Since 2004 Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) has used the Secret History of Chicago Music to shine a light on worthy artists with Chicago ties who’ve been forgotten, underrated, or never noticed in the first place.
Walkoe, Ball, Allison, and drummer Ron Januchowski (aka Ron Lee) could all sing, and they got inspired to do something about it when they saw proto-supergroup the Exceptions play at Club Laurel in Chicago, near Foster and Broadway. (At the time the Exceptions lineup included Peter Cetera, who’d later join Chicago Transit Authority, as well as future Buckinghams multi-instrumentalist Marty Grebb and future Aorta front man and lead guitarist Jim Donlinger.) The Jokers pursued a sound based in R&B, and they built it around their impressive vocal harmonies.
Walkoe returned to Chicago in the early 70s, where Rick Canoff of the Flock helped him put together the Eddie Boy Band, who signed to MCA Records for one disappointing 1975 album. In 1983, Walkoe left full-time music and went into comedy back in Los Angeles. Now based in Chicago again, the former Joker has headlined at more than 200 comedy clubs and appeared on HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, and WGN, among other networks. He continues to perform today. “Apparently I was such a great bass player,” he says, “I became a comic.” v
