Artist Biography

1978 – 1980. Derrick began playing with The Eddie Ray Rhythm And Blues Band, backing artists such as Lowell Fulson, Percy Mayfield, Big Mama Thornton, Sonny Roads, Jimmy McCracklin and Sugar Pie De Santos. Derrick played with Michael Bloomfield and was his roommate for two years; He was on his recording Cruising for a Bruising.
1983. Derrick went to Europe playing in Holland, Belgium and France for three years.
1988. He began to teach Harmonica at the Swedish State Community College, Studieframjandet.
He also toured with the Grinders featuring Professor Washboard in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Germany.
1993. He composed the song Stars in the Sky and performed two songs in the international film Freud leaves Home.

1995-2002 Derrick has undertaken several tours of Norway and Denmark, and regular club appearances in Sweden, with his Black and White Blues Band. He has also toured with Folk blues artist Eric Bibb and played on six of Eric’s CDs, and recorded gospel with Cyndee Peters on Songs From The Heart.
He played harmonica and acted in The Broadway musical Big River.
He appeared with Blues legend Jimmy Dawkins and Singer Zora Young at The Great British R‘n’B Festival in Colne as well as at festivals in Denmark and Sweden. Derrick plays and sings in the Sofia choir Stockholm.
Derrick (Big) walker plays tenor and alto saxophone plus the ten hole diatonic, chromatic and bass harmonica sings and wrights his own songs.

Today he teaches at the Stockholm music Conservatory (rytmus) and Kulturama High school for Music and Dramatic arts. He has taught classes in blues rock and country harmonic for over fithteen years.