at Bayport Blues Fest, Duluth MN, Aug 2007
photo by Kathryn Ives
These mini-biographies of Willie Walker, Barbara LaShoure and Big John Dickerson are lifted from the
Minnesota Blues Society website. The articles for Willie and Barbara do not give the name of the author,
so I cannot give a proper credit here. The article on Big John was written by Lynn B. Kelly.
Barbara LaShoure
2013 Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame Inductee: “Blues Legend Award”
Barbara LeShoure is one lady who has really lived
the Blues and a diva who can really croon! Born
and raised on the South side of Chicago, she was
weaned on the Blues by her father, Bluesman Jack
Stepter (singer, harmonica and guitar). Howlin’
Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sunnyland Slim and John Lee
Hooker frequented her home and graced the
kitchen table to feast on her mom’s fried chicken.
At an early age, Barbara accompanied her father
nightly to various blues venues and he had her
singing the Blues. She swayed a while to Jazz, but
her daddy insisted, "You better sing the Blues!"
that's exactly what she does! For 17 years Barbara
and her band, Devon Smith (guitar), Carlos Johnson (guitar), Joe Thomas
(drums), and a cat she calls Chuggalug (bass) performed as THE House band at
Chicago’s Kingston Mines.
Influenced by an impressive and diverse group of great female vocalists
(Bessie Smith, Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah
Washington, Etta James, Koko Taylor, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, and Gloria
Lynn) Barbara is equally competent and accomplished. In fact, she had
portrayed Bessie Smith in the off-broadway production of "The Cotton Club
Review." Of her many other stage performances "Little Dreamers," "The Wiz,"
and "Don’t Bother Me I Can Cope" are but a few. Plus, she has 2 movie credits
to her name, one of them Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. She was featured in the
Fernando Jones' production of "I Was There When the Blues Was Red Hot,"
performed on Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor and at the
College Theatre created by Catherine Dunham; she's been featured in several
Chicago television commercials and has graced the cover of Inside Chicago
and Interview magazines and has won multiple singing contests.
She was close friends with late divas Koko Taylor and Valerie Wellington, and
she considers Lonnie Brooks, Sugar Blue, Big Time Sarah, Billy Branch, AC
Reed, Big Time Sarah, Karen Carroll, Billie Branch, Otis Rush, Carl Weathersby,
Larry McCray and many other Chicago artists, her pals. She has traveled the
world: Spain and Japan twice with Billy Branch, Nigeria, and Israel, where she
lived for a time. She is always called on stage to sing when Chicago cats like
Billy Branch or Sugar Blue play in town. Barbara had a setback in the spring of
2010, what she calls "a little stroke" and is working hard to get back into the
thick of the Blues scene. She tells everyone, "Don't count me out! I'm coming
back!!"
That horizontal line marks the end of the biography. On a personal note I’d like
to add:
Barbara performed again in December 2012, leading her own band at Wilebski’s
Blues Saloon in St. Paul - her first performance since 2010 (and I was most
happily her guitar player that night, and at Arnellia’s in St. Paul two weeks later).
Everybody at Wilebski’s knew what she had been through, what she had come
back from, and she was up for the show! At the end of the evening, as her last
song, she did Nina Simone’s version of “Everything Must Change” - a beautiful,
slow ballad. Some of the lyrics:
“Everything must change
Nothing remains the same
Everyone must change
No one and nothing remains the same
The young become the old
And mysteries do unfold
For that's the way of time
Nothing and no one remains the same
There are not many things in life one can be sure of
Except the rain comes from the clouds
Sun light from the sky
Hummingbirds do fly”
It was very a personal rendering of that song. I doubt there was a dry eye in the
place when she finished it (and I don’t exclude members of the band from that
statement).
Willie Walker
2013 Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame Inductee: “Blues Performer”
Willie Walker was born in Mississippi, December 1941.
Willie spent his formative years in Memphis where his
voice provided him with the opportunity to stand out.
Willie began performing and traveling in the 50’s with
the group the Redemption Harmonizers. It was on the
Redemption Harmonizer’s tours that Willie discovered
Minnesota, he moved to Minneapolis in 1960. Gospel
continued to be his musical outlet until Willie met
Timothy Eason in a laundry mat. Tim introduced Willie
to other friends including Dick Shapiro who was
starting Central Booking. Willie and some of his vocalist
friends joined with a group of musicians including
Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame member Willie Murphy to
form the Val-Dons. The group became a teen favorite across the cities.
While living in Minneapolis, Willie often visited Memphis and his old friends. One
one such trip in 1965, Willie signed a contract to record with Goldwax Records
and over the years cut a number of sides for the label. Willie enjoyed some
artistic success with Goldwax and he was given the stage name "Wee Willie
Walker" but neither of these translated into a royalty check for his music.
Back in Minneapolis, Willie rejoined with Willy Murphy to become the original
singer for Willie and the Bees, he also formed the groups Wee Willie Walker and
the Exciters, Salt, Pepper and Spice as well as Willie Walker and Solid on Down.
In the early 70’s, Willie didn’t feel that what he was getting out of the music
business justified all of the effort he was putting in; he tried to retire. He was
drawn out of retirement by a group of college kids playing out of St. Cloud as the
Canys and the ongoing calls of musicians and promoters who wanted Willie to
work a gig. While in retirement, Willie continued to brush paths with the Butanes
such as in 1987 when he was hired to be a part of the opening act for John Lee
Hooker. While these events were a success, it was many years until Willie
became a regular part of the Butane lineup. Willie is still actively entertaining
audiences, leading his own group WE’ R’ as well as playing with the Butanes.
Willie credits the late Sam Cooke with giving him the inspiration to use his voice.
