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Aaron Thibeaux “T-Bone” Walker was one of the first, if not the first person to record a hit record using an electric guitar, with his 1942 recording of “Mean Old World.” (Ernest Tubb also has a claim to this distinction.) Walker’s single note soloing style is being copied by blues guitarists to this day. Musicians as diverse as B. B. King, Jimi Hendrix and Chuck Berry claim Walker as an influence.

Walker recorded “Stormy Monday” in 1947. He uses a fairly sophisticated, jazz influenced chord structure, playing in the key of A flat, to accommodate his saxophone player, and using 9th chords on IV (D FLAT) and V (E flat.) He also accents the A flat with a momentary move up to A7 in each verse.

Notice how he turns his guitar up on it’s side so that he can see the fingerboard when he plays a solo. This causes an uncomfortable extension of the left wrist and limits is ability to play on the D, A and low E strings. When he is playing chords, or singing and playing short riffs, he holds the guitar in a more upright position.

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