Blues fans knew Booker T. Washington White by another name. He became known as Bukka White due to a misspelling of his real name by his record label, Vocalion. White was B.B. King’s cousin, and it’s been said that he gave King his first guitar. White mostly played open-tuned slide guitar with a country blues and gospel twist. He recorded a number of songs in Memphis with Memphis Minnie and later with Walter “Furry” Lewis. White’s honorary brass note on Beale’s Walk of Fame includes the words “Shake ’em on Down,” the title of one of his most popular songs.
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