_Blues & Company - From France
_It's always nice to know I now have friends in France.
For my American and English fans, the translation is below - Toby
For my American and English fans, the translation is below - Toby
_B&C - How man fingers do you have?? Not only ten, it's not possible!!
6 strings and 10 fingers… I’m not going to do the math.
B&C - Who is Toby Walker? Where do you come from and what is your course (school, hobbies, etc.) when you were young?
I come from Long Island which is right next to New York City. I was a pretty normal little kid meaning that I didn’t get into more trouble than I could easily get out of. I played baseball, explored as far as I could on my bicycle and hated school work.
B&C - Did you already be interested in music? What kind of music? What were your first musical emotions?
My first musical love was the Beatles, growing up in the early sixties. From there I became very interested in the Rolling Stones, which led me to friends of similar interests. At that point I became aware of the Blues.
B&C - How did you begin to play music? The choice of the instrument? This choice of Piedmont Blues and Delta Blues?
I had a friend whose parents bought him a drum set and an electric guitar with an amp. Being someone who was inclined to bang things, I took to the drums as my first instrument. My friend then set about learning the guitar but became quickly bored with it. The next thing I knew was that he picked up the drums and I grabbed his guitar and taught myself how to play it. I started out playing the music of the Stones, but then I gravitated towards Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters and the rest of the Chicago blues scene. It wasn’t until a friend of mine showed me how to fingerpick that I became aware of the Piedmont blues. That came about from discovering a book called ‘Fingerpicking Styles For Guitar’ by Happy Traum. It was there that I first discovered people like Mississippi John Hurt and Etta Baker
B&C - Tell us about your beginnings, do you remember your first scene? Had you always play solo?
I was in a band at first, while I was learning Rock. However, once I started to fingerpick the guitar I wanted to do more solo work.
B&C - With your music, come all the story of the Country, Piedmont and Delta Blues, how and by which spell, you, a white guy, manage to play it with such a power, such sincerity?
Well, the color of one’s skin has Nothing to do with the sound they make with music. Listen to John Hammond, Rory Block, John Mooney and a host of others as examples of ‘white’ musicians playing the blues. That sort of questioning always baffled me.
B&C - Where and from whom did you draw such a faith, such knowledge?
I listened to lots and lots of records, read a ton of books and travelled to the Southern U.S. in order to learn the music firsthand from folks that played it all their lives. I also had to earn a living… that alone will make you into a better musician and entertainer.
B&C - Young, you made a kind of initiatory travel, what motivate this travel, the meetings, the big moments, funny, sad or frightening?
Simply the love of the music and the rich history behind it all. You can only learn so much from books and recordings. Sooner or later you have to sit at the feet of the masters if you want the real thing.
B&C - During this quest, who are the bluesmen who impress you the most?
Jack Owens from Bentonia MS, Eugene Powell from Greenville MS, Son Thomas from Leland MS and Etta Baker from Morgantown NC. By the way, I’ve put their pictures, music and stories up on my web site for everyone to enjoy. (http://www.littletobywalker.com)
B&C - How these illustrious bluesmen react when then saw you? Contacts were easy?
they were always humble, flattered and quite generous with their time, knowledge and music. I was paying them respect, as well as some money and I treated them with reverence. They in turn gave me their music, stories and above all, friendship.
B&C - 6 albums in only 7 years, 6, as far as I'm concerned, master pieces, you are very prolific? How so you work to make an album?
Thanks… real glad you like my music. I wish I could say that I make it a point to sit down and write songs but I don’t do it with any discipline at all. Most of the time I get inspired with a lyric, or a musical phrase or idea for a theme that might make a good song and take it from there. Sometimes I can’t put the guitar down for days until I’m happy with the song. Other times I revisit the song many times over the course of a few weeks before I find it completed. And even then, once it’s recorded I never listen to it again… I simply keep playing the songs at shows and they keep on evolving. There’s been times when a fan will come up and wonder why the song sounded a bit different than what was originally recorded and I replay that it’s still growing, still evolving. It doesn’t stray too much from the original, but I do try to improvise a great deal with every performance. It’s that whole thing of being in the moment that does if for me.
