Getting his start as a member of the legendary Muddy Waters’ band, Little Walter Jacobs took the harmonica to a whole new level. Developing his own unique techniques, blues musicians still look to him as the standard for his instrument. Gaining a reputation as a hard-drinking man with a hair-trigger temper, Jacobs died on this day (Feb. 15) in 1968 after sustaining injuries in a nightclub fight. At just 37 years old, we can only imagine what he might have gone on to accomplish. Today, we’re taking a look at his brief but spectacular career.
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His Harmonica Technique is Still Used Today
Born Marion Walter Jacobs on May 1 in Marksville, Louisiana, Little Walter’s birth year isn’t entirely clear. Some documents indicate 1923, 1925, or 1928, although Jacobs consistently listed 1930 for most of his adult life.
Raised in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Jacobs had quit school and left home by age 12. Already a skilled harmonica player by this time, he busked on the streets of New Orleans, Memphis, Helena and West Helena, Arkansas, and St. Louis.
In 1946, Jacobs found his way to Chicago, by then the beating heart of the postwar blues scene. Frustrated with hearing his harmonica drowned out by electric guitars, Little Walter decided to take matters into his own hands—literally. Cupping a small microphone in his hands along with his harmonica, he plugged the microphone into a public address system or guitar amplifier, allowing him to compete with the noisiest of electric instruments.
In 1950, Jacobs linked up with pioneering blues singer-songwriter Muddy Waters, playing acoustic harmonica in Waters’ band. He left in 1952 to pursue a solo career. “Juke,” the first song he attempted during his debut recording session, remains the only harmonica instrumental ever to top Billboard’s R&B chart. Jacobs scored 14 top 10 hits between 1952 and 1958, including a second No. 1, “My Babe.”
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The Legacy of Little Walter
Despite battling alcohol use that somewhat derailed his career, Little Walter toured Europe twice in the 1960s. A few months after returning from the second, on Valentine’s Day 1968, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was involved in a physical altercation at a nightclub on Chicago’s South Side.
While he only experienced minor injuries, the story goes that those wounds exacerbated the damage from prior violent encounters. At 37 years old, Little Walter died in his sleep at his girlfriend’s apartment the following morning. The official cause of death is listed as a blood clot in the heart.
Forty years after his death, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame welcomed Little Walter into its ranks. A historical marker immortalizes the legendary harmonica player in his hometown of Marksville, Louisiana.
“Little Walter made the harmonica what it is today. Every harmonica player you hear today doesn’t sound like Walter,” said Grammy-winning blues artist Buddy Guy. “In my opinion Little Walter is the best that ever played the harmonica.”
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