PHILLIP WALKER: Going Back Home

Phillip Walker

Going Back Home

© 2007 DELTA GROOVE PRODUCTIONS (850021001131)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Legendary Gulf Coast guitarist explores his roots with special guests Rusty Zinn, Al Blake, Fred Kaplan & Rob Rio.

notes

“Phillip Walker has been one of the major influences on my career.” – Robert Cray

“Gut wrenching perfection, Phillip is one of the 10 most important blues guitarists living today.” – Guitar Player Magazine

"His solos inherently swing and his tone alternates between a sweet jazz fullness and a biting attack." – Washington Post

___

Born in 1937 near Lake Charles, Louisiana in the small town of Welsh, Phillip Walker’s earliest musical influences came via the Cajun and Creole rhythms he heard as a youngster. But by the time his family moved down I-10 to Port Arthur, Texas after the war, the blues was making an impression on young Phillip as well. A second cousin of Gatemouth Brown, and a huge admirer of T-Bone Walker (almost a requirement for young guitarists in Texas at the time), Phillip began making a name for himself on the vibrant local music scene by the time he was still in his teens. He recalls his first recording session backing Memphis pianist Roscoe Gordon in 1952; the following year, The King Of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier, recruited the young guitarist and took him on the road and into the studio over the next few years. So before he was even old enough to buy a beer in most of the joints he played, Phillip Walker was already a seasoned and road-tested veteran.

By the late ‘50s Walker was out on the road with his own band. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1959, he cut his first record as a bandleader, the storming "Hello My Darling," for Elko Records. He augmented steady work in Los Angeles clubs with touring between Los Angeles, Texas, and Chicago, and recorded a handful of singles for various labels in the 1960s. Walker also did occasional session work (including backing Chicago bluesmen Johnny Shines and Eddie Taylor for the Advent label in 1969), and with the help of long-time supporter and producer Bruce Bromberg, he cut an excellent LP for Hugh Hefner’s Playboy label in the early 1970s (later reissued on Hightone). Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s Walker’s musical career continued to pick up steam, with numerous recording projects, tours of the U.S. and abroad, and increasing attention from the ‘blues media’ worldwide.

Walker ’s well-received releases in the 1980s and ‘90s, many with guidance from Bromberg, kept Walker active and in the spotlight. So when longtime fan and Delta Groove head Randy Chortkoff came knocking, Phillip was ready. The plan was to revisit Walker’s roots, and record some of the songs he heard directly from his early influences such as fellow Texas and Louisiana musicians Frankie Lee Sims, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Lonesome Sundown and others. At the same time, they came up with a handful of strong originals in the same vein, and the results are a mix as down-home and funky as possum stew. Walker is joined by an all-star crew of sympathetic and experienced sidemen who know just what to do, and just when to do it. Veteran drummer Richard Innes teams up with bassist Jeff Turmes to provide one of the toughest blues rhythm sections this side of 1954 (the multi-talented Turmes also contributes sax on the low-down Frankie Lee Sims cover “Walkin’ With Frankie”). Rusty Zinn is the perfect six-string counter-balance to Phillip’s guitar, playing with sensitivity and drive behind Walker’s warm vocals, and adding seamless counterpoint and rhythmic propulsion behind the leader’s stinging and melodic solos. And when the two guitarists trade solos as on the pumping shuffle “Lay You Down” sparks of the best kind fly. Add harp master Al Blake and pianist Fred Kaplan of The Hollywood Blue Flames for a few numbers, plus piano ace Rob Rio, and you end up with one of the best recordings of Phillip Walker’s long and illustrious career. So sit back and enjoy the ride…Phillip Walker’s drivin’, and we’re all goin’ back home. - Written by Scott Dirks