B&C - You win numbers of awards, you're sponsored by big instruments manufacturers but you stay at large from big labels, is it a choice or aren't they interested?
Probably a matter of both really. The really big labels simply don’t go for the solo acoustic blues musicians. And to tell you the truth, by putting out the recordings myself I retain complete control over the music and the profit. Besides, these days with digital recordings and mp3 files, more and more artists are self producing their own albums and selling them over the Internet as downloads. I’ve actually been selling quite a bit of them that way these days.
B&C - Besides your talents as a guitarist, you are an extraordinary singer, where does it come from? Work or heaven's gift?
Well, thanks again. Funny, but I never thought of myself as much of a singer. I never really practiced that, like I do with the guitar. I just try to match up something that will sound decent along with my guitar.. which is my main voice anyway. I’ve always considered myself a guitarist and improviser first, then a songwriter and then a singer.
B&C - To make continue with compliments, by listening your lives, I heard someone cheerful, with communicative sense of humour, does your life so nice in this 21th century?
Life’s never so simple or uncomplicated. I’m human like everyone else.. having my share of trials and troubles. Although I’ve had it pretty rough for a many years, moving so many times without ever having lived in a place for too long, I suspect that everyone has their own story to tell. However, having a sense of humour has helped me immensely. I also love performing on stage and pleasing an audience.. nothing gives me more pleasure than to do that and I suppose that comes across in my performances. The other thing is that I value the friendships I have in my life. There are very few people I consider to be my closest friends… Larry Sribnick who plays bass, did the photos on my last CD and shot the upcoming DVD project ( he also is a great businessman with tons of knowledge and John Sposato, who has been in every sense of the word a ‘life coach.’ Between the two of them and my wife Carol, I’m a pretty satisfied camper.
B&C - Besides playing and singing the Blues, you teach guitar playing, you tell and write about Blues history, how can you manage to do all of that? And it seems that you have illustrious student?
I’ve been teaching the guitar for practically as long as I’ve been playing it - It’s one of the things I truly love about being a musician. Growing up I was always wondering how other musicians got those mysterious notes and was thrilled to death once I found out. Now I get the same charge when I see someone else coming up the same way. If I can make someone say ‘Wow’ while I’m teaching them, I’ve done my job.
B&C - When I speak about Blues, it seemed to be restrictive, can't your music be considered as Americana music, or more precisely how would you define your music?
I like to think of it as perhaps rootsy American music, but with a wide variety of influences. I came up as I said loving Rock, but I also was a big fan of jazz, bluegrass, western swing and old timey music. Somehow all of that sort of mixed together in my approach to playing. Jazz, bluegrass and rock were always great vehicles in which to improvise and really stretch out.
B&C - What the specificities of technique of your guitar playing? What style of guitar do you play on?
I fingerpick with my thumb and three fingers, sometimes using the bass notes as a drone while I improvise leads and chords with the remaining strings. I play a style OM acoustic guitar.
B&C - I don't think you ever come to France? Where have you been in Europe?
I played the Beauvaet (not sure of the spelling there) blues festival a few years back in France. I’ve also played in Belgium and Holland.
B&C - What are your feelings about the evolution of the music and more specifically Blues during decades and nowadays?
I enjoy that fact that all music evolves. It’s always changing but at the same time it always leaves us with various rich examples of where it’s been. You can choose to simply enjoy one time period such as the Delta blues of the twenties and thirties or enjoy the multiple stages of where the music has progressed. It’s all very exciting to me. I’m just as happy listening to Charley Patton as I am to Hubert Sumlin or John Mooney.
B&C - I'm so happy to contact you that I have 1000 questions... But we must be reasonable, so, for an end, what are your next projects and for the longer future?
Well, I just recorded another live show which will be released on a DVD in the fall of ’08. I’m working on another CD… (I’ve already planned way more songs than I can possibly fit on one) and will be recording that one over the late spring and summer. I’m also planning on producing an instructional DVD for those aspiring guitar players out there. I’d love to be able to come over to Europe more often. The problem is finding an agent who can set that up for me. I have a very good one in England and one here in the States but having one in Europe would be wonderful. Other than that I just want to continue making music, teaching it, performing it and livng it until my days on Earth are over.
