Akili Walker, Full Interview

Collection: Queens Memory Collection at the Archives at Queens Library: Akili Walker

Date: Time Period: 1960s - 1990; 2016-04-12; Interview recorded: April 12, 2016 Material: Digital audio recording made using a digital recorder and Adobe Soundbooth. Dimension: Total running time: 1:24:00

Creator: Akili Walker interviewed by Frank Gattie Identifier: aql:19861 qmp-aw-full-000004

Description: Akili Walker was born in Queens and then moved to Freeport, Long Island. His family were the first african americans to move into a white neighborhood. At nineteen he became interested in learning to work with sound when he saw his friends using the sound board at a jazz show happening where he worked. Eventually he was asked to go along on road shows with musicians as a sound engineer. He wanted to work in the studio and decided to go to recording school, eventually getting a job at a Manhattan studio. He began by working with two senior engineers, and later began to work on his own with musicians and artists such as Prince, and LL cool J. Throughout the interview, he talks about his life in the beginning, going on tours with artists, Hip-Hop and music of other genres.

Title : Akili Walker, Full Interview

Collection : aql:20455; aql:19950

Creator : Akili Walker interviewed by Frank Gattie

Date : Time Period: 1960s - 1990; 2016-04-12; Interview recorded: April 12, 2016

Summary/Description : Akili Walker was born in Queens and then moved to Freeport, Long Island. His family were the first african americans to move into a white neighborhood. At nineteen he became interested in learning to work with sound when he saw his friends using the sound board at a jazz show happening where he worked. Eventually he was asked to go along on road shows with musicians as a sound engineer. He wanted to work in the studio and decided to go to recording school, eventually getting a job at a Manhattan studio. He began by working with two senior engineers, and later began to work on his own with musicians and artists such as Prince, and LL cool J. Throughout the interview, he talks about his life in the beginning, going on tours with artists, Hip-Hop and music of other genres.

Subject : Hip-hop; Rap (Music); Music trade; Concert tours; LL Cool J, 1968-; Beastie Boys; Run-D.M.C. (Musical group)

Relation : Queens Memory Collection at the Archives at Queens Library: Akili Walker

Rights : Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.

Coverage : Locations discussed: Jamaica, Queens, NY Jamaica (New York, N.Y.) Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) Queens (New York, N.Y.)

Type : Oral history

Format : Digital audio recording made using a digital recorder and Adobe Soundbooth.; Total running time: 1:24:00

Identifier : aql:19861 qmp-aw-full-000004