Marion Walter Jacobs

Little Walter
By MaKayla Harbour

Little Walter, born Marion Walter Jacobs, was born in 1931 in Marksville,
Louisiana. At the young age of 12, Little Walter ran away from home to New Orleans
where he began to play the blues in the streets. Walter was best known for his
incredible skills on the harmonica, but he was also very skilled at guitar, singing,
and song writing.

In 1944, his career was launched when he had his first appearance on the
King Biscuit Radio Show in Helena, Arkansas. (Miller A. D., 2015) By 1946, Little
Walter had made his way up to Chicago, Illinois. There, he played with legends by
the names of Big Bull Broonzy and Memphis Slim. His first recording was in 1949,
when he was a sideman for Muddy Waters. He began working with Waters when
they both backed Jimmy Rogers in 1947. They continued to work together for 5
more years. (Miller, 2015) Not only was Walter a sideman, but he was believed to be
a key contributor to Waters musical career. Walter was of the first to realize the
power that blues could have if it was electrified. With Waters on the electric guitar
and Walter on his amplified harmonica, They became the hottest band in Chicago.

In 1952, Little Walter began his career with his band Your Cat Will Dance,
which was renamed to Juke when they hit it big with chart toppers 8 weeks in a
row. They signed with Chess Records, the recording company that Walter would stay
with for 14 years. Walter was revered as the most influential harmonica player in
blues history and the innovator of 50s Chicago Blues. (Harbour, 2015) He left a
lasting impression and influenced many artists from his time and today. He was
especially a hit in Great Britain when he left British youth raving over him. He was
also called a Headhunter because when he played somewhere he took
everyones heads with his music.

With a history of alcoholism, fighting, and self-destructive tendencies,

Walters face was littered with scars and his career began to decline. (Miller A. ,
2010) He toured Great Britain with the Rolling Stones in 1964. Although the Stones
played very well and had their part of the tour very well-organized, Walter was
unreliable, disinterested, and did not come close to performing half as well as he
used to. Walters died in 1968 at the age of 37 due to head injuries he acquired
when he was on the losing side of a street fight. (Miller & Miller, 2015)

Works Cited
Harbour, M. D. (2015). How to Manage a Rock Star Boyfriend. Rolling Stones, 5-7.
Miller, A. (2010, October 29). When your Brother Loves your Best Friend. Retrieved
from Life Struggles: www.thelifestrugglesofabby.net
Miller, A. D. (2015, July 31). My Owner Left Me to Become a Rockstar. Retrieved from
Dogs Speak : www.dogsspeak.bark
Miller, B. P. (2015). How to be a Great Guitarist. Huntington: Basement Walls Press.
Miller, P., & Miller, K. (2015). When your Son Becomes a Rock Star. Rolling Stones, 57.