6 strings and 10 fingers… I’m not going to do the math.
B&C - Who is Toby Walker? Where do you come from and what is your course (school, hobbies, etc.) when you were young?
I come from Long Island which is right next to New York City. I was a pretty normal little kid meaning that I didn’t get into more trouble than I could easily get out of. I played baseball, explored as far as I could on my bicycle and hated school work.
B&C - Did you already be interested in music? What kind of music? What were your first musical emotions?
My first musical love was the Beatles, growing up in the early sixties. From there I became very interested in the Rolling Stones, which led me to friends of similar interests. At that point I became aware of the Blues.
B&C - How did you begin to play music? The choice of the instrument? This choice of Piedmont Blues and Delta Blues?
I had a friend whose parents bought him a drum set and an electric guitar with an amp. Being someone who was inclined to bang things, I took to the drums as my first instrument. My friend then set about learning the guitar but became quickly bored with it. The next thing I knew was that he picked up the drums and I grabbed his guitar and taught myself how to play it. I started out playing the music of the Stones, but then I gravitated towards Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters and the rest of the Chicago blues scene. It wasn’t until a friend of mine showed me how to fingerpick that I became aware of the Piedmont blues. That came about from discovering a book called ‘Fingerpicking Styles For Guitar’ by Happy Traum. It was there that I first discovered people like Mississippi John Hurt and Etta Baker
B&C - Tell us about your beginnings, do you remember your first scene? Had you always play solo?
I was in a band at first, while I was learning Rock. However, once I started to fingerpick the guitar I wanted to do more solo work.
B&C - With your music, come all the story of the Country, Piedmont and Delta Blues, how and by which spell, you, a white guy, manage to play it with such a power, such sincerity?
Well, the color of one’s skin has Nothing to do with the sound they make with music. Listen to John Hammond, Rory Block, John Mooney and a host of others as examples of ‘white’ musicians playing the blues. That sort of questioning always baffled me.
B&C - Where and from whom did you draw such a faith, such knowledge?
I listened to lots and lots of records, read a ton of books and travelled to the Southern U.S. in order to learn the music firsthand from folks that played it all their lives. I also had to earn a living… that alone will make you into a better musician and entertainer.
B&C - Young, you made a kind of initiatory travel, what motivate this travel, the meetings, the big moments, funny, sad or frightening?
Simply the love of the music and the rich history behind it all. You can only learn so much from books and recordings. Sooner or later you have to sit at the feet of the masters if you want the real thing.
B&C - During this quest, who are the bluesmen who impress you the most?
Jack Owens from Bentonia MS, Eugene Powell from Greenville MS, Son Thomas from Leland MS and Etta Baker from Morgantown NC. By the way, I’ve put their pictures, music and stories up on my web site for everyone to enjoy. (http://www.littletobywalker.com)
B&C - How these illustrious bluesmen react when then saw you? Contacts were easy?
they were always humble, flattered and quite generous with their time, knowledge and music. I was paying them respect, as well as some money and I treated them with reverence. They in turn gave me their music, stories and above all, friendship.
B&C - 6 albums in only 7 years, 6, as far as I'm concerned, master pieces, you are very prolific? How so you work to make an album?
Thanks… real glad you like my music. I wish I could say that I make it a point to sit down and write songs but I don’t do it with any discipline at all. Most of the time I get inspired with a lyric, or a musical phrase or idea for a theme that might make a good song and take it from there. Sometimes I can’t put the guitar down for days until I’m happy with the song. Other times I revisit the song many times over the course of a few weeks before I find it completed. And even then, once it’s recorded I never listen to it again… I simply keep playing the songs at shows and they keep on evolving. There’s been times when a fan will come up and wonder why the song sounded a bit different than what was originally recorded and I replay that it’s still growing, still evolving. It doesn’t stray too much from the original, but I do try to improvise a great deal with every performance. It’s that whole thing of being in the moment that does if for me.
B&C - You win numbers of awards, you're sponsored by big instruments manufacturers but you stay at large from big labels, is it a choice or aren't they interested?
