Little Walter (1930–1968) was an American blues artist who is generally regarded as the most influential blues harmonica player of his era. Most of his earliest recordings were as a sideman, when he contributed harmonica to songs by Chicago blues musicians such as Jimmy Rogers and Muddy Waters. As the featured artist, he recorded the instrumental "Juke" in 1952. The single reached number one on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart and launched his career as a solo artist.
A string of popular singles followed, including "Mean Old World", "Blues with a Feeling", and "Key to the Highway". His "My Babe" was one of the biggest R&B sellers of 1955. In addition to his solo career, Little Walter continued to record harmonica for songs by other artists. His harmonica can be heard on many of Muddy Waters' most famous songs, such as "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", and "Got My Mojo Working".
Little Walter recorded at a time when blues musicians were primarily singles artists. His records were released on Checker Records, run by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil. The one album released during his lifetime is a compilation issued by Chess Records, titled The Best of Little Walter (1958). Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at number 198 in its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Little Walter died in 1968, a time when interest in electric blues shifted the focus from singles to albums. Chess continued to issue compilations of his earlier singles as well as previously unreleased recordings. In 2009, The Complete Chess Masters: 1950–1967 was issued by the Checker/Chess successor, Hip-O Records/Universal. The five compact disc box set contains 126 recordings and is believed to represent all of his solo recordings. In 2010, the set received a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album.
Singles Most of Little Walter's first recordings from 1947 to 1951 were as a harmonica player backing bluesmen, such as Jimmy Rogers, Sunnyland Slim, and Muddy Waters. However, a few songs recorded during this period were issued on singles, which were credited to Little Walter. These include releases on Chance Records (as "Little Walter J."), and Parkway and Regal (as "Little Walter Trio"). After Leonard and Phil Chess began promoting him as a featured artist on their Checker label in 1952, his singles were variously credited as "Little Walter and His Night Cats", "Little Walter and His Nightcaps", "Little Walter and His Jukes", or simply "Little Walter". These singles were issued on 78 rpm and 45 rpm records, when they were the standard formats.
+ Title A-side / B-side Year Label () Chart peak U.S. R&B "Ora Nelle Blues" (AKA "That's All Right") / "I Just Keep Loving Her" (A-side by Othum Brown) 1947 Chance (1116) — "Just Keep Lovin' Her" / "Moonshine Blues" 1950 Parkway (502) — "Muskadine Blues" / "Bad Acting Woman" Regal (3296) — "Juke" (i) / "Can't Hold Out Much Longer" 1952 Checker (758) 1 "Sad Hours" (i) / Checker (764) 2 "Mean Old World" 6 "Don't Have to Hunt No More" (i) / "Tonight with a Fool" [this release withdrawn/cancelled] 1953 Checker (767) — "Tell Me Mama" / Checker (770) 10 "Off the Wall" (i) 8 "Blues with a Feeling" / "Quarter to Twelve" (i) Checker (780) 2 "You're So Fine" / "Lights Out" (i) Checker (786) 2 "Oh Baby" / "Rocker" (i) 1954 Checker (793) 8 "You Better Watch Yourself" / "Blue Light" (i) Checker (799) 8 "Last Night" / "Mellow Down Easy" Checker (805) 6 "My Babe" / "Thunder Bird" (i) 1955 Checker (811) 1 "Roller Coaster" (i) / "I Got to Go" Checker (817) 6 "Too Late" / "I Hate to See You Go (Come Back Baby)" Checker (825) — "Who" / "It Ain't Right" 1956 Checker (833) 7 "One More Chance with You" / "Flying Saucer" (i) Checker (838) — "Just a Feeling" / "Teenage Beat" (i) Checker (845) — "It's Too Late Brother" / "Take Me Back" Checker (852) — "Nobody But You" / "Everybody Needs Somebody" 1957 Checker (859) — "Boom, Boom Out Goes the Lights" / "Temperature" Checker (859) — "" (i) / "Confessin' the Blues" 1958 Checker (890) — "Key to the Highway" / "Rock Bottom" (i) Checker (904) 6 "My Baby Is Sweeter" / "Crazy Mixed-Up World" 1959 Checker (919) — "Everything Gonna Be Alright" / "Back Track" (i) Checker (930) 25 "Me and Piney Brown" / "Break It Up" Checker (938) — "Ah'w Baby" / "I Had My Fun" 1960 Checker (945) — "My Babe" [remix with female backing vocals added] / "Blue Midnight" (i) Checker (955) "I Don't Play" / "As Long as I Have You" 1961 Checker (968) — "Crazy For My Baby" / "Crazy Legs" Checker (986) — "Just Your Fool" / "I Got to Find My Baby" 1962 Checker (1013) — "Up the Line" / "Southern Feeling" (i) 1963 Checker (1043) — "Shake Dancer" (i) / "Diggin' My Potatoes" (B-side by Washboard Sam)1964 Checker (1071) — "I'm a Business Man" / "Dead Presidents" Checker (1081) — "Mean Ole Frisco" / "Blue and Lonesome" 1965 Checker (1117) — An (i) denotes an instrumental release; A dash (—) denotes a release that did not reach the charts.