A note from producer Randy Chortkoff:
I’ve been a fan of Phillip’s music for years, but didn’t know until we met during the recording of Frank Goldwasser’s BLUJU CD, and we began talking about this project, what a great guy he is. Phillip is the epitome of a gentleman, and a consummate bandleader. He’s such a complete professional. He leads by example and is a mentor to all the musicians who play with him. I consider it a privilege to record him, not only because he’s such a pro, but also he’s a great representation of what the west coast sound really is – a mix of styles from Louisiana and Texas, with a layer of sophistication added. We decided to reach back and dig out some material he wouldn’t normally do, things by some of the artists he listened to and admired, and we just went from there. I’d also like to acknowledge and thank Bruce Bromberg for all of the great work he’s done with Phillip, and on his behalf, over the years. He’s been behind the scenes supporting Phillip on a lot of the great things he’s done musically since the late ‘60s, and deserves a lot of credit. Also, thanks to all the great musicians who supported Phillip on this project – these guys are not only some of the best blues players in the world, they’re also some of the biggest fans, and continually amaze me with their feeling for the music. And thanks to the entire crew at Delta Groove, who keep things rolling behind the scenes, do a consistently great job, and make it all look easy. Finally, thanks to you, the listener, for giving us a reason to do what we do. Extra special thanks to Tom Radai for his passionate and diligent work with so many exceptional blues men and women over the years. Tom’s relationship with Phillip Walker as a manager and a friend will hopefully be further enhanced by the release of this exceptional album.

___

MUSICANS:
Phillip Walker: vocals & lead guitar (except 3 & 5)
Rusty Zinn: rhythm guitar / lead guitar – 3, 5, 9 / acoustic guitar – 6
(Rusty Zinn appears courtesy of Bad Daddy Records.)
Jeff Turmes: standup & electric bass (except 1 & 13)
tenor & baritone sax – 1 / tenor sax - 13
Richard Innes: drums
Fred Kaplan: piano – 2, 3, 4, 9, 10
James W. Thomas: electric bass – 1, 13
Rob Rio: piano – 5, 8, 11, 12, 13
Al Blake: harmonica – 6, 11
David Woodford: tenor sax – 2, 8, 12 / double tenors sax - 9

CREDITS:
Produced by Randy Chortkoff / Production Assistant: Andy Santana / Recorded and Enginered by Doug Messenger (Hard Drive Studios, North Hollywood, CA.) / Mixed by Randy Chortkoff and Doug Messenger / Mastered by Robert Hadly (The Mastering Lab, Hollywood CA.) / Photography by Anthony Peres, Anthony Peres Photography (www.anthonyperes.com) / Artwork, Design & additional Photography by Joshua Temkin (joshuatemkin@gmail.com) / Liner Notes by Scott Dirks / Radio Promotion by Frank Roszak / Retail: Jeff Fleenor / Business Affairs: Malcolm Wiseman

reviews

Please log in to review this album.

  • Quality, Smoothness, Undoubted Class!
    author: Brian Harman

    As Mr. Walker enters his seventh decade one could assume perhaps, that this, his debut album for Delta Groove, is a rambling collection of old numbers recorded just to accommodate a famous ageing bluesman. Well, I can confidently state that this collection of old numbers is far from accommodating that theory; in fact a great deal of care and attention to detail has been put into this showcase recording. A variety of types and styles are featured, including harp and piano led, slow, fast shuffles, which in turn display with wonderful clarity Mr. Walkers’ unique dexterity of picking ‘n’ plucking with his plectrum, also, the deep richness of sound he manages to create from his playing is stunningly delivered and the music simply oozes, then cascades over your ears with each replay of the album.

  • One of his best, most consistent records of his career!
    author: Dylann DeAnna

    Place another feather in the hat of Delta Groove Productions for helping Phillip Walker make one of his best, most consistent records of his career. Backed by ubiquitous session aces like Rusty Zinn, Jeff Turmes, Richard Innes & Al Blake, Walker rolls through a 13-song set of choice covers and three originals by Delta Groove owner Randy Chortkoff on "Going Back Home".

email

Please log in to email this artist.