THE voice of smooth, Chicago-style soul............one of my favourite singers.....superb!
Why isn't he known to more people? I've no clue....he was one of the best.
Walter Jackson
b. 19th March 1938, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.A.
d. 20th June 1983, Chicago, Illinois. U.S.A.
Walter Jackson was born in Florida in 1938.
His family soon relocated to Michigan, and Walter began singing in local groups whilst attending High School.
Walter had been crippled by polio as a child, and spent much of his life on crutches, although he never saw himself as a disabled person, however, his disability did contribute to a very personal and distinctive Soulful delivery.
By 1959, Walter had become a member of the vocal group the Velvetones, who recorded the song 'Who Took My Girl' b/w 'Stars Of Wonder' for the Deb Records imprint.
Walter returned to solo recording following the demise of the group, and, at the age of 24, he was persuaded by Carl Davis to leave Detroit and head for Chicago, following Carl attending a show at Detroit's 20 Grand Club and seeing Walter perform there.
Carl was the head of A & R for Columbia's subsidiary, the OKeh label.
Walter signed with OKeh in 1962, where he stayed for six years.
He recorded a couple of sides for Columbia in 1962 - 63, which included 'I Don't Want To Suffer' b/w 'This World Of Mine', 'Then Only Then' b/w 'Starting Tomorrow' and 'It Will Be The Last Time' b/w 'Opportunity'.
The OKeh single, 'It's All Over' b/w 'Lee Cross' (1964), a Curtis Mayfield penned ballad, was Walter's first R & B hit.
It was followed by the songs 'Welcome Home' b/w 'Blowin In The Wind' (in 1965) and 'It's An Uphill Climb To The Bottom' b/w 'Tear For Tear' (in 1966) and 'Where Have All The Flowers Gone?' b/w 'I'll Keep On Trying', all of which reached the Soul Top 20.
Walter's version of 'My Ship is Comin' In' (first recorded by Jimmy Radcliffe and later by the Walker Brothers) failed to chart, although during his stay at OKeh he did chart 8 times in between November 1964 and July 1967.
In 1966 Carl Davis left the OKeh label and relocated to the Brunswick imprint, leaving Walter at the imprint.
Eventually in 1973, Carl asked Walter to join Brunswick, where Walter recorded a couple of single releases (including 'It Doesn't Take Much'), along with some unreleased material, which remains in the vaults.
Carl Davis later left Brunswick in 1975 and went on to produce a further six albums for Walter.
Walter recorded for various imprints including Cotillion ('Any Way That You Want Me' and 'Bless You'), Epic ('The Bed' and 'No Butterflies'), Wand ('No Easy Way Down'), Chi-Sound ('Feeling Good', 'I Want To Come Back As A Song' and 'Good To See You') and Brunswick ('I Never Had It So Good' and 'It Doesn't Take Much'), with Carl Davis.
Between 1973 and 1976 Walter retired from active performing.
He returned with a series of minor hits, including an interpretation of Morris Albert's melody 'Feelings', however, his health was deteriorating.
Walters final recording sessions were held at Chicago's Universal Studio's in late 1982.
Walter Jackson died of a cerebral haemorrhage in 1983, ironically, on the same day that his final Brunswick 45, 'It's Cool' b/w 'When The Loving (Goes Out Of The Loving)', was released in the stores.
The Chi-Sound label released a posthumous album entitled 'A Portrait Of Walter Jackson'.
The album contained the songs 'It's Cool' and 'Touching In The Dark' (the album seeing a U.K. release on the Bluebird Records imprint) licensed from the Kelli Arts imprint.
An excellent compilation, entitled 'Touching....The Soul', was released in 1999, and featured one of Walter's most heartfelt performances in the shape of 'Living Without You', which was taken from his 1981 album release 'Tell Me Where It Hurts'.
Here are some earlier tunes:
A Corner In The Sun
A Fool For You
After you there can be nothing
Anything Can Happen
Anyway That You Want Me
Baby, I Love your way **(fine, not early Walter...so good that I HAD to include it)**
A Fool For You
After you there can be nothing
Anything Can Happen
Anyway That You Want Me
Baby, I Love your way **(fine, not early Walter...so good that I HAD to include it)**
Blowing In The Wind
Everything under the sun
Funny (Not Much)
I don't want to suffer
I'll keep on trying
It will be the last time
It's All Over
It's An Uphill Climb To The Bottom
Its All Over
Moonlight in Vermont
My One Chance To Make It
Not you
One Heart Lonely
Speak her name
Special Love
That's what mama say
The Walls That Seperate Us
Then only then
There Goes That Song Again
This world of mine
Welcome Home-**(a little latter, also....but soooo good)** :)
What Would You Do
Where have all the flowers gone
WALTER WAS A GREAT GUY. I SANG WITH WALTER IN THE VELVETONES. I WAS THE BASE: NEIL OLLIVIERRA (MAGBY WAS MY STEPFATHERS NAME). THE OTHER MEMBERS WERE BOBBY REESE: BARITONE, RONALD HEAD: 2nd TENOR, MARY NICHOLSON: 1st TENOR. WALTER DEFINITELY DESERVED MORE ACCOLADES THAN HE RECEIVED.
ReplyDeleteNEIL