Walter Wolfman Washington - Leader Of The Pack

I was searching a Russian torrent site the other night and came upon this rareity by accident. To tell you the truth, I don't recall this album at all and Walter has been a friend for a long time! All the previous Hep-Me material that I've heard came from the singles collected on that "Best of New Orleans R&B" series with the really bright covers. This album packages the first 8 of those 11 tracks into a miraculously more cohesive whole than I ever recall that CD being. I know that I have that disc - gonna have to revisit it.

In the mean time I have already loaded this up even tho I now realize that I already had it differently packaged. Walter's guitar is killin' and the horns are terrific. Hell yeah!

Walter Wolfman Washington - Sada

A man who has quietly become one of the music giants of New Orleans and one of the sweetest human beings I have ever had the pleasure to know, Mr. Walter Washington.

Walter Wolfman Washington was born in 1943 and grew up with the golden age of New Orleans R&B percolating all around him. By his late teens he was playing professionally and in his early 20's he became the guitar player in Lee Dorsey's road band while they were touring in support of Ride Your Pony and Working In A Coal Mine (it is not him on those records, that was my French Quarter Neighbor Deacon John).

Walter spent 2 years on the road with Lee, playing in halls from California to The Apollo in New York. Stints with Irma Thomas and Dave Lastie followed and an intermittent band of his own called Solar System that cut some singles on the Hep Me label, these are collected on New Orleans Rhythm and Blues, vol 2.

In the 70's Washington began his second key apprenticeship with a great New Orleans vocalist when he became Johnny Adams guitar player and musical partner. The relationship lasted for more than 20 years of Chitlin Circuit traveling and weekly local gigs at Dorothy's Medallion in Mid-City and on into Adams late career rediscovery and Rounder fame that sent them around the World and served to re-launch Walter's solo career as well.  

Perhaps it is the guitar that first made Rounder attempt to fit him into a Blues niche but it is well established that we don't segregate Blues, Soul, Jazz and Funk down here and Walter's music is well spiced with all four. I have spent countless nights with both The Roadmasters and The Chosen Few at Banks Street Bar and dba and The Maple Leaf and lesser known venues. The music is pure soulful New Orleans and Washington and bassist Jack Cruz are always mining interesting material for covers and writing new tunes all the while

Walter is typically modest about his guitar playing but the longer you listen the deeper he gets and for the last 10 years or so he has been pursuing more opportunities to play Jazz with guys like James Andrews and power trio Funk with Joe Crown and Russell Batiste. He even listens to the Pat Martino records that I gave him and slips little bits into solos here and there when you aren't expecting it then lights up that big grin. Still musically curious and growing even now in his mid 60's!

For some reason his two Virgin/PointBlank titles have both been allowed to fall out of print so I'll put them both up here in time, here is the first of them; not his best album by any means but a nice one none the less. Even with some less than exciting production Walter's wonderful warmth and honesty wins out and shines through, this is Deep Southern Soul New Orleans style.

One of the many things that Walter picked up from Johnny Adams is his love for very sharp monochrome ensembles. If you have ever wondered where one goes to get the perfect red, yellow or blue shoes to match that suit and guitar, well now you know (this picture came from a recent local article where Walter took the interviewer shopping)