Walter Horton (April 6, 1917 – December 8, 1981) was an American blues harp player. He is also known as Big Walter Horton or "Shakey" Horton.

Life
He was born in Horn Lake, Mississippi and started playing harp at the age of five. In his teens he went to Memphis and lived with little income and a lot of discrimination. In the 1930s he played with many musicians across the Mississippi delta region.
He made his first recording in Memphis with the guitarist Little Buddy Doyle. Due to poor health he worked outside the music industry in the 1940s. In the early 1950s he was one of the first musicians recording for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, who would later record Elvis Presley. At this time he also was part of the Chicago blues scene, where he recorded amongst others with Eddie Taylor and Johnny Shines. After Junior Wells left the Muddy Waters Band he recorded one session with Waters. In the 1960s he recorded often as sideman for other musicians. He played frequently in the 1970s at blues and folk music festivals in the U.S. and Europe, often with Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars. In 1977 he joined Johnny Winter and Muddy Waters on Winter's album I'm Ready. At that time he also recorded for Blind Pig Records. Horton appeared in the Maxwell Street scene in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. His final recordings were made in 1980.

He got his nickname "Shakey" because while playing he moved his head. He did his own first recording not until 1964 because he was a humble and shy person who did not like to be a leader. He felt more comfortable as sideman for others. Big Walter Horton died from heart failure in Chicago in 1981 aged 64.

Discography

Own works
1964	 	The Soul of Blues Harmonica	 	Chess
1969	 	Southern Comfort	 	Sire Records
1972	 	Offer You Can't Refuse [1 Side]	 	Red Lightnin' (UK)
1973		Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell		Alligator
1973	        NowLive at the El Mocambo	 	Red Lightnin' (UK)
1974		With Hot Cottage		Stony Plain
1976		Can't Keep Lovin' You		Blind Pig Records
1979		Fine Cuts		Blind Pig Records
1980	 	Little Boy Blue [live]	 	JSP
1984	 	The Deep Blues Harmonica	 	JSP
1984            Can't Keep Lovin' You Blind Pig Records
1986	 	Walter Horton	 	Black Magic
1988           Mouth Harp Maestro    	Ace
1990	 	Horton	 	Blind Pig Records
1996	 	Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival, Vol. 4 [live]	 	Schoolkids
1996		They Call Me Big Walter	 	Blues Alliance
1997            An Offer you Can´t Refuse Walter Horton und Paul Butterfield  Castle
1998           Toronto '73 M.I.L. Multimedia
1999		Walter "Shakey" Horton Live	 	Pacific Blues
2001		Live at the Knickerbocker		JSP
2001            With Hot Cottage  Stony Plain
2005            Memphis Recordings 1951  Megaphon Importservice
2008		Bocce Boogie: Live 1978		Topcat Records

As sideman
Chicken Shack Complete Blue Horizon Sessions  (2006)
Fleetwood Mac Blues Jam In Chicago, Vol. 2  (2004)
Buddy Guy This Is the Beginning: The Artistic and USA Sessions 1958-1963 (2003)
David "Honeyboy" Edwards  Don't Mistreat A Fool  (1999)
Johnny Shines 1915-1992  (1998)
Muddy Waters His Best 1956 bis 1964 (1997)	
American Folk Blues Festival: 1962-1965  (1995)
Floyd Jones Masters Of Modern Blues  (1994)
J.B. Hutto Masters Of Modern Blues  (1995)
Jimmy Rogers Chicago Bound  (1976)
Fleetwood MacKiln House  (1970)
Koko Taylor 	Koko Taylor (1969)
Sunnyland SlimMidnight Jump (1969)	
Fleetwood Mac Blues Jam In Chicago, Vol. 1  (1969)
Chicken Shack O.K. Ken?  (1969)
Johnny Shines Johnny Shines With Big Walter Horton  (1969)
Johnny Winter Johnny Winter  (1969)
Big Mama Thornton  Ball N' Chain  (1968)
Johnny Young Chicago Blues  (1968)
Otis Spann Otis Spann's Chicago Blues  (1966)
Big Mama Thornton Big Mama Thornton In Europe  (1965)

References 

Blues musicians
Musicians from Mississippi
1917 births
1981 deaths
Chicago blues musicians
Blues harp players