smiley face.
Anyway, you can't discuss a clip in which a white, British artist talks about a black artist by calling his work "crude" without discuss race and racism, unless one's in denial. The music industry is knee-deep in racism. Its history is full of white artists "borrowing" black artists' songs and going to the bank.
Thanks for the info. I found him quoted as saying, "I think Enoch's right ... we should send them all back. Throw the wogs out! Keep Britain white!" And that Britain's in danger of becoming a "black colony." He said that in 1976. I wonder how those people who defend Clapton will respond to that. And even as late as 2004, he reportedly still supported Powell, and denied that he or Powell was racist.
Of course Walter -began-, w/ "raw natural" talent, but his music reveals -sophistication- , yrs of technical refinement & accumulated musical knowledge: Like -any- 1st-rate musician. Funny how some are called 'crude' & some not. There are obvious iimplications we all draw when we hear 'crude': basic, unstudied, unrefined. all not true in Walter's case. Beethoven & Mozart, began w/ "raw natural" talent. Aren't they wonderfully "crude" artists? Unconscious racism is still racism.
0:42 -- OK, Clapton, it was very crude? No, Clapton's perspective on it is crude. There's nothing "crude" about Little Walter's harmonica playing. I think Clapton is just too "proper."
Before you correct E.C. use a dictionary. Crude in this context means raw and natural. He is not criticising him, listen to what he says for goodness sake!
Hahahaha, he sure would. He's an overrated guitarist. Pathetic that a lot of people found about The Wailers through his awful cover of "I Shot the Sheriff."
Walter's also a great singer, (John Lee Hooker's favorite), & fine guitarist, (on some Muddy records). (Agreed: EC's overated, but it's never a shame how we learn about original artists. Many young fans discovered Freddy King & Otis Rush via EC records. His note-for-note Albert King / "Cross Cut Saw" solo on Cream's "Strange Brew", once angering me as a rip-off, I now believe was a tribute, & also the single most important factor in Albert's successful introduction to the general public.)
I agree on Walter being a great singer. I can't get enough of his vocals, for example, on "My Babe." I always find it amusing how many white rock fans like to deny rock's black roots. I remember telling a couple white rock fans that rock is black music, and they just about had heart attacks and started getting angry with me and yelling. People say we've gotten past this, but when white kids say Eminem created rap, we've haven't. I love that Chris Cornell has made an album with Timbaland. (more)
(continued) Seeing a rock artist like Cornell, with a huge fan base dating back to the 80s, make an album with one of the most popular hip-hop producers in Timbaland brings a smile to my face. That simply wouldn't have happened in the 90s. While many Cornell fans are freaking out and preparing to burn their Cornell CDs, I embrace the move. Sell-out? Maybe. But, it's cool to see him trying something different and mixing his rock lyrics with hip-hop beats. It's better than what Duran Duran did.
I believe EC must've never actually listened to much, if any, of Walter's stuff . This 'crude' statemant simply makes no sense. Would EC call Charlie Parker 'crude'? Walter moved blues forward at least as much as Bird moved jazz. Maybe EC attended some disastrous LW gig as a kid, or confused Walter w/ Sonnyboy #2. Hopefully a sharp reporter will some day question him about this nonsense.
I remember when reggae first started hitting the world outside of Jamaica, and many white artists looked at it as a primitive, loose, raw, i.e., "black" art form. When, in fact, it was a precise style. It was just slower tempo, a counter to the faster-paced ska and rocksteady styles that preceded it. The whole notion of a "crude" music is a very Eurocentric notion. It's taps into the stereotype that what black artists do is natural, raw, pure, not intellectual. Which is nonsense.
I agree to a certain extent here. But let me tell you something, Sonny Boy Williamson II was NOT crude. That cat played with more soul than Eric Clapton can ever muster. And if you know anything about harp, you know that his playing is sophisticated beyond what any beginner would hear. His playing is nuanced and his voice unique and powerful.
Cool...
wickpublic 3 weeks ago
Walter is GRATE R.I.P Walter.!!!
hartzaire 1 month ago
This was music, at it's best!!!
cnote2cu 2 months ago
We've all tried to copy him, but he was the man
MACGATELEY 4 months ago
-im so mad they put him in the hall of fame as SIDE-MAN he was noebodys side man he was to dam good R.I.P LITTLE WALTER
sabrina2455 6 months ago 2
1 of the 2 famous musicians out of Louisiana in Avoyelles Parish. Little Walter and Joe Simon.
funkymotifteacher 7 months ago
What was the last song?
