David T. Walker

David T. Walker (born June 25, 1941) is an American guitarist. In addition to numerous session musician duties since the early 1970s, Walker has issued fifteen albums in his own name.
Career
David T. Walker was born to a Native American mother and African American father. He and his family relocated to Central California when he was 7 years old. He attended David Starr Jordan High School in the Watts area of Los Angeles. He has recorded fifteen solo albums since his debut release, The Sidewalk, in 1967. He has also been a session rhythm and lead guitarist, appearing on numerous soul, funk, and jazz releases. His backup work was featured on several notable albums of the early 1970s, including Stevie Wonder's Innervisions; Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On and I Want You; Carole King's Rhymes & Reasons and Fantasy; The Jackson 5's Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, ABC, and Maybe Tomorrow, single "Never Can Say Goodbye"(1971); Michael Jackson's Ben, single "Got To Be There"(1971); Nick De Caro album "Italian Graffiti", song "Under the Jamican Moon"(1974), and Quincy Jones's Body Heat. He also played with the combo Afrique on its 1973 Afro funk release Soul Makossa.
Other musicians Walker has worked with over the years include James Brown (1973), Ray Charles, Nick De Caro, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Jack Stratton, Martha and the Vandellas, Four Tops, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Billy Preston, Bobby Womack(1981), Barry White & Love Unlimited Orchestra, Hampton Hawes, Herbie Hancock, Lou Rawls, Willie Hutch, Jeffrey Osborne, Johnny Bristol, Solomon Burke, Cannonball Adderley, B.B. King, Pharoah Sanders, The Crusaders, Joe Sample, Sarah Vaughan, Sérgio Mendes, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Gerald Levert, and Boz Scaggs.
His song "On Love" was sampled on the breakbeat compilation album Tribe Vibes Vol. 2 by the group A Tribe Called Quest. His guitar riff on Joe Sample's "In All My Wildest Dreams" (from Rainbow Seeker) was sampled on Tupac Shakur's song "Dear Mama".
Walker played in Bill Cosby's all-star band at the 2008 Playboy Jazz Festival.
He has gained popularity in Japan for playing guitar and he also leads his group on tours of Japan each year. He recently toured Japan with Marlena Shaw, Larry Carlton and a Brazilian artist Ed Motta. His earlier albums have found new life by being reissued in Japanese editions, along with "best of" collections. An album titled Thoughts was released in Japan in 2008. A holiday album titled Wear My Love was released in Japan in 2009. For All Time was released in 2010.
Discography
As Leader
The Sidewalk (1967) Revue RS-7207
Going Up! (1969) Revue RS-7211
Plum Happy (1970) Zea ZLP-1000
David T. Walker (1971) Ode Ode SP-77011
Press On (1973) Ode SP-77020
On Love (1976) Ode SP-77035
Swing Street Cafe (with Joe Sample, 1981) Crusaders/MCA CRP-16004; Crusaders/MCA CRPD-5785
Y-Ence (1987) The Baked Potato BPL-28005; Half Moon 28XE-3; Alfa Moon 32XM-35
With A Smile (1988) The Baked Potato BPL-28006; Half Moon 28XE-4; Alfa Moon 32XM-69
Ahimsa (1989) Half Moon 28XE-2
Soul Food Cafe (with Soul Food Cafe, 1989) Invitation VDR-1636
...From My Heart (1993) Edoya EDCP-602; BMG BVCM-35165
Dream Catcher (1994) Edoya EDCP-701; BMG BVCM-35166
Beloved (1995) Edoya EDCP-25005; BMG BVCM-35167
