Stephen C. Middleton
Blow, Walter, Blow
Big Walter Horton (1917-1981), blues harmonica player
His hands, she noticed
(As an artist, she always does)
Were particularly fine
Another sighting has him lashing out
With those precious hands
When refused a bottle of brandy
A grim existence
In padlocked rooms
In disused Chicago blocks
Sullen when required to impersonate
Popular styles on Studio whim
An insult no classical virtuoso
Would have had to suffer
Reticent, the evidence suggests
‘Blow, Walter, blow’
But, at his best,
When mood & chance aligned
Witnesses & sparse recordings attest
Was the best
Fluid to shrill wail/
Glottal stops’ staggered dance
On Sun, Vanguard, Arhoolie, Chess…
With Johnnys Shines & Young,
Unearthly with Muddy Waters…
‘I hear you, Big Walter’.
Page(s) 5
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