Jacksonrr123 7 months ago
May all the " greats " pay tribute
vclch 7 months ago
what is the song at 0:23
eliunger16 8 months ago
Happy Birthday Little Walter! You are loved and missed.
warner8806 10 months ago
Happy Birthday Little Walter! You are loved and missed.
warner8806 10 months ago
Well I heve never seen or heard any one play a harmonica that way.... So to me he IS the best....
GiNaBaBy22ful 10 months ago
the white man screwd muddy and lil walter so fucking bad
adamjessi4ever 11 months ago
I'm Writing About Walter For My Black History Report Due March 8th ^.^
OfficialMbFanx 1 year ago
thank you for this video it is a treasure
Erikjr21 1 year ago
Jesus... someone should put a list of songs featured in the video - i would but i don't know half of em
busessuck1 1 year ago
What is the title of the song that starts at 0:56?
mrsoccerboy91 1 year ago
"I don't think he was the greatest, I KNOW he was the greatest"
doeadearafemaledear 1 year ago
Sound like beatles love me do so that where they get it from.
wins151 1 year ago
what's the name of the song at 1min 35 secs mark on this youtube clip? they remastered it in the movie Cadillac records.
kapparhotau181 1 year ago
I accidentally bought a compilation of his.
One of the best accidents ever.
bobbygnosis 1 year ago
Clapton's comment is so off the mark it's embarassing: there is absolutely nothing "so crude" about Little Walter's sound. It's amplified blues harmonica technique and style at it's very best.
TreeLeg 1 year ago
@TreeLeg Oh well ... even God can have a bad day!
qcveronique 1 year ago
good shit
JR
EHVrobinEHV 1 year ago
OFF THE WALL
23mateo23 1 year ago
My favorite harp player of all time.
ashappy6 1 year ago
I hate that a movie about a musician has to come out (in many cases, not all) for a musician to get into the R&R Hall of Fame, especially the Chess Rec guys, all except Etta, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters got in after some movie's released.
Chuck Berry inducted 86 (After Back to the Future & he was the first real Rocker)
Little Walter was definitely the greatest harp player & he should have been inducted back in the 70s! Half the bands then were doing at least one Little Walter cover back then
tftmc 1 year ago
What's the name of the intro song?
Como se llama la cancion de la intro?
kevincuervo79 1 year ago
@kevincuervo79 The song at the beginning of the clip is "Off The Wall".
checker764 1 year ago
@kevincuervo79 OFF THE WALL
23mateo23 1 year ago
I believe it's the 4 draw on an "A" harp.
He cups his hands, bends the note down to a flattened 5th, and while he unbends he releases the cup, to make tha Wah Wah sound. It's either the 4draw on an A harp or Thr 3 draw on a c harp.
miloesskater 1 year ago
@Niksrevisits61
miloesskater 1 year ago
6 people forgot to hit the play button to watch this video. Thats why they disliked it. Anyway, I play the Marine Band M. Hohner Diatonic Harmonica and started imitating Bob Dylan's playing. Can you tell me if its possible to play blues and make the kind of sound that Rick Estrin makes at 0:52 with this kind of a harmonica? If so, then how do you do it?because I am not able to and whenever I play the harmonica, I end up playing some kind of a Dylan/Guthrie like melody which mostly sounds merry.
niksrevisits61 1 year ago
The harmonica lends itself to being one of those instruments where it is tempting to show off or play really fast. Not Little Walter, it was always about the music and man could that guy SWING! On his uptempo stuff he always had that "bounce" that I don;t think I have ever heard from anyone else. And believe it or not, I also loved his singing too.
missionrd100 1 year ago
I own quite a few blues albums but one I never get tired of is The Best of Little Walter. He had that "something" other artists strive to achieve. His voice, his harmonica, and his songwriting are among the best of any blues artist. Playing through an amp created a whole new sound that still sounds fresh to this day. That's how I like my blues, raw and fresh. That's Little Walter!
dignankumar 1 year ago
kuul.
squaaaaash 1 year ago
Man!! So that the merely curious viewer might be even more intrigued, I wish they had used sound clips from some of his many more amazing saxy swingin songs!!
kingx448 1 year ago
i love this music im black and i listen to all different music of all races but nothing can touch old black music in terms of feeling i never get this type of feel from white musicians
326Ka 1 year ago
junior said it
casu3 1 year ago
It's all about the tone! Little Walter has an unmistakable sound that I have never seen completely duplicated. Hooray for life and living!!! Joey Vaughan "World Blues Attack"
cjoey39 1 year ago
This is incredible. I've heard some harmonica players today but wow, nothing compares to this. I think people today just add special effects, kind of ruins the original rawness of the instrument IMO. Awesome vid, thanks for posting this.