Selected compilation albums As with most blues musicians before the mid-1960s, Little Walter was a singles artist. The one album released during his lifetime, the compilation Best of Little Walter, was issued on the Checker-affiliated Chess Records in 1958. After his death, additional songs were compiled on albums, sometimes by other record companies without authorization or, as author Richie Unterberger noted, the "legality was dubious". The compilation albums listed are issued by Chess and its successors.
+ Title Album details The Best of Little WalterReleased: 1958 Label: Chess (LP 1428) Format: Monaural LP record Note: Includes 10 of his charting singles from 1952–1955, plus 2 B-sides Hate to See You GoReleased: 1969 Label: Chess (LP 1535) Format: LP Note: 15 songs from 1955–1965 Boss Blues HarmonicaReleased: 1972 Label: Chess (2CH 60014) Format: Double LP Note: 24 songs from 1952–1964 Confessin' the BluesReleased: 1974 Label: Chess (CHV 416) Format: Mono/stereo LP Note: 15 songs from 1953–1963 The Best of Little Walter, Volume TwoReleased: 1989 Label: Chess (CH/CHD-9292) Format: LP/CD Note: 12 songs from 1952–1960 The Essential Little WalterReleased: June 8, 1993 Label: Chess/MCA (CHD2-9342) Format: 2 CDs Note: 46 songs, including some unreleased/alternate tracks Blues with a FeelingReleased: October 25, 1995 Label: Chess/MCA (CHD2-9357) Format: 2 CDs Note: 40 songs, including many unreleased/alternate tracks His Best: The Chess 50th Anniversary CollectionReleased: 1997 Label: Chess/MCA (CHD-9384) Format: CD Note: Includes 12 of his 15 charting singles, plus 8 B-sides; essentially supersedes the 1958 The Best of Little Walter The Complete Chess Masters (1950–1967)Released: 2009 Label: Hip-O/Universal (B0012636-02) Format: 5-CD box set Note: 126 songs on 5 CDs; all known/available Checker/Chess recordings, including many alternate takes
As accompanist Singles + Title A-side / B-side Year Listed artist(s) Label () Chart peak U.S. R&B "Ora Nelle Blues" (AKA "That's All Right") / "I Just Keep Loving Her" (B-side by "Little Walter J.") 1947 Chance (1116) — "Blue Baby" / "I Want My Baby" 1948 Sunnyland Slim and Muddy Water Tempo-Tone (TT-1002) — "Boll Weevil" / "Red Headed Woman" 1950 Baby Face Leroy Trio Parkway (104) — "Rollin' and Tumblin' (Part 1)" / "Rollin' and Tumblin' (Part 2)" Baby Face Leroy Trio Parkway (501) — "You're Gonna Need My Help 'I Said' (Gonna Need My Help)" / "Sad Letter Blues" Muddy Waters Chess (1434) — "That's All Right" / "Ludella" Chess (1435) — "Louisiana Blues" / "Evans Shuffle" Muddy Waters Chess (1441) 10 "Going Away Baby" / "Today Today Blues" Chess (1442) — "Joliet Blues" / "So Glad I Found You" Chess (1443) — "Long Distance Call" / "Too Young to Know" Muddy Waters Chess (1452) 8 "Wandering Lover" / "Lima Beans" 1951 Chess (1461) — "Honey Bee" / "Appealing Blues" Muddy Waters Chess (1468) — "Money Marbles & Chalk" / "Chance to Love" Chess (1476) — "Still a Fool" / "My Fault" (not on A-side) Muddy Waters Chess (1480) 9 "She Moves Me" / "Early Morning Blues (Before Daybreak)" (not on B-side) Muddy Waters Chess (1490) 10 "Dark Road" / "Big World" Chess (1498) — "Jealous Woman" / "Give Love Another Chance" (not on B-side) 1952 Chess (1507) — "All Night Long" / "Country Boy" Muddy Waters Chess (1509) — "Please Have Mercy" / "Looking for My Baby (I Can't Be Satisfied)" (not on B-side) Muddy Waters Chess (1514) — "Rattlesnake" / "It Was a Dream" John Brim Checker (769) — "Me and My Chauffeur" / "Broken Heart" (not on B-side) Memphis Minnie Checker (771) — "Turn the Lamp