David T. Walker 1971-1976: Best of Best (2008) Video Arts Music VACZ-1365 (Japan)
Thoughts (2008) DCT Records UPCH-20113 (Japan)
Wear My Love (Christmas album, 2009) DCT Records UPCH-20176 (Japan)
For All Time (2010) DCT Records XQJS-1002 (Japan)
@ Billboard Live, Tokyo (with Larry Carlton, 2015) 335 Records 335-1507
Music For Your Heart: Best of David T. Walker (2017) Universal Music UCCR-1064 (Japan)
As sideman
With Etta James
Etta James Rocks the House (Argo, 1963)
With Martha & The Vandellas
Martha & The Vandellas LIVE (Gordy, 1967)
With Stevie Wonder
Where I'm Coming From (Tamla, 1971)
Innervisions (Tamla, 1973)
With The Jackson 5
Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (Motown, 1969)
ABC (Motown, 1970)
Third Album (Motown, 1970)
The Jackson 5 Christmas Album (Motown, 1970)
Maybe Tomorrow (Motown, 1971)
Lookin' Through the Windows (Motown, 1972)
Skywriter (Motown, 1973)
G.I.T.: Get It Together (Motown, 1973)
Dancing Machine (Motown, 1974)
Joyful Jukebox Music (Motown, 1976)
With Afrique
Soul Makossa (Mainstream, 1973)
With Marvin Gaye
Trouble Man (Tamla, 1972)
Let's Get It On (Tamla, 1973)
Marvin Gaye Live! (Tamla, 1974)
I Want You (Tamla, 1976)
With Cannonball Adderley
The Happy People (Capitol, 1970)
With Donald Byrd
Ethiopian Knights (Blue Note, 1971)
Black Byrd (Blue Note, 1972)
Street Lady (Blue Note, 1973)
Stepping into Tomorrow (Blue Note, 1974)
Caricatures (Blue Note, 1976)
With Nick De Caro
Italian Graffiti (Blue Thumb, 1974)
With Friends of Distinction
Reviviscence (RCA, 1975)
With Herbie Hancock
Man-Child (Columbia, 1975)
With Monk Higgins
Heavyweight (UA, 1972)
With Richard "Groove" Holmes
Six Million Dollar Man, (RCA/Flying Dutchman, 1975)
With Freddie Hubbard
Bundle of Joy (Columbia, 1977)
Splash (Fantasy, 1981)
With Bobbi Humphrey
Blacks and Blues (Blue Note, 1973)
With Paul Humphrey
Paul Humphrey & the Cool Aid Chemists (Lizad, 1969)
With Quincy Jones
Dollar$ (Reprise, 1971)
Body Heat (A&M, 1974)
Roots (A&M, 1977)
With Lonette McKee
Lonette (Sussex, 1978)
With Blue Mitchell
Stratosonic Nuances (RCA, 1975)
The Last Tango = Blues (Mainstream, 1973)
With Alphonse Mouzon
The Man Incognito (Blue Note, 1975)
With Jeffrey Osborne
Jeffrey Osborne (A&M, 1982)
With Gloria Scott
What Am I Gonna Do (Casablanca, 1974)
With Marlena Shaw
Who Is This Bitch, Anyway? (Blue Note, 1974)
With The Silvers
The Silvers II (Pride, 1973)
With Stanley Turrentine
Pieces of Dreams (Fantasy, 1974)
In the Pocket (Fantasy, 1975)
Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Fantasy, 1975)
Betcha (Elektra, 1979)
La Place (Blue Note, 1989)
With Vulfpeck
Christmas in L.A. (Single) (Vulf Records, 2014)
Thrill of the Arts (Vulf Records, 2015)
Game Winner (Vulf Records, 2016)
Running Away (Vulf Records, 2017)
Grandma (Vulf Records, 2017)
Never Can Say Goodbye (Vulf Records, 2022)
With Leon Ware
Musical Message (Gordy, 19)
With Bobby Womack
The Poet (Beverly Glen, 1981)
With Dee Dee Bridgewater
Just Family (Elektra, 1977)
With Ed Motta
AOR (Dwitza, 2013)
See also
Barry White
References
External links
Billboard website
Discogs website
American soul guitarists
American male guitarists
American session musicians
1941 births
Living people
Musicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma
Guitarists from Oklahoma
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
Revue Records artists
Ode Records artists
The Love Unlimited Orchestra members