Re: Chro Blues Technique (Big Walter question)

[Pat Missin <pat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jp wrote:
>
>ok, i've heard Charlie Musselwhite say that Big Walter
>could play the chromatic, but as far as i know there
>are NO recordings of him ever doing so. "Whiteboy,"
>you know something i don't? :)

Then Winslow wrote:

>maybe George Smith and Walter Horton could do it (but 
>several authorities maintain Big Walter necer recorded on chromatic). 

To the best of my knowledge (and that of Joe Filisko, the late Bob
Shatkin and a whole bunch of other folks who compared notes on this
topic) there was only one officially released recording (long out of
print) which feaures Walter Horton playing chromatic. This was not in
a typical 3rd position style, but was played in the key of C on a C
chromatic.

Details here:

http://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/q20.html

Various reliable sources have stated that Walter Horton was
comfortable with several keys on the chromatic and used the button
considerably more than most blues players. I have also heard rumours
of a bootleg recording that features him on chromatic, but I have
never managed to track it down.

 -- Pat.