David T. Walker (born June 25, 1941) is an American soul/R&B, and jazz guitarist. In addition to numerous

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

duties since the early 1970s, Walker has issued fifteen albums in his own name.

Career

David T. Walker was born to a Native American mother and

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

father. He and his family relocated to Central California when he was 7 years old. He attended David Starr Jordan High School in the Watts area of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He has recorded fifteen solo

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

s since his debut release, ''The Sidewalk'', in 1967. He has also been a session rhythm and lead guitarist, appearing on numerous

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

, R&B, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

releases. His backup work was featured on several singles and albums, including Love Unlimited Orchestra's big hit single '' Love's Theme''.(1974),

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

's '' Innervisions'' (1973);

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

's '' Let's Get It On'' (1973) and '' I Want You'' (1976);

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

's ''

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

'' (1973);

the Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

's '' Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5'', '' ABC'', and '' Maybe Tomorrow'', single "Never Can Say Goodbye" (1971);

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's ''

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...

'', single "Got To Be There" (1971); Nick De Caro album "Italian Graffiti", song "Under the Jamican Moon" (1974), Afrique on its 1973 Afro funk release ''Soul Makossa'',

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

's pop hit ''Cruisin (1979)

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack ( ; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's ...

's album ''The Poet'' (1981), and

LeVert LeVert was an American R&B vocal group from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Formed in 1983, LeVert was composed of Sean and Gerald Levert (sons of Eddie Levert, founder and lead singer of R&B/Soul vocal group O'Jays) and Marc Gordon.Wells, ...

's R&B hit ''(Pop Pop Pop) Goes My Mind'' (1986). Other musicians Walker has worked with over the years include

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

(1973),

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

Martha and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1973 as Martha Reeves & the Vandellas) were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s as a major act for Motown Records. Formed by friends Annett ...

,''The Afro American'' Feb 27 1971
at Google News. Accessed 22-02-10

(1981),

, Leon Ware,

Barry White Barry Eugene White (né Carter; September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003) was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and ...

& Love Unlimited Orchestra,

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1953 as the Four Aims. They were one of the most commercially successful American pop music groups of the 1960s and helped propel Motown Records to international fame. The ...

, Wah Wah Watson,

Chuck Rainey Charles Walter Rainey III (born June 17, 1940) is an American bass guitarist who has performed and recorded with many well-known acts, including Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, and Quincy Jones. Rainey is credited for playing bass on more than 1,00 ...

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

Gladys Knight & the Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early ...

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richa ...

, the Sylvers,

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

Hampton Hawes Hampton Barnett Hawes Jr. (November 13, 1928 – May 22, 1977) was an American jazz pianist. He was the author of the memoir ''Raise Up Off Me'', which won the Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975. Early life Hampton Hawes was born on No ...

, Monk Higgins, Willie Hutch,

Jeffrey Osborne Jeffrey Linton Osborne (born March 9, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and lyricist. He is the former drummer and lead singer of the American R&B/soul group L.T.D. (band), L.T.D., with whom he began his musical career in 1970. B ...

Johnny Bristol John William Bristol (February 3, 1939 – March 21, 2004) was an American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a native of Morganton, North Carolina, about wh ...

Solomon Burke Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been called ...

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul ...

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

the Friends of Distinction The Friends of Distinction were an American vocal group founded by Harry Elston and Floyd Butler, best known for their 1969 RIAA-certified Gold hits "Grazing in the Grass" and "Going in Circles" and the 1970 hit " Love or Let Me Be Lonely", with ...

, the Crusaders,

Joe Sample Joseph Leslie Sample (February 1, 1939 – September 12, 2014) was an American jazz keyboardist and composer. He was one of the founding members of The Jazz Crusaders in 1960, whose name was shortened to "The Crusaders" in 1971. He remained a p ...

, Paul Humphrey,

Bobbi Humphrey Barbara Ann "Bobbi" Humphrey (born April 25, 1950) is an American jazz flautist and singer. She has recorded twelve albums over the course of her career, mostly playing jazz fusion, funk, and soul-jazz. In 1971, she was the first female instrume ...

Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; 11 February 1941 – 5 September 2024) was a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his band Brasil '66. He released 35 albums and was known for playing bossa nova, often mixed with funk. He ...

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and record producer. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note Reco ...

, Marlena Shaw, Blue Mitchell, Gloria Scott, and

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller in the Ardells in the early 1960s and a member of the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 196 ...

. His song "On Love" was sampled on the

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that uses drum breaks, often sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as Florida breaks, hip-hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat ...

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

''Tribe Vibes Vol. 2'' by the group

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

and on the collaborative album

Alfredo Alfredo (, ) is a cognate of the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon name Alfred (name), Alfred and a common Italian language, Italian, Galician language, Galician, Portuguese language, Portuguese and Spanish language personal name. Given name Artists a ...

Freddie Gibbs Fredrick Jamel Tipton (born June 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper and songwriter. He signed with Interscope Records in 2006 and recorded his debut album for the label; however, its release was cance ...

and the Alchemist. His guitar riff on

's "In All My Wildest Dreams" (from ''Rainbow Seeker'') was sampled on

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

's song " Dear Mama". Walker played in

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

's all-star band at the 2008 Playboy Jazz Festival. He has gained popularity in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

for playing guitar and he also leads his group on tours of Japan each year. He recently toured Japan with Marlena Shaw,

Larry Carlton Larry Eugene Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts including Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. One of the most sought after guitarists of his era, Carlton has ...

and a Brazilian artist Ed Motta.

Discography

As Leader

* ''The Sidewalk'' (1967)

Revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

RS-7207 * ''Going Up!'' (1969) Revue RS-7211 * ''Plum Happy'' (1970) Zea ZLP-1000 * ''David T. Walker'' (1971)

Ode An ode (from ) is a type of lyric poetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structu ...

Ode SP-77011 * ''Press On'' (1973) Ode SP-77020 * ''On Love'' (1976) Ode SP-77035 * ''Swing Street Cafe'' (with

, 1981) Crusaders/MCA CRP-16004; Crusaders/MCA CRPD-5785 * ''Y-Ence'' (1987) The Baked Potato BPL-28005; Half Moon 28XE-3; Alfa Moon 32XM-35 * ''With A Smile'' (1988) The Baked Potato BPL-28006; Half Moon 28XE-4; Alfa Moon 32XM-69 * ''Ahimsa'' (1989) Half Moon 28XE-2 * ''Soul Food Cafe'' (with Soul Food Cafe, 1989) Invitation VDR-1636 * ''...From My Heart'' (1993) Edoya EDCP-602; BMG BVCM-35165 * ''Dream Catcher'' (1994) Edoya EDCP-701; BMG BVCM-35166 * ''Beloved'' (1995) Edoya EDCP-25005; BMG BVCM-35167 * ''David T. Walker 1971-1976: Best of Best'' (2008) Video Arts Music VACZ-1365 (Japan) * ''Thoughts'' (2008) DCT Records UPCH-20113 (Japan) * ''Wear My Love'' (Christmas album, 2009) DCT Records UPCH-20176 (Japan) * ''For All Time'' (2010) DCT Records XQJS-1002 (Japan) * ''@ Billboard Live, Tokyo'' (with

, 2015) 335 Records 335-1507 * ''Music For Your Heart: Best of David T. Walker'' (2017) Universal Music UCCR-1064 (Japan)

As sideman

With

* ''

Etta James Rocks the House ''Etta James Rocks the House'' is the first live album by the American singer Etta James. It was recorded live on the nights of September 27 and 28, 1963, at the New Era Club in Nashville, Tennessee, and was released on December 13, 1963. Hot wi ...

