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Derrick Big Walker

Teachin' the Blues

Big Walker was born Derrick Roy Michael Walker in Lawton, Oklahoma, December 3, 1953. He grew up in an artistic family; his mother Jean Serman and aunt Evelyn Wooden were both working in the theater. His aunt was a singer, and his mother an actress. Derrick Big Walker learned to play harmonica when he was seven with his uncle John Wooden, who owned a small blues club in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1962, Derrick Big Walker moved to San Francisco with his mother, who worked in Community Theater, where Derrick Big Walker also acted in several children’s productions. In 1969, Derrick Big Walker began to take saxophone lessons from Noel Jukes, who played saxophone with Jimmy Witherspoon and many others. In 1973, Derrick Big Walker began to play saxophone and harmonica in The Luther Tucker Band. He played with them for 10 years. He was also touring with both, Albert Collins and the Luther Tucker Band. They recorded a film at the North Dakota Club in Oakland. In 1977, Derrick Big Walker began playing with a band called the Soul Rebels for one year. He took harmonica lessons from Paul Butterfield, who taught Derrick Big Walker to sound like himself and play melodies, "not just licks". Bobby Forte who played with B.B. King during the 1960's and 1970's gave him saxophone lessons. In the late 1970's Derrick Big Walker began playing with The Eddie Ray Rhythm And Blues Band, backing artists such as Lowell Fulson, Percy Mayfield, Big Mama Thornton, Sonny Rhodes, Jimmy McCracklin and Sugar Pie De Santos. Derrick Big Walker played with Michael Bloomfield and was his roommate for two years. Derrick Big Walker went to Europe playing in Holland, Belgium and France for three years. In 1988, he began to teach harmonica at the Swedish State Community College, Studieframjandet. He also toured with the Grinders featuring Professor Washboard in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Germany. In 1993, he composed the song Stars in the Sky and performed two songs in the international film Freud Leaves Home. Since the mid 1990's Derrick Big Walker has undertaken several tours and played with blues artists like Eric Bibb, Jimmy Dawkins, and Zora Young. Derrick Big Walker plays tenor and alto saxophone plus the ten hole diatonic, chromatic and bass harmonica, and he sings and writes his own songs. Today he teaches at the Stockholm Music Conservatory and Kulturama High School for Music and Dramatic Arts.

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