Uncle Walt’s Band pioneered a new form of progressive Texas folk music, blending country and acoustic music to create an entirely new style all their own. The group featured David Ball , as well as the late Walter Hyatt and Champ Hood .
Walter Hyatt and his fellow High School classmates Champ Hood and David Ball began their musical careers in the 1970s, as Uncle Walt's Band. Their renditions of jazz, swing, country and ballads eventually drew huge crowds around Spartanburg, South Carolina to coffee houses and clubs alike.
The three left their hometown for Nashville in 1973, but eventually landed in Austin. The city, and the state of Texas, made the South Carolina natives feel right at home. Uncle Walt's performances in and around Austin are now legendary in the Texas capital and their impact on the Texas music scene has been undeniable.
Walter Hyatt and David Ball eventually returned to Nashville for their own successful careers after Uncle Walt's Band broke up in the 1980s. Sadly Walter Hyatt died May 11, 1996 in a plane crash in the Florida Everglades. DesChamps “Champ†Hood made Austin his home and was a well known studio musician and sideman there until his passing in November 2001.
Uncle Walt’s Band will be remembered for their unique and moving music. The DesChamps Band currently presents their music live before audiences in and around their hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Founded by Champ's nephew Marshall Hood, The DesChamps Band has since "morfed" into the Belleville Outfit , and is now based in Austin, TX.
Follow the link for a 1974 Uncle Walt's Band concert recorded at Tillman Hall in Clemson, South Carolina. OK.. MySpace won't play fair with the link so just copy and paste the following url into the browser: http://uwb-live-1974.blogspot.com/2009/12/uwb-1974-concert-r ecording-links.html
Uncle Walts performing Champ Hood's Seat of Logic on Austin City Limits