His voice has delighted music fans for over five decades and inspired Twin Cities
musicians, Jimmy Jam and Prince to name a few over the years.
Big John Dickerson
Inducted into the Minnesota Rock and County Hall of Fame, 2007
John Lawrence Dickerson
Born July 8, 1933 in Sandusky, Ohio
Vocalist and drummer
Written by Lynn B. Kelly, Artistic Director, GTCBMS
John Lawrence Dickerson was born on July 8,1933 in
Sandusky, Ohio. John's parents sang in the church choir.
John inherited this talent and at the age of 11, his mother
told him to take his singing out to the streets and make
some money. He sang Christmas Carols in a pre-
adolescent voice and received spare change as well as big
kisses from appreciative ladies. As he became a teenager,
he developed a deep bass voice and it was around this
time that John taught himself to play drums by listening
to music. He started sneaking into nightclubs to hear the
music that would stick in his mind. He decided he wanted
to be an entertainer as a singing drummer in a band.
When he was in high school he saw many a friend drink
and smoke and determined he was not going down that path of destruction. He
absorbed himself in music to stay off the streets and out of trouble.
He and some friends formed an R & B group in the 1950's, The Fabulous
Upsetters. His father acted as manager, chauffeur and chaperone and they
performed in the Columbus, Ohio area. John discovered he was quite the emcee
and told jokes and danced while singing. In 1959, his father took the group to
Detroit to meet Barry Gordy with Motown Records. At Hitsville, U.S.A., John met
the 'Motown Family' including The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and
the Vanguards to name a few. John filled in bass vocals for the Temps, The Del
Vikings, The Clovers and The Coasters. When not working, they would cook, play
cards and hang out together in the back of the studio. John stands over six feet
tall and the Motown Family nicknamed him Big John, after the subject of Jimmy
Dean's hit song, "Big Bad John". Before he made it big as a singer, Marvin Gaye
played drums for The Upsetters and they recorded "My One Desire" on the
Equador Label. When The Contours and The Upsetters were on tour in
Cleveland, Ohio, they met Eddie O'Jay, a popular DJ. Eddie didn't like The
Contours' name and suggested they use his name and call themselves the
O'Jays. The name stuck and they went on to be one of the great groups who still
are together. John could well have made it big too if his band had stayed
together, but they all took different directions and that was the end of his hopes
to be a Motown Records star.
Big John left Detroit and began touring with a variety of jazz, blues and R & B
artists. He performed with Elvis Presley in Philadelphia in 1964. In 1967-68-69,
John toured with Jerry Butler, was the drummer for Betty Swann and also the
Lonnie Woods Trio.
In the 1970's he went to a club where Jack McDuff was performing. Jack McDuff's
drummer, Joe Dukes sat out a set and let John sit in on the drums. John also
sang along and Jack liked what he heard and hired John. John also played with
Jimmy Smith, Wes Montgomery and other jazz legends.
John joined the Connie and Kenny Trio and came to St. Paul to perform at Paul's
Place in October 1979. While he was in town, he visited the Northwestern
College campus and was overwhelmed with the beautiful flowers in their
landscaping. He decided to stay here and left the trio. One day, he went to a club
and met Papa 'D' Woodson . John, Papa 'D' and Merlon Bronco formed the band
Down Right Tight and became very popular in the Minnesota music scene. Later
in the 1980's, John met Ron Scott at Jazzville, his manager and keyboardist in his
current band. Papa 'D' is also his bassist in his current band.
In the 1990's, Dave Anderson, founder of Famous Dave's BBQ & Blues
approached John to create a house band for his Minneapolis club. John was in
Down Right Tight with Paul Mayasich and Joe DeRasmi and many well know local
musicians. The group was very popular and changed their name to Blue
Chamber in 1998. John was lead vocals, Paul Mayasich/guitar/vocals, Scott David
Miller/organ/piano, Jeff Rogers/drums, Joe DeRasmi/trumpet, Brian T.
Simonds/tenor sax and John Wright/bass. This is about the time I started visiting
Famous Dave's just to hear John and his band. The band recorded the album,
Arms of the Blues which sold well locally as well as internationally when they
toured Europe and other countries. The band had a full sound much like the
music produced by STAX Records studio band the Mar-Keys, Booker T & The
MGs, Otis Redding an many more.
Now in the new millennium, John has a new group, The Big John Dickerson Band.
The band members are: John/vocals, Jamela Pettiford/vocals, Donald 'Hye-
Pockets' Robertson/drums-vocals, Donnell Papa 'D' Woodson/bass-vocals, Scott
Ives/guitar-vocals and Ron Scott/keyboards-vocals-manager. The group puts on
a high energy show including blues, rhythm & blues, Motown, jazz, funk, a
tribute to Louis Armstrong and a lot of comedy provided by John. The group
wants to perform a wide range of music to attract a greater audience, young and
old. John will even mix in a little rap music to bring in the kids to the show. They
are working on new music of legends such as Ray Charles and many, many
more.
On April 28, 2007, Big John Dickerson was inducted into the Minnesota Rock and
Country Hall of Fame. Big Walter Smith presented the honorary plaque to Big
John at the Medina Entertainment Center. Big John accepted the honor with his
characteristic humorous and humble remarks.
Links to each of these biographies at the Minnesota Blues Society website are
below (and are up as of August 2013).
I learned a long time ago that if you see something on the web you’d like to see
or read again copy and save it! (and note the source of that info) - because it
might not be around the next time you wish to access it. Author information for
the biographies of Willie and Barbara was not given on the page I copied them
from, nor photo credit listed for any of the photos attached to the three
biographies shown here.
Links to the original documents at the Minnesota Blues Society website are:
•
Willie Walker
•
Barbara LaShoure
•
Big John Dickerson