ABSTRACT
American blues singer and harmonica player, born Marion Walter Jacobs in Alexandria, Louisiana. He taught himself the harmonica, and learned to play it with great expressiveness. He recorded successfully for Leonard Chess in the 1950s, notably his biggest hit, “Juke” (Checker 758, 1952), followed by “Mean
Old World” (Checker 764; 1952), and “Blue Lights” (Checker 799; 1954). He and Muddy Waters made several distinguished duet records, including “All Night Long” (Chess 1509; 1952). Although Walter continued to record with Muddy Waters through the 1960s, as well as on his own, his career slumped due to his increasingly erratic behavior. He made several tours of Europe in the mid-1960s, but then died following a beating at the hands of police in 1968. Most of his original recordings have been repackaged on CD by MCA/Chess. His life has been chronicled in a well-crafted biography, Blues with A Feeling: The Little Walter Story, by Tony Glover, Scott Dirks, and Ward Gaines (2002).