3wrath3child3 1 year ago
Theres nothing like the sound of a good harp player
There is not to many harp players around DAM
loveybells77 1 year ago
q gran armoniquista nos deja esta musica tan maravillosa como lo es el blues.
chuchungo1 1 year ago
q gran armoniquista nos deja esta musica tan maravillosa como lo es el blues.
chuchungo1 1 year ago
After seeing Cadillac Records , the beatings that he took were just awful , u can see his scared up face. Between that stuff ,the racism, and the drinking, it was a tough life, 38 yrs.old ,way too young
toofatschopshop 2 years ago
LIL Walter was the best harp player ever!!!
bassplyrblu 2 years ago
Whats the name of the track thats starts a 0:58??
DasMe86 2 years ago
He introduces it himself: "Quarter To Twelve".
checker764 2 years ago 3
What a damn shame that there is so little film of Little Walter.
MarcBrewer 2 years ago
without Muddy Waters..there would be no Heavy Metal music
wisesatyr72 2 years ago 2
thank u!
greenflagz93 2 years ago
THANK U!
greenflagz93 2 years ago
lol ido!
greenflagz93 2 years ago
1:56 Sam Lay lays it out.
pekoe67 2 years ago
Beyond the shadow of a doubt Little Walter was the greatest Blues harp player, and I doubt there will ever be anyone better.
Junior Wells was so cool, though.
NorthTulsaBoy 2 years ago 3
Sam Lay hits the nail on the head when he says LW played it like a sax. That's exactly how I hear him. Nobody I heard has his Invention with his Runs/Phrases.
slideharp1 2 years ago
@n0gar. What, are You tryin to Take The Credit for the work of Great Artists?. YOU ain't no Great Artist, so shut yo mouth from it's mindless flappin.
slideharp1 2 years ago
Music dont belong to any black or white person. Its all about the music. Just listen and enjoy. What color they have on their skin doesent matter.
SirFargo 2 years ago
yes it do! lol
greenflagz93 2 years ago
Man...there's some serious historians on this page. I'm not sure where the harmonica came from, or from what it evolved....but one thing I do know is that Little Walter played that shit better than anyone that ever lived.
Waszma 2 years ago
Fucking coldblooded clapton tells about emotiones. LOL
Musikfinder007 2 years ago
Music knows no color or race. Music comes frome inside and in case anyone has forgotten, we are all the same color on the inside............
CJP4130 2 years ago
I want you to SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOF TOPS!! Say it baby!!
kenon27 2 years ago
I can't believe that EC says that Little Walter's playing was 'crude' - maybe he meant the noice on the scratchy old vinyls? LW's playing is forceful and dynamic, but IMO there's nothing 'crude' about it.
vectortemple 2 years ago
The box set "Little Walter - The Complete Chess Recordings 1950 - 1967" just won the Grammy Award for "Best Historical Album"!
checker764 2 years ago 8
the best harmonica player that ever existed
and u know what white people are always stealing other peoples ideas and later claim that they came up with it
debbyluvsbud 2 years ago
this musician is one of the most important for blues music, of course. I didn't know much about this guy before watching the caddilac records movie. I assume it, but I have seen some videos and songs, So i realized the great sound he does. I like listenint to his music a lot now. I, already, loved muddy waters and now I like little walter too> BLUES forever,,good bye
andreblues66 2 years ago 2
P.S. To all the Blues Fans.I just dicovered a song called Bad bad wiskey.( My Grandmother used to sing around the house)She Also Sung a song that go's "I'm Gonna Comb my hair and let my wig fall down".Was there such a song?
jdominod1 2 years ago
This guy helped nurture my playin,along with Sonny Terry,thanks to Chess records
edavisdavis 2 years ago
Each musical discipline only has a few true greats and in Blues music Walter was right at the top of the list.
bluesborn 2 years ago
O MESTRE!!!
