--- title: Top 10 Blues Guitarists | T-Bone Walker description: "Flame Tree Music: In this week's Top 10 Blues Guitarists blog, we turn to the man who popularized the electric blues, T-Bone Walker." image: https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hubfs/t%20bone.jpeg --- - [Home](https://info.flametreepublishing.com/blog) | - [ Contact & About Us](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/contact-us) T H E   F L A M E   T R E E   B L O G ![](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Hubspot-Header-Music-Entertainment-01-4.png?width=980&height=200&name=Hubspot-Header-Music-Entertainment-01-4.png "Hubspot-Header-Music-Entertainment-01-4.png") # Music & Entertainment Blog # Top 10 Blues Guitarists | T-Bone Walker Posted by [Laura Bulbeck](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/author/laura-bulbeck) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) This week, we turn to the man who popularized the **electric blues**, making sure blues music could truly be heard – T-Bone Walker. ### ![t bone.jpeg](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/t%20bone.jpeg?width=280&name=t%20bone.jpeg)Turning Blues Electric The **first bluesman to record with an electric guitar**, T-Bone Walker (1910–75) shaped the course of post-war blues, influencing everyone from B.B. King and Chuck Berry to Jimi Hendrix and beyond. B.B. King acknowledges that the first time he heard Walker he knew he had to get an electric guitar, and Berry and Hendrix took as much notice of Walker’s showmanship – playing his guitar **behind his head** and generally thrilling the ladies – as his **soulful playing**. Even today Walker’s style remains an **essential element** of lead-guitar playing. ### Musical Beginnings Born in Linden, Texas, in 1910, Walker grew up in a **musical household** in Dallas, learning guitar, ukulele, banjo, violin and piano. Blind Lemon Jefferson was a family friend and Lonnie Johnson played nearby. By the age of 16 Walker was** earning a living as a musician**, playing local shows. In 1929 he **won a talent contest** to join Cab Calloway’s band and made his first recordings. He also started a band with another local guitarist, Charlie Christian. He began touring a wider region and in 1934 moved to California, where he played and sang in various big bands.  ### An Amplified Innovation Walker started playing **amplified guitar in order to be heard**, and his defining moment came in 1942 at a recording session with Freddie Slack’s Big Band when he got the chance **to take the spotlight** for a couple of blues songs. ‘Mean Old World’ was arguably the **first electric blues record** and he followed it with ‘Call It Stormy Monday’, which became his **signature tune and a blues classic**. Before long he was leading his own band and scoring blues hits with ‘T-Bone Shuffle’, ‘Glamour Girl’, ‘The Hustle Is On’ and ‘Cold Cold Feeling’. ### The Sound of Sophistication Walker’s big-band background and the jazz musicians who played with him **gave his blues a sophistication** that was in marked contrast to the **raw blues** coming out of Chicago and the **rock’n’roll** coming out of Memphis. Ironically, this made him unfashionable for a while, although his reputation as a live performer never dipped. After a car accident in the early Seventies his health deteriorated and he died of bronchial pneumonia following a stroke in 1975. ![image-2.jpeg](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image-2.jpeg?width=448&name=image-2.jpeg) *Images courtesy [Discogs](https://www.discogs.com/).* *For more about electric guitar playing, check out our book *How To Play Electric Guitar*, available [here](http://www.flametreepublishing.com/How-To-Play-Electric-Guitar-ISBN-9781847867162.html); if you want to check out the guitars played by your favourite musicians, you can see our book *The Definitive Guitar Handbook*, an absolutely fantastic resource, available [here](http://www.flametreepublishing.com/The-Definitive-Guitar-Handbook.html). * ### Links -  Read about T-Bone Walker and other famous Guitarists in an [article](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/t-bone-walker-20111122) by *Rolling Stone* on the 100 Greatest Guitars -  For a detailed look at Walker’s life, read this [entry](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/t-bone-walker-blues-giant-and-musical-innovator/) from T*he Telegraph* -  For more about the history of electric blues, click [here](http://www.npr.org/2012/11/29/166114425/turning-up-the-volume-on-the-electric-blues)   Topics: [Flame Tree Music](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/flame-tree-music), [Blues Guitar](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/blues-guitar), [Flame Tree Pro](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/flame-tree-pro) ### Subscribe for email updates ### FREE Download [![FREE Digital Rock eBook](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/293166/84fddcda-9601-4729-a225-103dee1b81c6.png)](http://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/293166/84fddcda-9601-4729-a225-103dee1b81c6) Download a digital book, this special edition on **The Origins of Rock: The Fifties.