Willie Earl Walker (December 21, 1941 November 19, 2019), also known as Wee Willie Walker, was an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

singer.

Life and career

He was born in

Hernando, Mississippi Hernando is a city in, and the county seat of, DeSoto County, which is on the northwestern border of Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,090 at the 2010 census, up from 6,812 in 2000. DeSoto County is the second-most-populous count ...

, and grew up in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, where he started singing with local

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

groups. From his mid-teens, he toured with the Redemption Harmonizers, who included

Roosevelt Jamison Roosevelt Jamison (July 15, 1936 – March 27, 2013) was an American music manager, publicist and songwriter who worked in Memphis, Tennessee, during the 1960s. His most notable composition was "That's How Strong My Love Is", first recorded b ...

. In 1960, while touring, Walker and a bandmate decided to stay in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

with a member of another gospel group, the Royal Jubileers, rather than returning to Memphis. In Minneapolis, he joined a local R&B vocal group, the Val-Dons (later Valdons), who became successful in and around

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is commonly known as the Twin Cities ...

. He was credited as "Wee" Willie Walker in recognition of his height, variously reported as or . In the early 1960s, he led his own group, Wee Willie Walker and the Exciters. Andrea Swensson, ''Got to Be Something Here: The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound'', Univ. of Minnesota Press, 2017
''Books.google.com'' Walker returned occasionally to Memphis, and made his first recordings there in 1965 for

Goldwax Records Goldwax Records was an American record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, in 1964 by Quinton Claunch and Rudolph V. "Doc" Russell. History Claunch was a hardware store owner who had previously worked as a country music guitarist, a ...

, produced by

Quinton Claunch Quinton Mavis Claunch (December 3, 1921 – April 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, record producer and record label owner, who was responsible with others for setting up Hi Records in the 1950s and Goldwax Records in the 1960s. B ...

. His first release, in 1967, was a cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' " Ticket to Ride", with the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

"There Goes My Used To Be", written by Roosevelt Jamison. He made more recordings for Goldwax in 1968, including "You Name It, I Have It" and "A Lucky Loser", which were both licensed for release by

Checker Records Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded ...

. His recordings were not commercially successful. Due to a misunderstanding he missed the opportunity to be promoted by influential radio DJ John Richbourg, and Goldwax refused to release him from his contract to allow him to work with

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

. "Willie Walker, Soul Survivor"
''WeeWillieWalker.com'', based on article by Mike Elias, ''The Chord''. Retrieved 22 December 2019 Walker continued to work as a machinist, and later as a health care worker. He performed at weekends, singing with a voice described as "a mélange of

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

and

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

." J.D. Nash, "Soul Blues Singer Wee Willie Walker Dead at 77"
''American Blues Scene'', November 20, 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019 He joined with Willie Murphy, another ex-member of the Valdons, and formed Willie & The Bees. In the 1970s he formed Salt, Pepper and Spice, a horn-based rock band. In about 2002 he retired from his health care job and linked with local R&B band, the Butanes. They recorded three albums together, ''Right Where I Belong'' (2004); ''Memphisapolis'' (2006); and ''Long Time Thing'' (2011).
''SoulfulKindaMusic''. Retrieved 22 December 2019 They also toured together in Europe and Japan. Later, Walker led another R&B band, Willie Walker and We "R", who had a regular residency at the Minnesota Music Café in St. Paul. He also made an album with local musician and songwriter Paul Metsa, ''Live On Highway 55'' (2013). In 2014, harmonica player and bandleader Rick Estrin saw Walker performing, and invited Walker to sing with him on tour. Estrin produced Walker's 2015 album ''If Nothing Ever Changes'', which in turn led to Walker's 2017 album, ''After a While'', recorded with guitarist Anthony Paule's Soul Orchestra. The album was nominated for 'Album of the Year', 'Song of the Year' ("Hate Take a Holiday") and 'Soul Blues Album', with Walker nominated as 'Soul Blues Male Artist' category at the 39th

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

s in 2018. Walker was also named most outstanding male blues singer at the annual Living Blues Awards in 2018. J.D. Nash, "Soul Blues Singer Wee Willie Walker Dead at 77"
''American Blues Scene'', November 20, 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019 In his latter years, Walker toured internationally, in Europe and South America. Walker died at his home in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, in November 2019, aged 77, shortly after returning from a recording session. Jon Bream, "'Sweeter than honey from a bee,' Twin Cities blues-soul hero Willie Walker dies at 77"
''Star Tribune'', November 19, 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019 "R.I.P. Wee Willie Walker"
''Blues Matters!'', November 20, 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Wee Willie 1941 births 2019 deaths People from Hernando, Mississippi Musicians from Mississippi Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee American soul musicians