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Biography
Walk That Walk has served as the Boston-area touring
band for two Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductees for
the past four years --- Bo Diddley and Johnnie Johnson, pianist
and co-writer in Chuck Berry’s legendary combo.
As one of the premier bands on the impressive Boston blues scene – Walk
That Walk is an east coast phenomenon, but its Midwestern roots
run deep. The group’s material and performances are influenced
by the fertile sounds of Detroit and Chicago, where the electric
blues were ignited in the 1950s. The group has been on the scene
for many years, beginning their long-standing blues testimony back
in 1992.
Motown native and guitarist/vocalist Chuck DeSnyder was a teen
rocker, winning high school talent contests and leading successful
R&B-tinged bands throughout college and for several years in
New York City. But when he moved to Boston, his “blues sickness” could
no longer be suppressed. Jam sessions in DeSnyder’s basement
soon attracted Randi Laak on drums and Mike Barrows on bass.
Originally from Minnesota, Laak’s early virtuosity won him
a spot on the nationally-touring New England Youth Ensemble. His
orchestral credits include appearances at Carnegie Hall and the
Kennedy Center, and he is currently on the faculty of Atlantic
Union College teaching percussion.
A classical musician playing the blues may seem incongruous, but
for all the purists out there who think musicians should stay in
their culturally-correct genres, Laak has this to say: “That
would be like telling Yo Yo Ma he shouldn’t play classical
music because he isn’t European, or Pavarotti he shouldn’t
sing Broadway show tunes because he’s an Italian opera singer.
I play the blues because it is the most primal, emotional music
there is. Its raw power and directness speaks volumes, whether
it’s pain, fear, love, sadness, or joy.”
Mike Barrows draws upon wide-ranging influences in the blues idiom,
as well as funk, rock, and R&B. His rhythmic feel and complementary
style on bass provides the glue that holds the groove together
for the Walk That Walk sound.
James Waldron joined the group back in 2000, contributing vocal
work and blowing a mean blues harp. A Massachusetts native and
Plum Island resident, Waldron has traveled extensively and played
with all varieties of musicians, from Stockholm-based jazz bands
to house Reggae bands in Jamaica. Influenced early by national
blues-rock artists J. Geils and Aerosmith, he eventually
began emulating Chicago-style masters of the harp Little and Big
Walter. Two years of study with Muddy Waters harmonica sideman,
New York’s Bob Shatkin, expanded his abilities to include
country and delta blues harp technique, as well as percussive rhythm-based
Chicago blues. Waldron has been fortunate to meet and sometimes
accompany longtime masters of the genre, Muddy Waters, Matt Guitar
Murphy, J.B.Hutto, Jerry Portnoy, Bruce Marshall, KD Bell, Toni
Lynn Washington, and James Montgomery.
In 1992 – the year the band formed – Walk That Walk
made the finals of the Battle of the Blues Bands, sponsored by
the Boston Blues Society. Their growing reputation as electrifying
performers gained them entry into the finest Boston-area clubs
including Harper’s Ferry, Johnny D’s Uptown Lounge,
House of Blues, The Yardrock Blues Club, and others. As DeSnyder
notes, “If you’re not passionate and high energy when
you perform, people will head for the exits.” These days,
the only reason people are near the exits at Walk That Walk shows
is because there’s nowhere else to stand.
Early in 1995, the group was approached by Shiretown Records to
do a CD project showcasing the band’s remarkable original
compositions. While staying true to the spirit of the “old
masters”, (the band cites Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson, Son
House, Muddy Waters, and others) Walk That Walk managed to renew
the traditional form with a collection of witty, gritty tunes for
their self-titled debut CD. Particular favorites of blues radio
hosts around the country include: “23 Hour Woman”, “Barbecue”,
and “Mr. Irresistible”, a tribute to the great Jimmy
Reed. Over the years, the group has released two live CDs – “Cocktail
Time” and “Live at the House of Blues”, and two
more studio recordings – “Big World of Trouble” and “The
Studio 9b Sessions”.
What’s next for Walk That Walk? More of the same, only better.
As DeSnyder says, the most important thing for this band to do
is to “write brilliant songs and perform them like men who
sold their souls at the crossroads.”
To schedule an interview, book the band, or get more information,
contact Chuck DeSnyder at poppac@walkthatwalk.org, or call him
at 917-209-7784..
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