ABSTRACT
Whether it was individuals looking to play the numbers, or someone searching for a room to rent, Della's roominghouse saw a flurry of people coming and going, and Della and her boyfriend were well-known to the neighborhood. Floyd Jones had roomed at Della's, and so did the "recently arrived" Little Walter, along with "... his skinny girlfriend, the girl who bought Walter his first amp," according to Robinson. "There was a music store right next to Della's, a lot of people were getting their first amps around this time." Robinson, who a decade later would become a member of Walter's touring band, recalls seeing Walter a lot when he was young, "... on Maxwell more on the weekends-he was like a cousin to me, by him living with Della." Although Walter was actually little more than 16 or 17 at the time, he seemed older to Robinson, carrying himself with the assurance that comes with being self-sufficient and independent. Walter never seemed to have a permanent residence for long; Robinson recalled him "bumming around," staying a few days here and there with different people in the area. Walter was also seen regularly in the company of"... a whore on Maxwell Street named Billy, everyone knew her. She was really built!"Jimmie says. This association probably further enhanced Walter's reputation as a fast-living playboy, but he nevertheless struggled to survive.
