Junior Walker (1931–1995)

Junior Walker was an influential Motown saxophonist, vocalist, and leader of Jr. Walker & the All Stars. Walker’s band was most famous for R&B hits including “Shotgun,” “Do the Boomerang,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You),” and “Pucker Up Buttercup.” His career spanned the 1960s to the early 1980s, and he became linked to the Motown sound, whose major musical influences included Arkansas-native jump blues saxophonist Louis Jordan, along with Earl Bostic and Illinois Jacquet.

Junior Walker was born Autry DeWalt Mixon Jr. on June 14, 1931, in Blytheville (Mississippi County). “Some accounts list his birth name as Oscar G. Mixon, which was then changed at some point during his early childhood,” according to his AllMusic biographer, Steve Huey. His mother, Maria, was fifteen when he was born, according to Shotgun: The Making of a Legend, The Life Story of Jr. Walker and the All Stars, a biography by Kenneth DeWalt, Walker’s youngest son. His mother sought work in South Bend, Indiana, not long after Junior was born. When Walker was around three or four, she turned him over to Plez and Verna DeWalt, who took care of him for thirteen years. Autry’s stage name, Junior (or Jr.) Walker, came from his stepfather, Roosevelt Walker.

Walker grew up in the South Bend area, listening to blues, jazz, and R&B, all of it influencing his musical direction. He learned to play the saxophone as a teenager, and it became his defining instrument. In the mid-1950s, Walker formed his own group, which would evolve into Jr. Walker & the All Stars.

The band moved to Battle Creek, Michigan, and established a reputation for electric performances. Their big career break came when they were signed to Motown’s Soul label in the 1960s. During this period, the band developed its signature sound—a blend of driving R&B rhythms, strong melodies, and Walker’s fiery saxophone and gravelly vocals.

Their first major hit, “Shotgun,” was released in 1965 and reached top five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the R&B charts. The song featured Walker’s style: powerful saxophone solos and shouting vocals. “In fact, the only reason he sang the song was that the vocalist he’d hired didn’t show up for the session, and he was somewhat flabbergasted by the label’s decision to leave his vocal intact,” Huey wrote.

“Shotgun” made the band famous nationally, and it continued to release a string of hits including “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love),” “Road Runner,” “Shake and Fingerpop,” and “Gotta Hold On to This Feeling.”

The All Stars’ last hit came in 1972. Walker worked solo during the disco era, played saxophone for the band Foreigner during the 1980s, and toured with his son Autry DeWalt III on drums during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Walker died on November 23, 1995, of cancer.

For additional information:
DeWalt, Kenneth. Shotgun: The Making of a Legend, The Life Story of Jr. Walker and the All Stars. N.p.: 2020.

Huey, Steve. “Junior Walker Biography.” AllMusic.com. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/junior-walker-mn0000304284#biography (accessed November 10, 2024).

“Jr. Walker and the All Stars.” Classic Motown. https://classic.motown.com/story/jr-walker-stars-2 (accessed November 10, 2024).

Jeff Waggoner
Nassau, New York