Lonie Walker

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Lonie Walker is an American Acid Blues singer, whose music is a mixture rock, soul, funk, jazz and blues. Walker's stories has been explained as very similar to her music. Her performances are described as emotional journeys. She sings about relationships of intense interaction with the audience. She has been a jazz artist for several decades and is the leader singer of her Big Bad Ass Company.

Lonie walker

Background information
Birth name Lonie Walker
Born 1950s
Origin Chicago, Illinois
Genre(s) Blues and Jazz
Occupation(s) Singer, Poet
Instrument(s) Piano
Years active Twenty
Label(s) Underground Wonder Music label
Associated acts Music Reviews, Performs with band
Website http://www.loniewalker.com/bio.html
Members
Herb Walker, Joe Thomas, Kevin Patrick, James Perkins, and Luiz Ewerling

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Background

Lonie had to begin at nightclubs to spring her career. In spite at that time when club business were decreasing, Lonie still had to work. She explained "I think in 1989 I was very young, and I had a vision that was imperative for me to do. Like a do or die kind of thing." "I had built up a lot of capital in real estate, so every month that was negative $10,000 or negative $17,000; I kept drawing off of my capitol. (After) seventeen months - my draw was gone. It was sink or float; and it floated."

Lonie worked six out of seven nights a week. Then she abandoned nightclubs. According to Walker, "I think it's so hard to compare (now with the), except now we spend a fair amount of money on advertising". Her clientele came there every single year from all over the world. She had three small kids at the time, explaining "well, if I can't travel the world, the world will come to me.'

[edit] Underground Wonder Bar

[edit] Success

She currently is the owner of the Underground Wonder Bar she and her band plays at, with the help up her clientele. "When we say Underground Wonder Bar, everyone puts their arms up in the international "wonder pose." Her band plays on Wednesdays, Fridays or Saturdays. Lonie's reactions to the crowd can be described as: " If I have an audience that's never been there, I know I have to work that much harder at getting them - you know, endearing them to me: they don't know who I am; they just paid $12 to get in the door, so they're a little tougher audience than on a Tuesday when you're just sitting around, and you happen on something." When you're sitting there with five or six people, the investment is much more so, that I have to entertain." When audiences haven't been there before, she has received cold reactions. The club has been around for almost two decades. So I look at the audiences and I say, "You know, people, fifteen years ago, this was my dream - and think about it - you're all in it.' She has a dream band of her sons; Jordan who does spoken word, her son Elliot who plays bass.

[edit] Location

The Underground World Bar is located a half a mile away from Rush Street, the former home of Mr. Kelly's, The London House and a long list of other legendary jazz clubs in Chicago. In one instance, she reasoned that the Underground Wonder Bar might be benefiting from being the only jazz club in that vicinity.

Not so, according to Lonie "I think that if the weather were warm enough that we could have a flyers person on the street 365 days a year that we could connect to Rush Street." But, all of these people that go up and down Rush Street don't know about Walton, and all of these people that go down State Street don't know about Walton. So without a flyers person, we still don't get them. So, that "legendary' thing - it's a half a block... When the weather turns, it's a very different animal. That's why I say it's word of mouth. And that's one way that location does help us is that we're right next to all of the service industry, and that's where word of mouth works best, for meeting and connecting with people. They like that it's not a $15 cab ride."

[edit] Music

The Clientele has mixed various genres of music. Lonie had been a jazz artist for most of her career, and had the club pro-jazz until the club thought about what would happen to customers who wanted jazz; on Monday night's there was not jazz, and they wanted to vary the style format. Quoted by Walker: "we're looking for jazz," so, we kinda just peeled the "jazz' off so it says, "till 4 a.m." Bobby Broom who did jazz, once visited. And then they had a piano bar trio, which was jazz, and the event aroused wild (laughs) that would become the "weird, wild, wacky, women" on Wednesday, wild cabaret styles, and varied things a significantly. This resulted in an idea of doing amusing music reviews. The hiring of musicians of various genres, would help to create what she marked, as the "natural evolution" for them. While not fitting all genres of music, she managed to fit in a many as possible.