SWsthia 2 years ago
whats the song at 57:00
808soljah74 2 years ago
My favorite Harp player ever!! His sound was enormous. I could listen to him all day. One of the best !!
bluesgurugod 2 years ago 4
whenever little walter did those side-to-side vibrato's, I thought he moved the harp with his hands. now that I watch more people, I think your acually supposed to move your head, not the harp.
ddecto 2 years ago
Anyone interested in Little Walter needs to read Tony Glover's book, the definitive biography, "Blues With A Feeling", Routledge Press. Read it, A fine piece of work by someone who has five decades of credibility.
signjay 2 years ago
I know god speed l w may the blues come back
mpatte323 2 years ago
yes indeed little walter was fantastic.was his character really like that in the movie??.
MrCaribbean 2 years ago 2
No, the real Little Walter wasn't much like the character portrayed in "Cadillac Records". For the real Little Walter story, read the biography - information is in the description for this clip.
checker764 2 years ago
Thanks alot for the info ;) appreciated.
MrCaribbean 2 years ago
True, the movie took a lot of "liberties" with the story. Read the book, and good ones are available on Muddy also.
stinkfootlicker 2 years ago
Little Walter was indeed a great harp player.But I like Alan Wilson (late of Canned Heat) more than Little Walter.Wilson`s tone was richer and fuller.
1994g0 2 years ago
if u liked this, You guys HAVE to see cadillac records, tells an AMAZING story of how Muddy Waters and Little Walter's career started and the first label them and the Rolling Stones were signed to
geebizzle38 2 years ago 3
Loved that movie - I watched it twice in a week and I never watch a movie more than once . Little Walter was phenomenal and the entire movie was really great - always have been a sucker of early Chicago blues sound /
doogleandalix 2 years ago
Yeah, its one of my top 5 definitely
geebizzle38 2 years ago
Simply put, Little Walter was the Jimi Hendrix of the Harmonica. Period. End Of Story.
hcjc57 2 years ago 7
maybe the gratest harmonica in blues
valentynesuite 2 years ago 2
Also guitarrob2012, he used the famous Hohner Marine Band...I love and have those as well.
cedricleecason 2 years ago
To guitarrob2012. As I study blues and various artists, I know that Little Walter love to play with a "A" harp. Many of his solos and songs are with "A" and "C" Hope this helped you.
cedricleecason 2 years ago
Does anyone know what type, and what key harmonica Little Walter mainly used?
guitarrob2012 2 years ago
Yeah, they were Hohner Marine Band diatonic harps (different keys).
He also used the Hohner Chromonica harp on many occasions; that's a chromatic (slide) harp (usually in key of C)
NilsBruijel 2 years ago
The amp and mic set-up he used is still the holy grail for many harpist:s. He was supposed to have used two Amps and two wand MICs taped together, a line going to each amp. Volume cranked way up. His sound was massive, hornplayer like. He might have used a treble-effect to get some of that great tone. But even unamplified his tone was said to be unreal. How he did it is still a matter of speculation....
NilsBruijel 2 years ago
"He was supposed to have used two Amps and two wand MICs taped together, a line going to each amp."
No - that never happened. That's a mistake made by someone who saw a photo of him playing, and thought that the shadow of his mic cable was a second mic cable. But there's absolutely no evidence that it ever happened. Do a google search for "little walter's microphones" and click on the first result for more info and photos.
checker764 2 years ago
My source is the book "Blues with a feeling: The Little Walter Story", by Tony Glover, Scott Dirks and Ward Gaines page 121. It is a transcript of a witness account by Joe Lee Bush.
Indeed, I cannot say it is a fact... hence my reservation ('supposed to have').
I suppose a lot about Walter, his gear and his style is also mythologised.
I can recomend this book to all enthousiasts, by the way.
NilsBruijel 2 years ago
Enough of Bush's recollections have been conclusively proven wrong (his claim that LW used a reverb unit, years before they were even available; the number of times he claims to have seen LW perform in Atlanta far exceeds the number of times he actually played there)and the fact that he's the only person EVER to claim to have seen LW doing this (and was a 15 year old kid when he claims to have seen it) casts enough doubt to safely disregard this claim as the result of an overactive imagination.
checker764 2 years ago
Hi checker764 and everyone else:
The Walter & Louis Myers interview which was published in Living Blues quoted Walter as saying that he played through a National P.A. system using two separate channels wth two 'biscuit' mics taped together, in order to maximise the depth of tone.