'' (Argo, 1963) With Martha & the Vandellas * '' Martha and the Vandellas Live!'' (Gordy, 1967) With

* '' Where I'm Coming From'' (Tamla, 1971) * '' Innervisions'' (Tamla, 1973) With

* '' Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5'' (Motown, 1969) * '' ABC'' (Motown, 1970) * '' Third Album'' (Motown, 1970) * '' The Jackson 5 Christmas Album'' (Motown, 1970) * '' Maybe Tomorrow'' (Motown, 1971) * '' Lookin' Through the Windows'' (Motown, 1972) * '' Skywriter'' (Motown, 1973) * '' G.I.T.: Get It Together'' (Motown, 1973) * '' Dancing Machine'' (Motown, 1974) * '' Joyful Jukebox Music'' (Motown, 1976) With Afrique * ''Soul Makossa'' (Mainstream, 1973) With

* '' Trouble Man'' (Tamla, 1972) * '' Let's Get It On'' (Tamla, 1973) * ''

Marvin Gaye Live! ''Marvin Gaye Live!'' is the second live album issued by soul music, soul musician Marvin Gaye, released on June 19, 1974, by Tamla Records. Overview Returning to live performances In 1973, Gaye released his greatest-selling album, ''Let's Get I ...

'' (Tamla, 1974) * '' I Want You'' (Tamla, 1976) With

* '' The Happy People'' (Capitol, 1970) With

* '' Ethiopian Knights'' (Blue Note, 1971) * '' Black Byrd'' (Blue Note, 1972) * '' Street Lady'' (Blue Note, 1973) * '' Stepping into Tomorrow'' (Blue Note, 1974) * ''

Caricatures A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

'' (Blue Note, 1976) With Nick De Caro * ''Italian Graffiti'' (Blue Thumb, 1974) With Friends of Distinction * ''Reviviscence'' (RCA, 1975) With

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

* '' Man-Child'' (Columbia, 1975) With Monk Higgins * ''Heavyweight'' (UA, 1972) With Richard "Groove" Holmes * '' Six Million Dollar Man'', (RCA/Flying Dutchman, 1975) With

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

* '' Bundle of Joy'' (Columbia, 1977) * '' Splash'' (Fantasy, 1981) With

* '' Blacks and Blues'' (Blue Note, 1973) With Paul Humphrey * ''Paul Humphrey & the Cool Aid Chemists'' (Lizad, 1969) With

* '' Dollar$'' (Reprise, 1971) * ''

Body Heat Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

'' (A&M, 1974) * ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...

'' (A&M, 1977) With

Lonette McKee Lonette Rita McKee (born July 22, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She made her big screen debut starring as Sister Williams in the original 1976 musical-drama film '' Sparkle''. McKee later appeared in films '' Which Way Is Up?'' (1977) ...

* ''Lonette'' (Sussex, 1974) With Blue Mitchell *'' Stratosonic Nuances'' (RCA, 1975) *'' The Last Tango = Blues'' (Mainstream, 1973) With Alphonse Mouzon * '' The Man Incognito'' (Blue Note, 1975) With

* ''

'' (A&M, 1982) With Gloria Scott * ''What Am I Gonna Do'' (Casablanca, 1974) With Marlena Shaw * '' Who Is This Bitch, Anyway?'' (Blue Note, 1974) With the Sylvers * '' The Sylvers II'' (Pride, 1973) With

* '' Pieces of Dreams'' (Fantasy, 1974) * '' In the Pocket'' (Fantasy, 1975) * '' Have You Ever Seen the Rain'' (Fantasy, 1975) * ''Betcha'' (Elektra, 1979) * '' La Place'' (Blue Note, 1989) With Vulfpeck * ''Christmas in L.A.'' (Single) (Vulf Records, 2014) * ''Thrill of the Arts '' (Vulf Records, 2015) * ''Game Winner '' (Vulf Records, 2016) * ''Running Away'' (Vulf Records, 2017) * ''Grandma'' (Vulf Records, 2017) * ''Never Can Say Goodbye'' (Vulf Records, 2022) With Leon Ware * '' Musical Massage'' (Gordy, 1976) With

* ''The Poet'' (Beverly Glen, 1981) With

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

* '' Just Family'' (Elektra, 1977) With Ed Motta * ''AOR'' (Dwitza, 2013)

References

External links