Born in 1937 in Louisiana, the venerable guitarist/vocalist (and second cousin of Gatemouth Brown) moved toTexas afterworld War II. In 1952 he recorded with Roscoe Gordon in Memphis and soon thereafter joined Clifton Chenier. By the end of the decade he was leading his own band and relocated to Los Angeles in 1959. Now on Delta Groove, the title aptly reflects the musical contents of this homage to some of his Louisiana andTexas influences with Champion Jack Dupree’s lugubrious “Bad Blood,” Frankie Lee Sims‚ swamp boogie grinder “Walking with Frankie,” Lightnin‚ Hopkins‚ dark warning “Don’t Think ‘Cause You’re Pretty,”Lowell Fulson’s stoptime pleader “Mama Bring Your Clothes Back Home,”the elusive Eddie Snow’s rockabilly shuffle “Mean Mean Woman,” and the lesser known Excello Records legend Lonesome Sundown’s (a.k.a. Cornelius Green) “If You See My Baby” and “Leave My Money Alone.” Walker also taps Percy Mayfield and Ray Charles respectively for the less familiar,”Lying Woman,” funky soul-blues with fiery metallic licks, and “Blackjack,” a slow blues jeremiad. Producer Randy Chortkoff penned the originals “Honey Stew, a salacious grinder,” “Lay You Down,” a pounding T-Bone styled shuffle, and “Happy Man Blues,”a jazzy romp;Al Blake contributed a laidback paean to the Crescent City, “Sweet Home New Orleans” and blows harp on this and “Don’t Think ‘Cause You’re Pretty.” Walker’s dry, laconic vocals are well suited to the numerous atmospheric tunes here and to the overall low key ambience. His playing is clear and crisp with the soulfulness of knowing less is more a la T-Bone Walker and Lowell Fulson. Impeccable support is provided by West Coast stalwarts guitarist Rusty Zinn, drummer Richard Innes, bassist/saxist JeffTurmes, and pianists Fred Kaplan and Rob Rio. In addition to the aforementioned Al Blake, DavidWoodford plays sax on four tracks while bassist James W.Thomas is heard on two tracks. Phillip Walker is a national blues treasure and Going Back Home will be a contender for Traditional Blues album of the year.