I haven't read all of the comments here but in case it hasn't been said: how come it's taken so long for Walter to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
Best wishes from a (U.K.) Walter fan since 1964
guitarandharp 2 years ago
I'm afraid you're mistaken about the taped-together mics. Neither Little Walter nor Louis Myers said anything like that in the Living Blues interview - please check again for confirmation.
checker764 2 years ago
Hello again checker 764
I'm sure you're right but I will check my cassette copy of the interview sometime. I don't have the Living Blues mag anymore. I treasured it for years then discarded it in a fit of self-deprivation!
All this stuff is interesting but I'm not sure it really matters. Walter had lots of different sounds, different amps, different mics. If you're a listener, just enjoy it and if you play harp, find your own sound! That's why Paul Butterfield used a Shure vocal mic.
guitarandharp 2 years ago
Walter and Myers did create plenty of confusion in the Living Blues Interview tho'.
The biscuit mic story is ( I think ) nonsense.Myers jumps in with this reference-I think he meant bullet,and Walter just went with it.
The horrible Astatic 30 was then designated to be the mythical 'biscuit' to the perpetual delight of eBay vendors.
I haven;t heard the tape and have often wondered if Myers actually said 'bisciut' or ''bullet'..
whest 2 years ago
You may be right about Louis using the wrong word and Walter just going along rather than correcting him. There are only a few photos of Walter's gigs from the '50s, and he's definitely using a JT-30 "bullet" in all of them. But I've listened to the tape, and Louis definitely says "biscuit" in the interview.
BTW, I've had several of the Astatic "biscuit" mikes, and I don't think they're horrible at all. I like the way they feel, and the original elements sound great to me.
checker764 2 years ago
sasquatch dave is a really awesome harmonica player, one of the better I have ever heard. you should checkout his video
dcolbert72 2 years ago
acoustic tone is all in the voice. just like any wind instrument, all the tone is in the voice. I've noticed that most great harp players are also phenominal singers. playning both seem to demend the same skills. playing a wind instrument is like singing, nobody will ever be able to sound exactly the same.
ddecto 2 years ago
Great Little Walter!
gangerollo 2 years ago
Super!! God bless Little Walter, love his sound!!
MichaelLydon 2 years ago
Little walter is the best ever. kim wilson comes as close today.Most creative,best tone,great in 1st, 2nd and 3rd position
harptime 2 years ago
Okay jayscott49. Thanks for the insight. It seems like that movie has struck a nerve with many people. I didn't realize that there were so many passionate Blues fans out there. Well, keep the info. coming. It's all very interesting and informative.
LINY65 2 years ago
To Whoareyou342: Why was the movie "cadillac records" a "mess" as you call it?
LINY65 2 years ago
You weren't asking me, but if you're familiar with these artists and the history of Chess (for instance there were 2 Chess Bros, Leonard and Phil), the degree to which they've made these artists into cartoons for the sake of 'plot' is pretty hard to take, especially considering the incredible stories that are truly there. Imo, the movie 'Honeydripper', featuring Gary Clark Jr, is much better even if it's 'fiction'.
jayscott49 2 years ago
Calling Little Walter crude seems inaccurate to me. To me his sound is simultaneously both angelic and demonic, raw and refined. And what a voice! I believe every word he sings.
holyrattlesnakes 2 years ago 4
i totally agree. Walter was a serious and thoughtful artist, just like any of the famous NY painters of the time, in the Coltrane vein on his instrument, FUCKING SMART AS HELL! plus his singing is some of the best ever, he's one of a kind in every way. to depict him or any of these artists as impulsive 'forces of nature' does them a disservice and is bullshit too.
jayscott49 2 years ago
I just finished watching Cadillac Records. I like to go back and look at the real people the movies portray. I really have alot of respect for these guys, how talented they were. RIP Lil Walter. cupid4040
cupid4040 2 years ago 3
great!!!
shortieyee3000 2 years ago
little walter is awesome and a fantastic no wait stupendous harmonica player and i love all of his songs
drummerchick010 3 years ago
He could make a harmonica almost sound like a saxophone - what power!! And yet, a very smooth, if not polished, great voice. He really could sing, too. Another one that so many owe so much to. Way out cool to see the color footage of him and the Howlin'Wolf together!!! And all those warm appreative words from great musicians like Junior Wells... really moving.
diddywahdaddy 2 years ago
my harmonica idol!