** **![Origins of Rock, Classic Rock Bands](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/file-274821688-jpg/images/origins_of_rock_fifties_cover_final-resized-171.jpg) ** ### About Us We have some amazing books on classic rock bands, including the **brand new **books on** David Bowie, Pink Floyd **and [Rock, A Life Story](http://www.flametreepublishing.com/Rock-A-Life-Story.html): ![FLAME-TREE-Hubspot-Head.gif](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/hub/293166/file-398222920.gif?width=251&height=354&name=file-398222920.gif "FLAME-TREE-Hubspot-Head.gif") ### Follow us: [![flame tree music, chord finder, guitar scales, piano chords](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/293166/5d8b636d-f159-46fe-879a-01da634bf5ef.png)](http://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/293166/5d8b636d-f159-46fe-879a-01da634bf5ef) ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Posts by Tag - [Flame Tree Music (24)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/flame-tree-music) - [Pop Music (24)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/pop-music) - [Rock Icons (22)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/rock-icons) - [Flame Tree Pro (18)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/flame-tree-pro) - [60s music (15)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/60s-music) - [Classic Guitars (14)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/classic-guitars) - [70s music (11)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/70s-music) - [Blues Guitar (10)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/blues-guitar) - [Jazz (10)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/jazz) - [Top 10 Jazz Albums (10)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/top-10-jazz-albums) - [Rock and Roll History (7)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/rock-and-roll-history) - [David Bowie (6)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/david-bowie) - [How to Play Guitar (5)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/how-to-play-guitar) - [50s music (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/50s-music) - [Flame Tree Pop (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/flame-tree-pop) - [Jimi Hendrix (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/jimi-hendrix) - [Rock Guitar (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/rock-guitar) - [The Who (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/the-who) - [Biography (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/biography) - [Country Music (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/country-music) - [Glastonbury (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/glastonbury) - [Pink Floyd (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/pink-floyd) - [Classical Music (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/classical-music) - [Elvis Presley (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/elvis-presley) - [Foo Fighters (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/foo-fighters) - [Great Guitarists (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/great-guitarists) - [How to Play Piano (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/how-to-play-piano) - [Johnny Cash (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/johnny-cash) - [Kurt Cobain (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/kurt-cobain) - [Led Zeppelin (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/led-zeppelin) - [Metallica (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/metallica) - [Nirvana (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/nirvana) - [Queen (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/queen) - [The Beatles (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/the-beatles) - [Alanis Morresette (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/alanis-morresette) - [Chuck Berry (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/chuck-berry) - [Dolly Parton (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/dolly-parton) - [Elton John (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/elton-john) - [Flamenco (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/flamenco) - [Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/goodbye-yellow-brick-road) - [Green Day (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/green-day) - [Guns N' Roses (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/guns-n-roses) - [Indie Music (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/indie-music) - [Jagged Little Pill (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/jagged-little-pill) - [Lauryn Hill (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/lauryn-hill) - [Paco de Lucia (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/paco-de-lucia) - [Radiohead (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/radiohead) - [Rocketman (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/rocketman) - [Scotty Moore (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/scotty-moore) - [hiphop (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/hiphop) - [miseducation (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/miseducation) - [rap music (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/topic/rap-music) [See all](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands/top-10-blues-guitarists-t-bone-walker#) - [Home](http://classic-migration-sandbox-293166.hs-sites.com/) | [Flame Tree Fiction](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic) | [Gift](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts) | [Podcast](https://lnk.bio/flametreepodcast) |  - [Music](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands) | -  [Lifestyle](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/simple-recipes) | -  [Links](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/links/) © 2025 FLAME TREE PUBLISHING LTD. [flametreepublishing.com](https://flametreepublishing.com)