Wade Walton 
Major Works
Album
Songs
- Big Fat Mama
- Choo Choo de Shoo Shoo
- Short Hair Women
- Forty-Four
- Kansas City Blues
- Rock Me Mama
- Blues Stay Away from Me
- Parchment Farm
- Big Six
- Shake 'Em on Down
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Wade Walton: A Biography
By Byron Winters (SHS)
Wade Walton was born on October 10, 1923 in Lombardy, Mississippi. Walton started off his career learning how to
play the harmonica and the guitar (Santelli 429). At the age of 12, his harmonica and guitar playing were influenced
by his brother Honey (Hollis Walton), a local musician. Their father was a sharecropper. When Walton
was young, he worked at a local juke joint in the Delta (Santelli
429). He had moved to Memphis in 1931 and graduated from Booker T. Washington
High School there in 1940. Later he earned his professional barber's
license at Lupkin Barber College. He began in 1943 working at
Big Six Barber Shop in Clarksdale, Mississippi. In
1972, Wade Walton opened up his own barbershop in Clarksdale,
Mississippi. It was named Wade's Barber Shop.
Wade Walton worked for fifty-five years as a barber-- "cutting
hair and slapping out the blues and rhythm," playing his
harp or guitar (Heyl). People said that no trip to Clarksdale
would be complete without a trip to Wade's Barber Shop (Delta
Boogie). Known as Clarksdale's elder statesman, his shop
at 317 Issaquena was just across from where W.C. Handy lived
in the early 1900's. 
Walton started performing with Ike Turner and the Kings of
Rhythm in the 40's. However, he did not get much
attention on the blues scene until he got with Archoolie
and Bluesville-Prestige label (Santelli 429). I Have
to Paint My Face is one of his songs. In 1990 Walton opened
a second barber shop with his son that had small blues club
in the rear
Unfortunately, in 1999 Walton became ill during his visit with
his daughter over Christmas and had to have surgery. The doctors
said that he had an intestinal blockage. On Monday, January 10, 2000, at a St.
Louis hospital, he died at the age of 77.
His wife Rose, his son, and a stepdaughter survived him. His
biggest album was Shake 'em on Down, and it spread
across the world and earned him international attention
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Timeline
1923- born on October 10 in Clarksdale, Mississippi
1931- moved with his family to Memphis, TN
1940-graduated from Booker T. Washington
High School in Memphis
1942-earned professional qualification at Lupkin Barber College
1943-moved back to Clarksdale and got
his first job at Big Six barbershop
1940's -performed with Ike Turner
and the Kings of Rhythm
1958--Wade Walton "discovered"
by David Mangurian and Donald Hill during a field recording
trip in 1958 when they recorded Walton in the Big Six Barbershop.
1961- Wade recorded his
only record album Shake "Em on Down
for Prestige Records
1962-Walton Wade's album The Blues of Wade
Walton: Shake "Em on Down released
1970-appeared in Blues
Like Showers of Rain
1972-Walton opened Wade's Barber Shop
1974-appeared in Mississippi Delta Blues
1975-appeared in Mississippi Delta Bluesmen
1990- opened a second barber shop
with his son that had small blues club in the rear
1999-performed at Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival in Clarksdale, MS
2000-died in St. Louis, Missouri, following surgery January 10
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Related
Websites
Toby
Walker's brief interview with Wade Walton
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Bibliography
Wade Walton. http://www.deltaboogie.com/deltamusicians/waltonw.htm Heyl, Kier. Delta Boogie. Hairy Larry Productions,
htm/1999Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival
Fuller Up The Dead Musician Directory,
Mord, Russell , ed. Walton, Wade. The Starkville Daily Newspaper. Starkville, 2000.
News Unlimited The guardian Wade Walton, http://www.guardianunlimited.c...es/story/0,3604,135036,00.html.
"Wade Walton." Santelli, Robert. The Big Book of Blues. New York: Penguin Books, 1995. 429
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