Album Notes

Walt was born in Grundy, Virginia, in 1936. He got his first banjo from the Montgomery Ward catalog, and listened to Earl Scruggs on the radio to teach himself the banjo roll. In 1952, Walt and his brother Jim started working on a radio show in Pikeville, Kentucky.

In 1956, Walt moved to Baltimore, and met Earl Taylor. In 1957 Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys was formed, and included Earl on mandolin, Walt on banjo, bassist/comedian Vernon "Boatwhistle" McIntyre, and Charlie Waller on guitar. Within a year, Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys had recorded two songs for the newly formed Rebel Records: "The Children Are Cryin'" and Walt's own composition "Stoney Mountain Twist."

In 1959, the band recorded an album for United Artists, and became the first bluegrass band to play at Carnegie Hall. They also played 7 nights a week at the 79 Club in Baltimore. Walt briefly joined the Country Gentlemen in 1961. A year later Walt moved to Cincinnati and re-joined Earl. The band signed with Capitol Records and recorded "Blue Grass Taylor-Made".

Walt was asked by Capitol to record an album under his own name. He recorded "5-String Banjo Today" for Capitol in 1964, and formed his own band, the Dukes of Bluegrass. Soon Elvis and The Beatles swept onto the music scene, and Capitol concentrated their efforts on these rising stars.

Walt left Cincinnati and moved back to Baltimore, where he played only weekend music shows. However, he remained a presence and influence in Baltimore bluegrass. In 1991, Walt moved to Pennsylvania, and performed only occasionally at festivals. In the summer of 1999, Walt met James Reams at a festival in Groveton, New Hampshire. Walt has recorded twice since 2000 with James Reams and his group, The Barnstormers.

Although Walt is truly one of the greatest and most influential instrumentalists in the history of bluegrass, he is still relatively unknown among many bluegrass fans. His music and amazing banjo playing are well known among fellow bluegrass musicians all over the world. He was a musician ahead of his time with innovative musical ideas that were too unconventional for some bluegrass traditionalists.