The bar outreached marginal success. Diverse artists include Jimmy Buffett, Betty Carter, Keanu Reeves and Vince Vaughan who've performed on the stage of the Underground Wonder Bar while they've been in town. Carter talked about her piano, some of the singers that have joined her, mentioned her sidemen, and even former WDCB D.J., Dave Freeman, because he was the first person to have played her CD.

[edit] Career

[edit] Solo career

Lonie calls her music Acid Blues. Lonie explains Acid Blues as Rockin' Jazz Blues Up Down Soulful Sultry Lively musical Journey. Lonie Walker describes her goals as to getting the audience shares her pure love of music, her free spirit and her joy. And wants the crowd to enjoy her music. To date, Lonie and her Big Bad Ass Company Band have performed over 1900 live shows to packed houses, performing for audiences from around the world and produced three CDs on her Underground Wonder Music label. Lonie plays solo on Tuesdays. Her latest CD, "Change is Good," is her first with all original songs. A review holds it as it "raw, tender, introspective and bursting with joy all at the same time, "Change is Good" is a true fusion of musical styles, connecting with audiences through its driving honesty of emotions."

"Change Is Good" was also described as powerful in spirit. "Lonie’s ' powerful, eclectic style attracts music lovers of all kinds, breaks through boundaries and wins fans in all musical markets. "All her originals were rhythmic based, body movin' warm your heart groove songs, with, of course, the ever tender belly side." Hits from the album include "Living" (The Honey Bee Song), "False Security," "I'll Drop My Pride," "Earthquake and Sugar,""Once In Awhile," "Dreamin,'" "Summer Solstice," and "Baby Blue Blues (Chonka Chonk)." Lonie Walker and her Big Bad Ass Company Band launched the CD "Change is Good" with at a Benefit Concert at the Park West Theater in Chicago on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2001.

On her second CD, "Live in Paris", Lonie Walker's music was described by using a powerful, rollicking piano, reminiscent of Fats Waller, and raw yet tender vocals fuse to create a style of profound sensuality and richness.

"I consider myself a pioneer," says Lonie Walker. "I do not style myself after anyone or anything." Quite simply, Lonie is her music and her music is Lonie.

[edit] As a Band Member

Lonie Walker's Big Bad Ass Company Band have performed over 1900 live shows to packed houses, thrilled audiences from around the world and produced three CDs on her Underground Wonder Music label. The band consists of Lonie Walker, Herb Walker, Joe Thomas, Kevin Patrick, James Perkins, and Luiz Ewerling. Walker, who is the only female musician, is the Band's Leader, Composer, Arranger, and is the pianist and vocalist. Herb Walker is their guitarist. Joe Thomas is the Bassist. Kevin Patrick is the percussionist. Perkins is the saxophonist. Ewerling is the percussionist. The Band play on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

[edit] Albums

[edit] All that I got I gave to music

Lonie Walker's CD, "All That I've Got I Gave to Music," was recorded on Underground Wonder Music. To the sounds of her piano dance around the head, her voice scats, moans and wails, laughter rushes to be heard and soft memories rise from the deep sleep. From Willie Dixon's " I Love The Life I Live" to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now," she takes the favorite songs of the past and combines them with her contemporary arrangements. On the sensual and playful "Fever," Lonie enacts the mistress who slides in and out of madness On the " Vincent," she lowers her voice to a soft lullaby, makes a sad, comfortable landscape on the piano. On " Me And Bobbie McGee," the piano rumbles while she sings through a wicked smile.

"All That I've Got I Gave to Music" was recorded live at the Underground Wonder Bar where Lonie had become a legend of the Chicago night, playing every night for the past seven years to a fiercely devoted audience. Her performances are about see emotional journeys- driven by a relationship of intense interaction with the audience, she pushes herself to the breaking point of agony and ecstasy.

