REMEMBER THIS GREAT EVENING
October 4, 2008 | |
in performance  L ittle Toby Walker returned to our stage to open our spectacular 40th Anniversary season, and boy did he put on a great show for us. He has performed on our stage many times over the past twenty years or so, and Toby keeps getting better. Toby reminisced about sending us a demo tape years ago, and then he came to a concert at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory auditorium, where our concerts were held then, and played his first open mike with us ... and it earned him a house concert gig. As an emerging artist, he played our stage many times, and had many gigs at My Father's Place in Roslyn opening for the great name blues artists of the time. His talent and repertoire developed over time, and in 2002 in Memphis he won the International Blues Challenge Award and transformed himself into a full-time professional, and we welcomed him with a First Saturday gig that June. Toby is a unique, accomplished fingerstyle guitar virtuoso. Toby is adept at blues, rags, hot country picking, and coaxes more out of a guitar than anyone can imagine, but the originality doesn't end there. He is also a skilled singer and songwriter who draws inspiration from traditional and contemporary music. Toby takes that musical foundation and creates something uniquely his own and has been eagerly received in various venues including concert halls, festivals and coffeehouses throughout the U.S., England and Europe. Toby’s passion for blues, rag, folk, and other traditional American music drove him to leave an apartment crammed full of recordings, books and instruments for the Mississippi Delta, Virginia and the Carolinas where he tracked down some of the more obscure — but immensely talented — music makers of an earlier era. He learned directly at the feet of Eugene Powell, James "Son" Thomas, Etta Baker, and R.L Burnside, among others.
The love Toby has for his craft pushes him to share his history and experience where he has performed in libraries and schools allowing others to share the sounds, sights, and emotions of his unique abilities. His teaching credits include, among others, Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch in Ohio. In 2006, Carnegie Hall acknowledged his rare talents and hired him to augment and teach in their "American Roots" program aimed at honor level middle school students. This one-of-a-kind series demonstrates the history of blues music and traditions, while teaching the history of African Americans as they migrated from the south into the north.
Another special surprise came in his encore, when he was joined by his wife, Carol, in a compelling gospel anthem. There is no doubt that Toby Walker has found his life's calling, and as a result everyone keeps calling for more Toby Walker.
Praises by others for his performances:
 
or visit his web site:
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Opening tonight were our featured open mike performers:
Our host tonight was Ira Perlman, If you weren't here tonight, you missed yet another of the very best programs of the year ... |
A t this concert, Toby released his newest CD Hand Picked, his seventh. Acoustic fingerpicking blues at its best, with some interesting surprises added, showing why and see why Little Toby is the Little King of the Blues. On this great evening, the combination of our 40th Anniversary kick-off and Toby's CD release party made for a very special evening. 
