Jimmy McCracklin
b. James David Walker, 13 August 1921, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. A former professional boxer, McCracklin began his singing career in 1945. Four years later he formed his own band, the Blues Blasters, in San Francisco, but almost a decade would pass before the artist secured minor fame for his single, The Walk. This gritty slice of R&B crossed over into the pop charts via Dick Clark's AMERICAN BANDSTAND show where it was favoured by the resident dancers. In the wake of this success, McCracklin continued to enjoy intermittent chart success. Just Got To Know (1961) and Think (1965) reached the US R&B Top 10, but later blues/soul-styled releases fared less well and confined this underrated performer's appeal to a more specialist audience.