Walter Horton

**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.

### 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 Slim_Midnight 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)

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **name**: Big Walter Horton
- **image**: Big Walter Horton (public domain).jpg
- **background**: solo_singer
- **birth name**: Walter Horton
- **alias**: Shakey Horton, Mumbles Horton
- **birth place**: Horn Lake, Mississippi, United States
- **death place**: Chicago, Illinois, United States, buried: Restvale Cemetery
- **origin**: Memphis, Tennessee
- **instrument**: Harmonica
- **genre**: Blues
- **occupation**: Musician
- **years active**: Late 1920s–1981
- **label**: Okeh Records, Okeh, Vocalion Records, Vocalion, States Records, States, Ace Records (US), Ace, Alligator Records, Alligator, Blind Pig Records, Blind Pig, others