Down Low (Baby, Please Don't Go)" / "Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man" (not on B-side) 1953 Muddy Waters Chess (1542) — "Left Me with a Broken Heart" / "Act Like You Love Me" Chess (1543) — "Mad Love (I Want You to Love Me)" / "Blow Wind Blow" Muddy Waters Chess (1550) 6 "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" / "She's So Pretty" 1954 Muddy Waters Chess (1560) 3 "Just Make Love to Me (I Just Want to Make Love to You)" / "Oh Yeah" Muddy Waters Chess (1571) 4 "Chicago Bound" / "Sloppy Drunk" Chess (1574) — "I'm Ready" / "I Don't Know Why" Muddy Waters Chess (1579) 4 "I'm a Natural Born Lover" / "Loving Man" (not on A-side) Muddy Waters Chess (1585) — "I Want to Be Loved" / "My Eyes (Keep Me in Trouble)" 1955 Muddy Waters Chess (1596) — "Manish Boy (Mannish Boy)" / "Young Fashioned Ways (Old Fashioned Ways)" (not on A-side) Muddy Waters Chess (1602) — "Diddley Daddy" / "She's Fine, She's Mine" (not on B-side) Bo Diddley Checker (819) — "Sugar Sweet (I Can't Call Her Sugar)" / Muddy Waters Chess (1612) 11 "Trouble No More" 7 "Blues All Day Long" / "You're the One" 1956 Chess (1616) — "Forty Days and Forty Nights" / "All Aboard" Muddy Waters Chess (1620) 7 "Be Careful" / "You Got Me Where You Want Me" Chess (1624) — "Don't Go No Farther (You Need Meat)" / "Diamonds at Your Feet" Muddy Waters Chess (1630) 9 "Just to Be with You" / "I Got to Find My Baby" Muddy Waters Chess (1644) — "Got My Mojo Working" / "Rock Me" Muddy Waters Chess (1652) — "I Live the Life I Love (I Love the Life I Live)" / "Evil" 1957 Muddy Waters Chess (1680) — "Groaning the Blues" / "If You Were Mine" Cobra (5010) — "Love That Woman" / "Jump Sister Bessie" Cobra (5015) — "What Have I Done" / "Trace of You" Chess (1687) — "Close to You" / "She's Nineteen Years Old" 1958 Muddy Waters Chess (1704) 9 "Walking Thru the Park (Walking in the Park)" / "Mean Mistreater" Muddy Waters Chess (1718) — "Clouds in My Heart" / "Ooh Wee" Muddy Waters Chess (1724) — "Read Way Back" / "I'm Your Doctor" 1960 Muddy Waters Chess (1752) — "Look What You've Done" / "Love Affair" (not on B-side) Muddy Waters Chess (1758) — "Got My Mojo Working, Part 1 (live)" / "Woman Wanted" (not on A-side) Muddy Waters Chess (1774) — A dash (—) denotes a release that did not reach the charts.
Albums Songs recorded with Little Walter as a sideman are included on many compilations by Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers. Albums with four songs recorded live in the late 1960s have been released by several issuers of bootleg recordings. These often appear along with songs by Otis Rush on albums with titles such as Live in the Windy City and At the Chicago Blues Festival. Additional live recordings from the 1967 American Folk Blues Festival have circulated on unofficial sources.
+ Title Listed artist(s) Album details Ramblin' on My Mind: A Collection of Classic Train and Travel Blues Various artistsReleased: 1966 Label: Milestone (MLP 3002) Format: LP Note: Includes "Hear That Whistle Blow" recorded with Johnny Young 1964 Super Blues Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, and Little Walter Released: June 1967 Label: Checker (LP/S 3008) Format: LP Recorded: January 4, 1967 Note: Collaborative album with remakes of 8 songs originally recorded by the 3 artists Masters of Modern Blues, Volume 4 Robert Nighthawk, Houston StackhouseReleased: 1968 Label: Testament (T-2215) Format: LP Note: Includes "Kansas City" recorded live with Nighthawk in 1964 They Call Me Muddy Waters Muddy WatersReleased: February 1971