Biography
At Motown, the label's accomplished session musicians seldom ventured into solo work. Tenor saxophonist Junior Walker proved the sole departure from that pattern, offering gritty, old-school R&B that stood apart from the company's customary sleek and refined output. His piercing, down-home saxophone approach drew directly from jump blues and early R&B, especially the playing of Louis Jordan, Earl Bostic, and Illinois Jacquet. Although his voice carried a raspy, untrained quality, it enhanced the drive of his horn lines, yielding an abundance of energetic, celebratory R&B sides for Motown at the peak of his popularity in the latter half of the 1960s.
Born Autry DeWalt II on June 14, 1931 (though Motown listed the year as 1942) in Blytheville, AR, Walker grew up in South Bend, IN; some sources note his original name as Oscar G. Mixon before a change in early childhood. He first took up the saxophone in high school and soon performed in local jazz and R&B venues with his initial group, the Jumping Jacks, using the name Junior Walker. He later joined a trio headed by drummer Billy "Stix" Nicks that included organist Fred Patton; the lineup expanded with backing vocalist and guitarist Willie Woods, and the ensemble worked clubs across northern Indiana and southern Michigan. After Nicks entered the Army, Walker assumed leadership and relocated to Battle Creek, MI, in the late '50s, where he assembled Junior Walker & the All-Stars. The early roster featured Patton, Woods, and drummer Tony Washington; Victor Thomas replaced Patton, while Jack Douglas and eventually James Graves succeeded Washington. The group maintained a steady presence in the region, securing a residency at Battle Creek's El Grotto club. Singer Johnny Bristol encountered them there and recommended the band to his associate, former Moonglow Harvey Fuqua. Fuqua placed the All-Stars on his Harvey label in 1961; their first recordings appeared in 1962, and Fuqua's imprints merged into Motown the next year.
Walker & the All-Stars landed on the Soul subsidiary and debuted on the roster in 1964. Their breakthrough arrived in early 1965 with the dance number "Shotgun," which also introduced Walker's vocals; the label retained his performance after the intended singer failed to appear, and Berry Gordy's judgment proved sound when the track reached number one on the R&B charts and climbed into the pop Top Five. A consistent series of primarily instrumental R&B hits followed, among them "Do the Boomerang," "Shake and Fingerpop," and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)." In 1966, Graves departed and Billy "Stix" Nicks returned on drums, sustaining the run of successes with "I'm a Road Runner" and "Pucker Up Buttercup." By the close of the decade the All-Stars shifted toward ballad material supported by string arrangements and Walker's singing, a change that produced their second pop Top Five entry, the R&B chart-topper "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)." Additional R&B Top Ten placements arrived over the ensuing years, the final one occurring in 1972.
Walker reemerged as a solo act in the disco period, collaborating with producer Brian Holland on the 1976 single "Hot Shot" and the two albums that followed. In 1979 he signed with Norman Whitfield's Whitfield label, yet achieved limited results. A high-profile guest solo on Foreigner's Top Five hit "Urgent" in 1981 restored his visibility. Two years later he rejoined Motown for Blow the House Down; by then his lyrical phrasing had begun to influence a rising cohort of R&B-inflected jazz instrumentalists. He maintained an active touring schedule through the 1980s and 1990s, occasionally joined by his son Autry DeWalt III on drums. Cancer sharply limited his performances in 1993 and took his life on November 23, 1995. Billy "Stix" Nicks subsequently led a version of the All-Stars on the road.
Born Autry DeWalt II on June 14, 1931 (though Motown listed the year as 1942) in Blytheville, AR, Walker grew up in South Bend, IN; some sources note his original name as Oscar G. Mixon before a change in early childhood. He first took up the saxophone in high school and soon performed in local jazz and R&B venues with his initial group, the Jumping Jacks, using the name Junior Walker. He later joined a trio headed by drummer Billy "Stix" Nicks that included organist Fred Patton; the lineup expanded with backing vocalist and guitarist Willie Woods, and the ensemble worked clubs across northern Indiana and southern Michigan. After Nicks entered the Army, Walker assumed leadership and relocated to Battle Creek, MI, in the late '50s, where he assembled Junior Walker & the All-Stars. The early roster featured Patton, Woods, and drummer Tony Washington; Victor Thomas replaced Patton, while Jack Douglas and eventually James Graves succeeded Washington. The group maintained a steady presence in the region, securing a residency at Battle Creek's El Grotto club. Singer Johnny Bristol encountered them there and recommended the band to his associate, former Moonglow Harvey Fuqua. Fuqua placed the All-Stars on his Harvey label in 1961; their first recordings appeared in 1962, and Fuqua's imprints merged into Motown the next year.
Walker & the All-Stars landed on the Soul subsidiary and debuted on the roster in 1964. Their breakthrough arrived in early 1965 with the dance number "Shotgun," which also introduced Walker's vocals; the label retained his performance after the intended singer failed to appear, and Berry Gordy's judgment proved sound when the track reached number one on the R&B charts and climbed into the pop Top Five. A consistent series of primarily instrumental R&B hits followed, among them "Do the Boomerang," "Shake and Fingerpop," and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)." In 1966, Graves departed and Billy "Stix" Nicks returned on drums, sustaining the run of successes with "I'm a Road Runner" and "Pucker Up Buttercup." By the close of the decade the All-Stars shifted toward ballad material supported by string arrangements and Walker's singing, a change that produced their second pop Top Five entry, the R&B chart-topper "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)." Additional R&B Top Ten placements arrived over the ensuing years, the final one occurring in 1972.
Walker reemerged as a solo act in the disco period, collaborating with producer Brian Holland on the 1976 single "Hot Shot" and the two albums that followed. In 1979 he signed with Norman Whitfield's Whitfield label, yet achieved limited results. A high-profile guest solo on Foreigner's Top Five hit "Urgent" in 1981 restored his visibility. Two years later he rejoined Motown for Blow the House Down; by then his lyrical phrasing had begun to influence a rising cohort of R&B-inflected jazz instrumentalists. He maintained an active touring schedule through the 1980s and 1990s, occasionally joined by his son Autry DeWalt III on drums. Cancer sharply limited his performances in 1993 and took his life on November 23, 1995. Billy "Stix" Nicks subsequently led a version of the All-Stars on the road.
Albums
Singles
