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Big Walton. Big. Big Walter, 72. My name is uh Will Burden. I was born in Palestine, Texas. 1936, January 25th. I went to high school at uh Jack Yates High School, then I transferred and went to Booker T. Washington, where I finished. Well, actually I took

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the regular course of a high school student, but I can. recall right now because it's been about 1011 years since I've been in high school. I finished in 1955. I have 5 brothers and 4 sisters. Actually, I was finished in high school and I thought that

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uh. It requires a little skill in the way of life. And uh I didn't want to do no hard labor and I know I had to go through that those changes, so I decided I would do something to keep me from working hard. How long have

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you lived in Houston. I've been living in Houston exactly where from about 16 years. No. I've never been married. Personal reason. 14. Well, I start off with my first one was Key Jammer. My next one was My Darling, my darling. My next one was, I believe,

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uh, Twisting, uh, Teardrops of Love. My next one was Twist and Twist. 14 Records. I've recorded 14 records. Well, I was on. Peacock, uh, Paradise, uh, special edition, many others, I can't recall all of them. Have you ever traveled before and that you and you're traveling,

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just sit down and tell your honest opinion on how you, what happened, why you went to New York, if you ever went to New York, you just sit down and just, just relax yourself and just tell it like this. Actually, when I went to New York,

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I went to New York, but when I went to New York, only 11 part of was to record. I stayed up there. I lived there for about one week. And uh we recorded and I returned home, but I traveled to El Paso and I stayed up

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there for about 3 months playing in and out of El Paso around Juarez, Mexico and all that. Well, it was amazing. It was really uh outstanding experience for me because of my first trip east. And uh I went to nightclubs at small paradise and sit in

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with a lot of fellows and met a lot of fellows, played around town, people got to know me, so forth and so on. When you require it for uh for this particular company. What company spent a lot of money on you and you didn't get you

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had trouble you, but you don't call this particular company's name. What kind of trouble did you have? Well, I sold my publishing rights to the two songs I recorded in New York to the individual was just part of X. So when I got back from New

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York, well, they wouldn't release the song because my publishing rights, the person I sold the publishing rights to, they wouldn't, uh, you know, let the go ahead on, on the songs go. Approximately $2200 because see my hotel bill was $22 a day and plus like I

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made a couple of long distance calls and you know my food and everything so just to stay at the hotel was $22 a day excluding my food and bills and everything about $2200. And traveling up and down the highway, what experience have you had? I mean,

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how were you greed in places where you, where you, where you and your car stop being able to get food for, for the band food for yourself? What happened in clubs that you say that you've always got your money from clubs that you paid with? Well,

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quite a few clubs. I got my money and quite a few places I had, uh, quite a time to get my money, but uh. What, what, what is your biggest experience of playing a job there? didn't uh. Well, when I first started out playing, I mean

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it was pretty rough because I didn't know anything of what was going on and one of the clubs I played at, uh, the club owner told me. To stop the music at first someone put a nickel in the jukebox while we were playing and that didn't

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stop us because we weren't aware of the fact that they wanted us to stop. So we decided later to come up and tell us to stop playing all together. What I told the man, I said, now you gonna have to pay me the remainder of my

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money because you know you stopped me. 25 minutes, see. And uh he said, well, uh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna pay you half, which you haven't believe in 25 minutes. That's I'm gonna pay you $12.50. The job was $25. So we got the there and he told

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me, he said, Well, I'll tell you what, fella, I just. See, you just don't want to listen to me and you can't play, so wait just a minute. He went back there and got him a pistol, run, jumped and hit me and knocked me out of

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the place and throw the drum up against my head and throw me out of the place and said, Now get out of here. I ain't gonna pay you a dime. So that was one of my experiences, you know about the burgers. Yeah, really it was, it

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was a comical thing. The man told me, uh. He was gonna give us a hamburger. Actually, at the time I didn't know what was going on, and he gave all there were 3 pieces. He gave all three of us a hamburger. I come outside and get

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up there in the back of his hamburger. I said, he said, this man is shows out of say he give us hamburger and everything. I said, Well, that's your pay. don't you? Well, I guess you have had quite a bit. Well, I'll tell you another place,

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man. I worked in Bryan, Texas. I never will forget it. The man told me it was the night was pretty bad. He stopped us about 11:30 and we went back in the room where it was nothing but pistols and guns, and he takes a pistol out

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of his pocket and put it on the desk. He said, uh, well, fellas, you know I had a bad night tonight now. Well, you got pistols all around the wall already. Now you don't put a pistol on the desk. Well, I tell you, I said, well,

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look here, man. I said, no, I'm not here for no stuff. Just give you transportation. Let me go home right here. Why would we. I let me start. Oh Well, but actually it's it's true. It's no comical thing. This is a real personal life. This really

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happens. Well, right now, yes, I am, but, uh, I'm kind of stable right now and I'm, I got, I got, well, I got a new recording coming out in, in about 2 weeks, about 3 weeks. It's called, it's called the Freeze, man. This old album called

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the Freeze. Yeah, it's, it'll be out on Paradise label. Uh, I'm quite sure there's a whole lot more that you can tell us. Oh yeah, I do it in your own way. I feel that I have had the uh hardest time any musician ever had, but

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I mean if there any musician I think that uh I want to take my head to him because it was it was desire and really. Really, uh, I don't, I don't know what to say, but anyway, it was a hard struggle for me. I could sit

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here and talk all night long, you know, and tell you about my troubles. Well, actually now, when I first started as another fellow, I called him out there and said I want the job. I, I can't recall his name. He's told me he's not looking here,

