Walkin' Cane - 706 Union Ave. (2003)

Austin walked for ten years with a cane due to an arterial venous malformation at birth. While performing on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, a homeless man called out "Hey Walkin' Cane got some spare change for a brother?!" Austin took the jibe as his nickname. In 1996, after years of battling the inevitable, his left leg was amputated below the knee. A year after the surgery, he returned to the music scene stronger & without need of a cane.
In 2002, Austin & Karen Starks were married at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. Austin recorded his 706 Union Ave. cd at the legendary studio immediately after the ceremony. "The thought of getting married & recording in the same room where many of my heroes took their first steps was incredible." Austin honed his musical chops with years of studying the masters of the blues. Such influences include Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson, Son House, Blind Willie Johnson, Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, B.B. King & Albert King just to name a few.
The Murder of a Blues Singer cd was inspired by an after hour diner conversation with blues legend Robert Jr. Lockwood. "The stories were flowing like the grease off our plates. Inherently the album is saturated in classic delta blues, as were the tales of Lockwood's stepfather, Robert Johnson who was poisoned by a jealous husband in a 1937 Mississippi juke joint. Mr. Lockwood had agreed to perform on the record, but fate had changed that path with his passing at the age of 91.
In 2011, an acoustic cd, A World Of Blues was released. The original disc of Allen/Charanghat songs was recorded live at the Brothers Lounge as a testament to Walkin' Cane living on the road.
Cane's most-recent work, One Heart Walkin,' has been nominated for Best New Artist Album by the The Blues Foundation as part of its 36th annual Blues Music Awards. The Blues Music Awards are universally recognized as the highest accolade afforded blues music performers. One Heart Walkin' is the latest incarnation of Walkin' Cane's synthesis of original compositions with roots music cultures, combining and transcending the troubadour traditions of Delta blues, Memphis blues, Chicago blues, and Bourbon Street jazz. The album of Allen/Charanghat originals came to life with the help of legendary producer and bassist Don Dixon. During the summer of 2014, One Heart Walkin', was recorded in two days at the historic G.A.R. Hall in Peninsula, Ohio. Built in 1850, the former schoolhouse and Civil War Veteran's hangout, set the perfect mood for the album.
Austin Walkin' Cane is proud to be partnered with National Reso-Phonic Guitars, Ernie Ball Strings, Dr. Z Amplifiers & Rocky Mt. Slide Co.