Wee Willie Walker

Willie Earl Walker (December 23, 1941 November 19, 2019), also known as Wee Willie Walker, was an American soul and blues singer.

Life and career He was born in Hernando, Mississippi, and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, where he started singing with local gospel groups. From his mid-teens, he toured with the Redemption Harmonizers, who included Roosevelt Jamison. In 1960, while touring, Walker and a bandmate decided to stay in Minneapolis with a member of another gospel group, the Royal Jubileers, rather than returning to Memphis. In Minneapolis, he joined a local R&B vocal group, the Val-Dons (later Valdons), who became successful in and around Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Walker returned occasionally to Memphis, and made his first recordings there in 1965 for Goldwax Records, produced by Quinton Claunch. His first release, in 1967, was a cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride", with the B-side "There Goes My Used To Be", written by Roosevelt Jamison. He made more recordings for Goldwax in 1968, including "You Name It, I Have It" and "A Lucky Loser", which were both licensed for release by Checker Records. His recordings were not commercially successful. Due to a misunderstanding he missed the opportunity to be promoted by influential radio DJ John Richbourg, and Goldwax refused to release him from his contract to allow him to work with Curtis Mayfield.

Walker continued to work as a machinist, and later as a health care worker. He performed at weekends, singing with a voice described as "a mélange of Sam Cooke, Al Green and Otis Redding." He joined with Willie Murphy, another ex-member of the Valdons, and formed Willie & The Bees. In the 1970s he formed Salt, Pepper and Spice, a horn-based rock band. They also toured together in Europe and Japan.