Robert "Bilbo" Walker Jr. (February 19, 1937 – November 29, 2017) was an American blues musician, who is known in the blues music world due to his "rock 'n' roll showmanship" and "flamboyant

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

imitations."

Biography

Walker was born near

Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19t ...

. Walker Sr. was often referred to by his nickname, "Bilbo", which was passed on to Walker Jr., who was sometimes called "Little Junior Bilbo". Walker began to explore music after being introduced to

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

. After spending 17 years in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois, with his friend David Porter, Walker moved to the area around

Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of th ...

, and started a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

growing such commodities as

watermelon The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a Glossary of botanical terms#scandent, scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is plant breeding ...

and

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

. During this time, he continued to perform at local bars in the California area, as well as in Chicago and Clarksdale when on visits. In 1997, Walker released his first album, ''

Promised Land In the Abrahamic religions, the "Promised Land" ( ) refers to a swath of territory in the Levant that was bestowed upon Abraham and his descendants by God in Abrahamic religions, God. In the context of the Bible, these descendants are originally ...

'', and followed it with two more records, 1998's '' Rompin' & Stompin''' and 2001's '' Rock the Night''. He appeared in the 2015 documentary film, '' I Am the Blues''."Here Are 6 Must-See Music Films at Hot Docs"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', April 19, 2016 Walker died of cancer in California at the age of 80.

Discography

*1997: ''

'' –

Rooster Blues Rooster Blues is an American independent record label founded in 1980. The label is dedicated to blues music from the Mississippi Delta. Rooster Blues was co-founded by Jim O'Neal in Chicago, and initially released 14 albums by South Side blues ...

*1998: '' Rompin' & Stompin''' –

Fedora Records A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...

*2001: '' Rock the Night'' – Rooster Blues

References

External links

*
Robert Walker
at Delta Boogie
Robert Walker
at Red's Blues Club in Clarksdale {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Robert 1937 births 2017 deaths Musicians from Clarksdale, Mississippi American blues guitarists African-American male guitarists African-American guitarists American male guitarists Guitarists from Mississippi Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American male musicians