Admiro el talento del genio
colombiapaz7 3 years ago
Just finished watching Cadillac Records. What a powerful history lesson. A well spent $4.99 I must say. R.I.P and much respect to all of the ORIGINAL"architects of Rock and Roll."
LINY65 3 years ago 7
i agrree..just watched the movie myself (two times). hadn't even heard of little watlerbefore then; and i definitely didn't know all those big names where on the same label. great movie and taught me a lot about the architects of blues and rock n roll
chynasmom 3 years ago 2
Honestly, that film is completely inaccurate. Far from the truth. It was a mess.
whoareyou342 2 years ago
When he played Sheffield in 1961, he was backed by The Frank White Band. Frank was (still is) what Clapton could have been if he'd practiced hard
Bushbaby387 3 years ago
I never figured out what the big deal was about clapton
hah13 3 years ago
clapton was ok to me,but not great.
oramikleepunk 3 years ago
the problem with the clapton debate is you need to hear his playing during his heyday with cream and pre cream when he would hook his gibson (les paul with cream an sg) up to marshall stax and turn them all the way up, this is when he was at his best.
victor2775 3 years ago
The problem w/ Clapton is he never really had to pay his dues not even like Johnny Winter & Jimi. He came along at a time when white students commercializing blues was in vogue but he was copying people from the start & didn't really come into his own until he finally became down & out, artificially, by stooping to drug addiction, the lowest common denominator to hitting rock bottom, the point at which he could finally feel the pain necessary to unleash the genuine blues that came after Cream.
george383 2 years ago
To be honest who really cares what Clapton says, he was big for five minutes then Jimi Hendrix came along.
almanacofsleep 2 years ago
Wrong. If it wasn't for him explaining why Little Walter was great, we wouldn't be able to tell.
thinkingevil 2 years ago
Mabey for you, but some of us are intelligent enough to form our own opinons on music.
almanacofsleep 2 years ago
Kidding!
thinkingevil 2 years ago
What Clapton did was give several bluesmen a chance for Europe (especially England) to hear them. They had gone into obscurity in America but Europe gave them new life!! :)
dutchpuppy2 2 years ago
but he clearly doesn't want them to live in his country. He wanted to keep Britain white.
almanacofsleep 2 years ago
Five minutes is better than zero minutes almanacofsleep.
clean3 2 years ago
He was really awesome!!
aleravanello 3 years ago
Little Walter the king of Rock n Roll finally is home!!
bluedoc0 3 years ago
MY ELVIS
arthurshappy 3 years ago
I grew up with the music of Little Walter.A pioneer of the blues harp. He was a tragic figure because of the racism of the era and the rise of Rock and Roll he had not received his due until Cadillac Records. I mean he should have been one of the first inductees in the Rock and Roll (sic) Hall of Fame. Calling his music crude or raw? It was brillant,an emotional soulful expression of the human soul. That's what the blues is all about.
dixoin56 3 years ago 4
Human emotions ARE crude and raw.
All the best blues men have a crude and raw side.
It's part of what makes their music "brillant,an emotional soulful expression of the human soul." ;)
harmonicazhin 3 years ago
The point : To whom do you apply the term crude & to whom don't you? If all great music has a strong emotional, (crude), aspect, we needn't use the term at all, except to point out unsophisticated, unrefined artists. This's painfully -untrue- in LW's case. Considering that EC's accepted expert opinion limited to blues, it can fairly be assumed he's comparing LW to other blues artists. This makes it even more absurd: There are so many bluesmen who fit the definition of crude better than LW.
lazur1 3 years ago
There is NOTHING "crude" about Little Walter. He was swinging and had a unique voice. He is FAR more legitimate than Eric Clapton. F that guy, seriously. If you saw Scorsese's "The Blues" series, you know that Clapton figured prominently in the footage, yet mentioned nothing of any of the modern blues greats that he MUST be aware of. Let's see Clapton play like Hollywood Fats or Junior Watson or Rusty Zinn. Those cats would blow him out of the water on his BEST DAY! FUCK CLAPTON!
