Born Autry DeWalt II, in 1931 in Blytheville, Arkansas, Jr. Walker was inspired to take up the saxophone by the jump blues and R&B bands he heard in the early 50s.
In 1964, Walker signed to Motown Records, where he perfected a blend of raunchy R&B and Detroit soul typified by his 1965 hit, 'Shotgun'. With its repeated saxophone riffs and call-and-response vocals, it established Walker as the label's prime exponent of traditional R&B, a reputation that was confirmed by later hits like 'Shake And Fingerpop' and 'Road Runner'. The latter was produced by Holland/Dozier/Holland, who also encouraged Walker to record instrumental versions of hits they had written for other Motown artists. Walker's style became progressively more lyrical in the late 60s, a development that reached its peak on the 1969 US Top 5 hit, 'What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)?'.
On April 11, 1981, Walker was the musical guest on the season finale of Saturday Night Live, and Foreigner's 1981 album 4 featured Walker's sax solo on "Urgent". In 1983, he appeared as a part of NBC's Motown's 25th Anniversary television special which also featured performances by Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, and Diana Ross. In November 1995, Jr. Walker lost a two-year battle with cancer. He was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1995 and Walker's "Shotgun" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
