Bio
Winning the prestigious Memphis International Blues Challenge Award, Little Toby Walker is an exceptionaly gifted fingerstyle guitarist, singer, songwriter and storyteller whose music draws from traditional and contemporary blues, roots music, western swing and ragtime. A remarkable, humorous and entertaining storyteller, Toby paints pictures of his travels to Mississippi, Arkansas,Virginia, and North Carolina in the minds of each member in the audience as he tells them how he learned the blues at the feet of many old time blues musicians . Toby has been warmly received at coffehouses, libraries, concert halls, festivals and schools throughout the U.S, France and England and has been featured in the New York Times , Blues Revue, 20th Century Guitar and Blues in Britain. An endorsed artist by the Martin Guitar Company, National Resophonic Guitars, Ultrasound Amplifiers and D'Addario Strings, Walker plays an authentic 1930 National Steel Guitar and has fascinated audiences playing an old African-American styled instrument called the Diddley Bow.
Toby has researched the music of the blues by making several field trips throughout the south and learning from such masters as Eugene Powell, James Son Thomas, Jack Owens, Etta Baker, Turner Foddrell, Sam Carr and R.L Burnside. He has also contributed two articles which were published in Blues Revue magazine. Toby is currently an instructor at the prestigious Acoustic Sessions School of Music headed by Woody Mann in Manhattan and will be teaching at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch in August of 2005. He also offers private guitar instruction at his studio on Long Island.
Quotes
"The performance you gave us was outstanding in all respects. The magic and excitement of your musicianship was beautifully enhanced by your depth of knowlege and warm audience rapport. We seldom have the treat of hearing perfomers who have learned their material directly from the original source. The tales of your travels in the south add delightful seasoning to the hearty banquet of your program. We consider your concert to have been a total success."
...Sybil Moser, Huntington Folk Music Society
"A real killer with fantastic technique. He just knocks me out."
...John Hammond, blues musician
"Walker's guitar work is inspired. His fingerpicking is as intricate as any linen finery... A pinch of Piedmont, a dash of Delta, a solid Chicago undercurrent minus the amplification but not the electricity - A brilliant, remarkable guitarist.
... Brian Beatty, Blues Revue
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by Larry Sribnick |
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