RichZuHaus 3 years ago 2
To finish, I find your reply offensive, naiive and quite pompous, although you are probably being deliberately provocative. Joe Bonamassa´s music can be described as occasionally crude or raw, does that make me racist? I think not.
Geetar2112 3 years ago
Accept it for what it is, a compliment! This is about love of the blues. YOU are the only one using long out moded stereotypes and looking for "deeper social ramifications" and frankly I find it offensive, especially when you don´t know anything about me - or apparently Eric Clapton.
Geetar2112 3 years ago
Eric Clapton may suprise you, he suported Enoch Powel, if you don't know who he is you may wanna look him and his poilcys up.
almanacofsleep 3 years ago
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the clown will be in your bed at 3:00 am with a chainsaw
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kingofkings1959 3 years ago
long as everybody know that this is where rock and roll came from!muddy waters, lil walter, etta james and chuck berry!( not rolling stones or the beetles
dieselbrown7 3 years ago
Little Walter was one hardass bluesman. Hard living, hard drinking, tough son of a bitch. Sam Lay got it right--no arguments, Little Walter was the greatest ever, never see another like him. Oh, and shut the fuck, Clapton, nobody cares what you think. Just go away.
GeorgeHayduke1000 3 years ago
I agree, shut up Clapton. Great clip.
dolina64 3 years ago
Before you correct E.C. use a dictionary. Crude in this context means raw and natural. He is not criticising him, listen to what he says for goodness sake!
Geetar2112 3 years ago
I'm a student of history and music. I'm not really concerned with what the dictionary says. I'm speaking of the deeper social ramifications of the word and its usage in relation to the black artist. Black artists from various continents have long been viewed as more "primitive," more "natural," etc. Ultimately, that view is an ignorant and racist one. It's like the view of the black athlete as being naturally gifted, while the white one relies on smarts. Look deeper. You're already behind. :)
mykalroze 3 years ago
I am surprised at your response. EC is simply saying that LW´s playing was raw,(that´s what made him great)he does NOT mention any of the other adjectives that YOU do, which I agree can be racist in certain contexts, but you are the one using them.
Geetar2112 3 years ago
He talks about his MUSIC, which was "a powerful influnce" on him, because it had "so much emotion". He´s referring to the music and the musician, not the "black artist" as YOU say. I think you are looking TOO deeply, which is what can cause friction in the first place.
Geetar2112 3 years ago
First, calm down. Discuss this rationally, not emotionally. I didn't say anything about you. Do you know what a smiley is? In fact, you were the one who singled me out, called me out, and pegged me as the dumb, unaware one. So, you're being hypocritical, charging me with things you've done. Calm down a bit, then we can discuss this on rational terms. In a society in which so many don't think, and respond with knee-jerk reactions, I'd rather risk thinking too much, then not enough. Go cool down.
mykalroze 3 years ago
I am perfectly calm, I just took offense at your comment "Look deeper. You're already behind". My reaction was not knee jerk, more the result of years working in the field of community race relations. I am not here to discuss racism or social awareness, I just want to enjoy the music (and learn some harp) and I´m sure you do to. Anyway, good bye and good luck :)
Geetar2112 3 years ago
Perhaps you should go back and read your small burst of posts. Those posts have some anger behind them. I used a smiley face. The statement was tongue in cheek. Hence the smiley face.
Anyway, you can't discuss a clip in which a white, British artist talks about a black artist by calling his work "crude" without discuss race and racism, unless one's in denial. The music industry is knee-deep in racism. Its history is full of white artists "borrowing" black artists' songs and going to the bank.
mykalroze 3 years ago
Plus if you take into acount Claptons whole racist out bust in the 70s "send the Wogs home" claims of racism holds more true.
almanacofsleep 3 years ago
Thanks for the info. I found him quoted as saying, "I think Enoch's right ... we should send them all back. Throw the wogs out! Keep Britain white!" And that Britain's in danger of becoming a "black colony." He said that in 1976. I wonder how those people who defend Clapton will respond to that. And even as late as 2004, he reportedly still supported Powell, and denied that he or Powell was racist.