[edit] Live in Paris

"Live in Paris" was a live recording of the year as Lonie Walker and Big Bad Ass Company Band swing and romp through a musical labyrinth of blues, jazz, rock, soul, & funk beginning with Sophie Tucker and "Some of These Days" to Ray Charles and "I Can't Stop Loving You". By reviews of the album, it reveals talented song writing skills from Walker with the debut of an original, "Once in Awhile", an optimistic soulful, honest expression of anticipation and longing.

On "Live in Paris", Lonie Walker's shows a strong, rollicking piano, reminiscent of Fats Waller, and raw yet tender vocals fuse to create a style of profound sensuality and richness. A pulsing, organic rhythm section is an effective musical backdrop for Lonie's funky and soulful expression. Having an innate sense of communication in audiences, Walker's been viewed as a promising and refreshing entertainer.

To get the album you could watch Lonie Walker and Big Bad Ass Company Band live at her Chicago club, The Underground Wonder Bar, is to pick up her latest CD release "Live in Paris".

[edit] Change is Good

"Change is Good" is Lonie Walker's third full-length CD. Her first two CDs, "All that I've Got I Gave to Music (1995)," & "Live in Paris (1998)" were recorded live at Underground Wonder Bar and The Maxwell CafŽ. With this CD, however, Walker invites her audience into the studio with her for the first time.

The album is a journey through distinctive arrangements, eclectic sounds and musical styles, and both real and imagined narratives. Lonie's story-like music is featured in the album

Lonie includes for this album a full-range of emotion with this 2001 release. Hits include "I'll Drop My Pride", the empowering "Change is Good", the eerie "Who's Gonna Tell Her the Ship is Sinking" (Ghosts), the lulling "Dreamin'", to the energizing "Baby Blue Blues (The Chonka Chonk Song)," Walker's own emotional reactions to the stories she tells are matched and demonstrated using varying musical genres, including blues, jazz, soul, and rock.

[edit] Facts and Trivia

  • Lonie also specializes in Poetry.
  • Lonie is from Chicago, Illinois.
  • She is the mother of four kids and has adopted lots of ones (a total of nine).
  • On the album, Ms. Walker, star of Chicago's Underground Wonder Bar, she performs cover versions of famous artists. On this recording, however, she wrote most of the 12 titles herself.
  • Lonie's club has been around for about two decades.
  • Lonie Walker has a non-profit organization for the Avenue of heart.

[edit] Quotes

* " My Music is all about fusion, combining musical styles.....The sky's the limit."

  • "I consider myself a pioneer". "I do not style myself after anyone or anything."
  • "Hold on for your life...and take a soulful, sultry, lively musical journey, with the one and only (Lonie Walker)"
  • "You know, people, fifteen years ago, this was my dream - and think about it - you're all in it.' They get it. That's my dream, and it continues."
  • "They're free to explore all of their different styles by having an open room (to musicians)."

[edit] See also

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[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Press Reviews

Blues | Blues genres
Jug band - Classic female blues - Country blues - Delta blues - Jump blues - Piano blues - Fife and drum blues
Jazz blues - Blues-rock - Soul blues- Punk blues
African blues - British blues - Chicago blues - Detroit blues - Kansas City blues - Louisiana blues - Memphis blues - Piedmont blues - St. Louis blues - Swamp blues - Texas blues - West Coast blues
Musicians
Jazz | Jazz genres
Acid jazz - Asian American jazz - Avant-garde jazz - Bebop - Dixieland - Calypso jazz - Chamber jazz - Cool jazz - Creative jazz - Free jazz - Gypsy jazz - Hard bop
Jazz blues - Jazz-funk - Jazz fusion - Jazz rap - Latin jazz - Mini-jazz - Modal jazz - M-Base - Nu jazz - Smooth jazz - Soul jazz - Swing - Trad jazz - West coast jazz
Other topics
Musicians - Jazz standard - Jazz royalty
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