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1931 – 1995
Junior Walker (1931–1995): born Autry DeWalt Mixon Jr. on 14 June 1931 at Blytheville, Arkansas, and raised in South Bend, where his mother had come seeking work — the tie is upbringing, printed at that strength. He began on saxophone in high school, formed his own band, the Jumping Jacks, at fourteen, and played South Bend with the Rhythm Rockers of his friend, drummer Billy Nicks (1935–2017), a group with a permanent engagement at a local television station; keyboardist Fred Patton completed the house band. When Nicks was drafted, Walker persuaded the band to move to Battle Creek, Michigan; renamed the All Stars, they were spotted by Johnny Bristol, signed through Harvey Fuqua's labels into Motown in the early 1960s, and in 1965 released "Shotgun" — written by Walker, No. 1 on the R&B chart, inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. Jr. Walker & the All Stars became one of Motown's signature acts. Walker died on 23 November 1995 at Battle Creek. The Music record carries the discography; the People entry is the geography: a saxophonist formed in South Bend's west-side music scene, in a band built in a South Bend television studio, who took the city's sound to Detroit and the world.
Sources:
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas, "Junior Walker (1931–1995)" — the Blytheville birth on 14 June 1931, the mother's move to South Bend, the South Bend upbringing, the band's formation and Battle Creek move, "Shotgun" (1965), and the death on 23 November 1995.
- Wikipedia, "Jr. Walker" — the Jumping Jacks at fourteen, Billy Nicks and the Rhythm Rockers, the South Bend television engagement, Fred Patton, the Motown signing, and the Grammy Hall of Fame induction of 2002.