Junior Walker AKA Jr. Walker was born Autry DeWalt Mixon, Jr., June 14, 1931 in Blytheville, Arkansas and grew up in South Bend, Indiana. His unmistakable saxophone style was the anchor for the band's rambunctious sound. The other members of the group were drummer James Graves, guitarist Willie Woods, and keyboardist Vic Thomas.

The group was spotted by Johnny Bristol. He recommended them to Harvey Fuqua, who had his own recording labels. When Fuqua's labels were taken over by Berry Gordy, Jr. Walker & The All Stars became members of the Motown Records family, recording for Motown's soul imprint.

Their first and signature hit was "Shotgun", written by Jr. Walker and produced by Berry Gordy. "Shotgun" reached #4 on the Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart, and was followed by many other hits, such as "(I'm A) Road Runner", "Shake And Fingerpop" and covers of the Motown classics "Come See About Me" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)".

In 1969 the group had another hit entering the top 5. "What Does It Take (To Win You're Love)" reached #4 on the Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart. From that time on Walker sang more on the records than earlier in their career.

In 1979, Jr. Walker went solo and was signed to Norman Whitfield's Whitfield Records label. He wasn't as successful as he had been with the All Stars in his Motown period.

Jr. Walker passed away November 23, 1995.