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said don't come out here if you can't play. It's come last night I had some fellows out here and uh I, I had to kick them out of here. I said, Well, I said I don't think I'll come out there because I don't like to be

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kicked out of here. Well, he told me he said if you can't play, don't come out here. So I lost that job on the phone. Yeah. Yeah quite a bit of experience. Yes I have. I can't recall all the things I've had, but it's really let

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me see, uh, that we have teething your show. Just, just hold what you got there for a minute. We'll be right back with Willie Burke. I tell you what this story is very interesting. Well, the biggest I'd like to tell you right now the biggest. I

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ever had was, I believe was twist and twist. And actually every record that I've had, I, it never sold anything too much, you know, just a local thing. But Twist and Twist is one of my biggest records to show you how bad my luck is. I

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sold it out right. I sold it for $450. It was the number one tune in Los Angeles, California. And it and it did well around the country, so I sold it for $450 twist and twist, yeah. No, after you sell a record, I write, you don't

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make any money at all. So. Another, another thing, I started working in, in the white clubs and I, I started making much success and I was dancing, doing my singing and after I stopped dancing, well, I had to lead the white club because they wanted me

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to dance more than to play music, you know. So I told them, man, I I was getting kind of little. Rest on that dance and I had to play music. He said, Well, you can't play music good enough to stay here, so you have to dance

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or dance and play or don't play at all. So I had to leave the white club. So that was another one that was my experience. I understand that you had a wreck here what what happened in that wreck? Yeah, I, I run, I ran into the

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at least the train ran into me. So, uh, I had some fellows in the car that didn't really know what was going on by the contract. So they missed me out of most of my most of my money. I had my baritone player in the car

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and, uh, the railroad man come out and told him if he'd signed the paper that he would give him $80 so he jumped up and signed the paper a statement against me that I was driving. Drinking and and wasn't paying no attention to what I was

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doing. So he just didn't know, so he signed signed my money away so I, I didn't hold him responsible for it. I just credit that to the person that don't know you. Well, the hospital bill is not paid yet, so I don't know what's going down,

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but I know I haven't paid it. I don't know whether they're gonna pay it or who gonna pay it if I haven't paid it. Well, I think the uh railroad should pay it because it was negligence on their part because they didn't have no indication, no

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bills, and, and, uh, lately since I had directed and put bills and all lights and all that kind of stuff, railroad crossing everything that there. So I, I, I really don't know, you know, about that. Well, well, in the, I want to record a hit. I've

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had 14 records on and it seem like it's impossible, but Gene Ellison said you can make it if you try. So I believe that if I keep trying, I might make it. But I hope some of the people read my story and tell, you know, and

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try to help me along the way and will listen. And listen to one of my my records whenever it comes out. I play his organ and I play a little drum and I plays also a little guitar and plays piano. Yeah, well, sort of. So I

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hope the fans uh enjoy my story. And I could tell him more, but um I just can't recall anything right now, you know. All right. Well, that was Willie Burton. Is that Burton or B U R T is how you spell that name? Willie Burton, that's

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Willie Burton, B U R T O N. Uh, 3715 Southmore in Houston, Texas. That's Willie Burton's, uh, address. In fact, it, uh, his stage name, assumed name is Piano Slim. Uh, just before I, uh, I take this really off, what gave you the idea to start

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using Piano slim? Was it ever, uh, another piano slim besides you? I remember Piano reed. Uh, was it another piano slim? Well, actually, I don't know. I mean, I never heard of a piano slim. I heard a piano reeds like you, you heard of it, but,

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uh, the person called me Piano Slim in the club one night. That's how I got the name. I was playing and I had to run all the people out, but one fella. And uh he was hollering, he said, play it piano slim. Well, see, I was

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using Will Burton at the time, you know. So the man kicked him out of joint after he called my name, but he gave me a name, Piano Slim, that's how I got my name. Well, that's really nice. The reason I was asking about Piano Slim is

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because, uh, I don't know, I had been checking on this as been as I interviewed so many uh artists, good artists, good entertainers, which should really and truly have a break. Uh, I was told that it once was a piano slam here in Houston, and he

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did play piano, but I think they lost him in 1918, because that's been a good little while ago, so I just wanted to know where y'all were in relation because 1918 has been a long time. But anyway, it has been really nice talking to you, and

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this is Big Walter, profession known as Big Walter, the Thunderbird. Real name is Walter T. Price, 5718 Colfaxs in Houston, Texas. Thank you, and this is a true story because you can't witness through by me and many of his fans, and he is a good entertainer,

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and I'm sure that each and every one of you, that whoever read this article, if it should, uh when it. Will be read, uh, to whom it may be read, no matter where it may be, uh, whether it's here today or tomorrow or next week or

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across the country just any kind of kind of big way because it really is true and thank you. One more thing that I would like to add, uh, Piano Slim, he is a very good entertainer, and I would just like to for you to know what

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type of entertainer he is by him giving you a preview of something what he has already have done. Oh. Yeah That was, that was really nice. That was Willie Burton, Piano Slim. I

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don't know why they call him Piano Slim as well as he can play organ, then he really sets that piano fire. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. OK. and you got a girl. I stay in California for my mommy. Yeah. Thank you. What's

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your name, Deborah fax in Houston. I got I got. Well, well, don't you have a mommy and cook and cooking something to eat? Yeah, she lives in San Antonio. No, I don't have no boy. I got 3 girls. I got, I got to get cleaned up

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to the man. You and you and you got to clean up. Oh, you got mama ain't you got some little boy named Mikey? No, no. You had some boys. I got some little boy named Mike.