Probably a matter of both really. The really big labels simply don’t go for the solo acoustic blues musicians. And to tell you the truth, by putting out the recordings myself I retain complete control over the music and the profit. Besides, these days with digital recordings and mp3 files, more and more artists are self producing their own albums and selling them over the Internet as downloads. I’ve actually been selling quite a bit of them that way these days.
B&C - Besides your talents as a guitarist, you are an extraordinary singer, where does it come from? Work or heaven's gift?
Well, thanks again. Funny, but I never thought of myself as much of a singer. I never really practiced that, like I do with the guitar. I just try to match up something that will sound decent along with my guitar.. which is my main voice anyway. I’ve always considered myself a guitarist and improviser first, then a songwriter and then a singer.
B&C - To make continue with compliments, by listening your lives, I heard someone cheerful, with communicative sense of humour, does your life so nice in this 21th century?
Life’s never so simple or uncomplicated. I’m human like everyone else.. having my share of trials and troubles. Although I’ve had it pretty rough for a many years, moving so many times without ever having lived in a place for too long, I suspect that everyone has their own story to tell. However, having a sense of humour has helped me immensely. I also love performing on stage and pleasing an audience.. nothing gives me more pleasure than to do that and I suppose that comes across in my performances. The other thing is that I value the friendships I have in my life. There are very few people I consider to be my closest friends… Larry Sribnick who plays bass, did the photos on my last CD and shot the upcoming DVD project ( he also is a great businessman with tons of knowledge and John Sposato, who has been in every sense of the word a ‘life coach.’ Between the two of them and my wife Carol, I’m a pretty satisfied camper.
B&C - Besides playing and singing the Blues, you teach guitar playing, you tell and write about Blues history, how can you manage to do all of that? And it seems that you have illustrious student?
I’ve been teaching the guitar for practically as long as I’ve been playing it - It’s one of the things I truly love about being a musician. Growing up I was always wondering how other musicians got those mysterious notes and was thrilled to death once I found out. Now I get the same charge when I see someone else coming up the same way. If I can make someone say ‘Wow’ while I’m teaching them, I’ve done my job.
B&C - When I speak about Blues, it seemed to be restrictive, can't your music be considered as Americana music, or more precisely how would you define your music?
I like to think of it as perhaps rootsy American music, but with a wide variety of influences. I came up as I said loving Rock, but I also was a big fan of jazz, bluegrass, western swing and old timey music. Somehow all of that sort of mixed together in my approach to playing. Jazz, bluegrass and rock were always great vehicles in which to improvise and really stretch out.
B&C - What the specificities of technique of your guitar playing? What style of guitar do you play on?
I fingerpick with my thumb and three fingers, sometimes using the bass notes as a drone while I improvise leads and chords with the remaining strings. I play a style OM acoustic guitar.
B&C - I don't think you ever come to France? Where have you been in Europe?
I played the Beauvaet (not sure of the spelling there) blues festival a few years back in France. I’ve also played in Belgium and Holland.
B&C - What are your feelings about the evolution of the music and more specifically Blues during decades and nowadays?
I enjoy that fact that all music evolves. It’s always changing but at the same time it always leaves us with various rich examples of where it’s been. You can choose to simply enjoy one time period such as the Delta blues of the twenties and thirties or enjoy the multiple stages of where the music has progressed. It’s all very exciting to me. I’m just as happy listening to Charley Patton as I am to Hubert Sumlin or John Mooney.
B&C - I'm so happy to contact you that I have 1000 questions... But we must be reasonable, so, for an end, what are your next projects and for the longer future?
Well, I just recorded another live show which will be released on a DVD in the fall of ’08. I’m working on another CD… (I’ve already planned way more songs than I can possibly fit on one) and will be recording that one over the late spring and summer. I’m also planning on producing an instructional DVD for those aspiring guitar players out there. I’d love to be able to come over to Europe more often. The problem is finding an agent who can set that up for me. I have a very good one in England and one here in the States but having one in Europe would be wonderful. Other than that I just want to continue making music, teaching it, performing it and livng it until my days on Earth are over.