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Walter "Wolfman" Washington Born on December 21,
1943, Washington was born and raised in New Orleans, where he
performed in his mother's church choir as a child. As he grew older,
he fell in love with blues and R&B and learned how to play guitar,
beginning with a homemade instrument made from rubber bands and a
cigar box before moving up to the real thing. In 1962, the
19-year-old Washington landed his first major gig, playing guitar
with New Orleans soul legend Lee Dorsey. He spent two years in
Dorsey's road band, and in the mid-'60s, he began playing with a
local combo called the All Fools Band. He also spent time backing
soul diva Irma Thomas and gigging with David Lastie's Taste of New
Orleans Band. Near the end of the '60s, Washington started playing
alongside another noted New Orleans R&B singer, the great Johnny
Adams; the two proved to be a solid match, and Washington worked
with Adams on-stage and in the studio for 20 years. "Doin' The Funky Thing" was released by Zoho Roots in 2008 . In 2018, the 74-year-old Washington was given the Anti/Epitaph treatment for "My Future Is My Past" Album Discography
I'm Tiptoeing Through
4:43
A1 It's Rainin' In My
Life 5:00
You Can Stay But The
Noise Must Go
1 Hello Stranger
I'll Be Good
It's Rain' In My Life
Trials And
Tribulations 3:54
1. Stop & Think
1 You Got Me Worried
1 Steal Away
1 Shake Your Booty / Funky Thing
Part 1 **** The "Wolfman" has always been Funky (in a N'Awlins way) but this time out Lee Dorsey-styled Funk is his starting template. The two-part title cut is one of those slippery, loose and greasy numbers with horn blasts and slappin' bass only James Brown could do equally well. Backed by the great Roadmasters (bassist Jack Cruz, Jimmy Carpenter on sax, Antonio Gambell on trumpet and drummer Kevin O'Day) Washington gets his JB on throughout. Brown would've captured that long sought-after comeback had he cut an organic funk n' jazz record like this. "I'm Back" is the requisite Hurricane Katrina song (afterall Washington is from the Crescent City). Again the horns are brilliant (arranged by Carpenter). The good Dr. John also shows up to play his Hammond B-3 on a track that promises "we're gonna bring New Orleans back!". Washington fingers out a nose curling guitar solo about four minutes in. "Tweakin'" has one nasty backbeat and the Wolfman gets to his trademark howlin' again. I'm working up a sweat just writing about it. It's that funky. Fortunately for my heart he mellows it out on the slick, cool Blazz burner "One Day From Being A Fool". "Crescent City Starlights" works like a sequel/encore to "I'm Back" where Washington sings "like a tree coming back to life/New Orelans is growing through the night...under the Crescent City starlight". Great harmony vocals too. Washington either penned or co-penned with Cruz all the pieces except for the Big Band blueser "Just Like That", which Cruz gets full credit for. This disc is sonically superb as well and those of us who dig horns with be in a state of bliss listening to this "funky thing".
1 Funkyard 5:02
1 Lost Mind |
"Wolf Tracks" (Rounder
1986)
"Rainin' In My Life" (Maison
De Soul Records 1987)
"Out In The Dark" (Rounder
1988)
"Wolf At The Door" (Rounder 1991)
"Sada" (Pointblank 1991)
"Get On Up" (Charly 1992)
"
"Funk Is In The House" (Bullseye Blues 1998)
"Blue Moon Risin'" (Go Jazz 1999)
"On The Prowl" (Bullseye Blues & Jazz 2000)
Joe Krown, Walter Wolfman Washington, Russell Batiste Jr. "Live
At The Maple Leaf" (Joe Krown 2008)
"Doin' The Funky Thing" (Zoho Roots 2008)
"Howln' Live At DBA New Orleans" (Frenchmen
Street 2013)
"My Future Is My Past" (Anti/Epitaph 2018)