Bart started honing his guitar skills at the ripe “old” age of four, while growing up in Tennessee. Along the way, he became an accomplished musician on a variety of instruments including the mandolin, banjo, dobro, bass, saxophone, fiddle and drums. His accomplishments include winning a variety of bluegrass competitions in his youth, a full scholarship from Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music to study voice in high school, being chosen as a vocalist in the Governor’s School for the Arts, as well as being selected by a Tennessee panel of judges for excellence for jazz band. After graduating high school, he was recruited into the army national guard as a musician. He attended Austin Peay State University on a full scholarship where his concentration was vocal performance and string bass majors and minors in guitar performance and composition.
After college, he moved to Memphis to pursue his dream of playing the blues. While there, his name became recognizable and he played for the likes of Ruby Wilson and Preston Shannon. He later formed a band called Five Mississippi, playing various Beale Street venues, as well as other parts of Memphis, and as far south as Tunica, Clarksdale and Oxford, Mississippi. He returned to Nashville in 2005 with a new feel for the blues, and has since contributed to many studio sessions as well as performing in a variety of clubs.
In addition to his current role as lead guitarist for B.B. King's All-Stars at B.B. King's Blues Club, and American Idol's Bo Bice, he has also chalked up countless hours in the studio with Steve Gorman (Black Crows), A.J. Croce (son of Jim Croce), Bo Bice, Audly Freed. (Cry Of Love & Black Crows), and Robert Kearns (Lynyrd Skynyrd).
In the live music world, he has played with Delbert McClinton, Steve Cropper, Lee Roy Parnell, Jim Peterik (from Ides of March and Survivor), Jimmy Hall, Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble), Jack Pearson and Gary Nichols. He opened For B.B. King (With the B.B. King All-stars), Styx, REO speed wagon and Lynyrd Skynyrd (with Bo Bice). He also performed on the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman with Bo.
Bart Walker's new CD, “Who I am,” is sure to help revive the blues with the younger generation, and at the same time prove to be a much-welcomed addition for those who already possess a love for the blues.
The band includes: Bart Walker - guitar and vocals, Reese Wynans (Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble) – B3 and other keyboards, Paul Ossola (G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band) – bass and Jim Thistle – drums.
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