Born in Helena Arkansas in the early 1920's, McCracklin moved to Richmond California and set up shop at The Savoy Club, becoming a well known west coast bluesman in the post WWII era. His first record "Miss Mattie Left Me," appeared on L.A's Globe in 1945. He's remembered particularly for his recordings for Bob Geddins' Swingtime and The Bihari Brothers' Modern labels. His biggest hit was The Walk, recorded in 1957 for Chess. In the 60's he recorded for Imperial, and in the 70's he recorded for Stax. He wrote “Tramp,” a big hit for Lowell Fulson, and later on [Otis Redding. His slick big band revue style of boogie woogie blues fell out of favor with mainstream audiences over time and his later career output was limited to indies, including some 1990's era recordings for Rounder's Bullseye imprint. Other artist's who've recorded his songs include Elvin Bishop, Rufus Thomas, Los Lobos , B.B. King, Elvis Presley, and even hip hop acts have borrowed from McCracklin's oeuvre including Salt 'n' Pepa, Ice Cube, among others.