mykalroze 3 years ago
Of course Walter -began-, w/ "raw natural" talent, but his music reveals -sophistication- , yrs of technical refinement & accumulated musical knowledge: Like -any- 1st-rate musician. Funny how some are called 'crude' & some not. There are obvious iimplications we all draw when we hear 'crude': basic, unstudied, unrefined. all not true in Walter's case. Beethoven & Mozart, began w/ "raw natural" talent. Aren't they wonderfully "crude" artists? Unconscious racism is still racism.
lazur1 3 years ago
0:42 -- OK, Clapton, it was very crude? No, Clapton's perspective on it is crude. There's nothing "crude" about Little Walter's harmonica playing. I think Clapton is just too "proper."
mykalroze 3 years ago 3
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Before you correct E.C. use a dictionary. Crude in this context means raw and natural. He is not criticising him, listen to what he says for goodness sake!
Geetar2112 3 years ago
Clapton would know about crude musicianship.
blogward 3 years ago 2
Hahahaha, he sure would. He's an overrated guitarist. Pathetic that a lot of people found about The Wailers through his awful cover of "I Shot the Sheriff."
mykalroze 3 years ago
Walter's also a great singer, (John Lee Hooker's favorite), & fine guitarist, (on some Muddy records). (Agreed: EC's overated, but it's never a shame how we learn about original artists. Many young fans discovered Freddy King & Otis Rush via EC records. His note-for-note Albert King / "Cross Cut Saw" solo on Cream's "Strange Brew", once angering me as a rip-off, I now believe was a tribute, & also the single most important factor in Albert's successful introduction to the general public.)
lazur1 3 years ago
I agree on Walter being a great singer. I can't get enough of his vocals, for example, on "My Babe." I always find it amusing how many white rock fans like to deny rock's black roots. I remember telling a couple white rock fans that rock is black music, and they just about had heart attacks and started getting angry with me and yelling. People say we've gotten past this, but when white kids say Eminem created rap, we've haven't. I love that Chris Cornell has made an album with Timbaland. (more)
mykalroze 3 years ago 2
(continued) Seeing a rock artist like Cornell, with a huge fan base dating back to the 80s, make an album with one of the most popular hip-hop producers in Timbaland brings a smile to my face. That simply wouldn't have happened in the 90s. While many Cornell fans are freaking out and preparing to burn their Cornell CDs, I embrace the move. Sell-out? Maybe. But, it's cool to see him trying something different and mixing his rock lyrics with hip-hop beats. It's better than what Duran Duran did.
mykalroze 3 years ago
I believe EC must've never actually listened to much, if any, of Walter's stuff . This 'crude' statemant simply makes no sense. Would EC call Charlie Parker 'crude'? Walter moved blues forward at least as much as Bird moved jazz. Maybe EC attended some disastrous LW gig as a kid, or confused Walter w/ Sonnyboy #2. Hopefully a sharp reporter will some day question him about this nonsense.
lazur1 3 years ago 2
I remember when reggae first started hitting the world outside of Jamaica, and many white artists looked at it as a primitive, loose, raw, i.e., "black" art form. When, in fact, it was a precise style. It was just slower tempo, a counter to the faster-paced ska and rocksteady styles that preceded it. The whole notion of a "crude" music is a very Eurocentric notion. It's taps into the stereotype that what black artists do is natural, raw, pure, not intellectual. Which is nonsense.
mykalroze 3 years ago
I agree to a certain extent here. But let me tell you something, Sonny Boy Williamson II was NOT crude. That cat played with more soul than Eric Clapton can ever muster. And if you know anything about harp, you know that his playing is sophisticated beyond what any beginner would hear. His playing is nuanced and his voice unique and powerful.
RichZuHaus 3 years ago
Indeed. Not at the top of his game during the time he played w/ the Yardbirds, but still true.
lazur1 3 years ago
Comment removed
RichZuHaus 3 years ago
He clearly was not sober on that record. Sonny Boy liked to take a taste, from time to time.
RichZuHaus 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Shows what you guys know about the blues...lol...the man who played guitar on those records was none other than Jimmy Page.
deadendkid1968 2 years ago
Jimmy Rogers, not Jimmy Page silly :)
ddecto 2 years ago 2
When you're talking about the blues make sure you don't say Jimmy Page. The "gods" will be upset...
Lukeblueslover 2 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
why not
led zeppelin were pretty bluesy
robert plant plays the harp aswell
ShowmetheBlues 2 years ago