Legacy of T-Bone Walker alive in Linden
By ANTHONY
DAVIS
Texarkana Gazette
Texarkana Gazette
LINDEN, Texas—Bernita Ruth Walker was not quite
prepared for the deluge of respect and affection
shown Saturday by the entire community of Linden and
Cass County.
Gaining access to the daughter of the late
blues music icon Aaron “T-Bone” Walker
involved a lot of patience as well-wishers and
music fans at the first-ever festival sought her
out for conversation and/or an autograph.
Walker was in Linden to offer official
sanction to the members of Music City Texas
Theater, the Fairview community and associated
organizations to continue using her father’s
name and image in future T-Bone Walker Blues
Fests.
“This is the biggest honor he could have
received—to be honored in his hometown,”
she said as she reflected on her father’s
musical legacy.
Walker is a resident of Los Angeles,
where her father settled down after
launching his brilliant career from the
southside of Dallas. The Walker family moved
to their present home in 1944 with four
generations of family members. Bernita
Walker is the executive director of the Los
Angeles-based Project Peacemakers, a
nonprofit domestic violence prevention
agency.
To the best of her recollection, she
had never visited Linden before.
“We traveled with him a lot when I
was a child. Then when school started,
we would go with him during holidays and
school breaks,” she said. “I guess I
stopped doing that when I was about 12
when I started getting interested in
teenage things.”
Bernita Walker shared some of her
memories and insights of the life of
her now-famous father.
“... I had a wonderful
childhood. My dad was a great
musician, but he was a wonderful
father and husband,” she said.
“If he and Mama ever had a cross
word, I didn’t hear it. He would
call home every Sunday after church
when he was traveling.”
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Richard Bowden, president of
MCTT, said the group was very
pleased that Walker has agreed
to allow the theater to host the
event for an initial period of
three years.
“For many years,
T-Bone’s influence on music
was virtually unheard of.
It’s only in recent years
that he has begun to receive
credit he so richly
deserves,” Bowden said.
“His music has affected not
only the blues, but music in
general.”
T-Bone is credited with
introducing the electric
guitar style to the blues, a
major change from its
traditional acoustic bass.
His name is used frequently
in interviews with some of
the world’s best blues and
rock guitarists—including
B.B. King.
The significance of the
event to Bernita became
apparent as she addressed
her father’s role in
music.
“This would really
mean a lot to him. He
won one Grammy Award and
was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame, but no one has
ever put on an event
like this honoring his
legacy,” she said.
The star-laden cast
of players paying
tribute to Walker on
this day included
Bobby Oliver and the
Jam City Revue; Dee
Dee Williams; the
Kessler Brothers;
Coyote Blue; Diddley
Squat; Betty Lewis and
the Executives; The
Bluebirds with Buddy
Flett; Kenny Wayne
Shepherd and Keb Mo.
The significance
of the event
wasn’t lost on the
musicians either.
From 15 year-old
Caleb Kessler to the
oldest musician in
the house, T-Bone
continues to be
hailed among them
for his innovative
style of guitar
playing.
“As a
musician born in
Texas, I have
followed
T-Bone’s music
for years,” said
Sean Womack,
guitarist for
Coyote Blue.
“The fact that I
get to perform his
music in the first
T-Bone Walker Fest
is something
we’ll all always
remember and is
especially
meaningful to
me.”
Bobbie
“Mercy”
Oliver, a
dyed-in-the-wool
bluesman from
Marshall, Texas,
was more of a
Chicago blues
stylist, but he
was well-aware
of Walker’s
music.
“I’ve
heard his
music for
years. It’s
inspiring and
I love to play
it,” he
said. “When
I was coming
up it was
mostly country
music. So
whenever he
brought the
blues to East
Texas,
musicians
started coming
out of the
woods wanting
to play.”
For
Linden
Economic
Development
Corp.
Executive
Director
Russell
Wright, the
festival is
a symbol of
the
effectiveness
of regional
tourism
collaboration
with other
communities.
“This
event was
not put on
by Linden
alone. We
have 61
sponsors
and 95
volunteers
from all
over East
Texas and
Dallas and
Houston,”
he said.
“This is
a regional
effort to
do
something
positive.
These
musicians
have been
wonderful.
They are
all just
playing
for
expenses,
which is
very
generous
of them
all.”