John Ike Walton, original member of the 13th Floor Elevators, now lives in Kerrville where he and his wife, Alice, build and sell Chromatic Kalimbas and Zulu Drums. Photo by Phil Houseal
See slide show of instruments

Details:
For information on John Ike Walton's Chromatic Kalimba and Zulu Drum, visit www.13thfloorelevators.com.

View YouTube video of Chromatic Kalimba

View YouTube video of Zulu Drum

Listen to a sample of the music:
Beer Barrel Polka mp3
Yellow Rose of Texas mp3

webmaster: phil@fullhouseproductions.net

Chromatic Kalimbas

byPhil Houseal
Mar 11, 2009

John Ike Walton achieved legendary status as the original drummer for the 13th Floor Elevators, the seminal psychedelich rock and roll band of the 1960s (read article). But these days the Hill Country resident gets more excited talking about his Chromatic Kalimba.

Walton's instrument is based on the African kalimba, that small reedy-toned box sometimes called a thumb piano. Around 1972 he started refining and enlarging it.

"A friend of mine was making one with three octaves using motorcycle spokes, but it kept going out of tune," Walton explained. "I thought there was bound to be a way to make it work better."

An inveterate tinkerer who plays many instruments, Walton had industrial-strength dies machined to stamp reeds out of spring steel. The reeds are punched out in five sizes, which he then grinds down into pitch using a Dremel-type tool.

Unlike the African instruments on which the reeds are tuned in idiosyncratic layouts, Walton set up his reeds in the pattern of a conventional piano keyboard. To get a richer tone, Walton redesigned the sound box. His latest version is made of mahogany and has a unique geometry. See slide show of instruments

"Nothing is parallel by design," said Walton, who also added an electric pickup for amplification. "That is necessary for sound to circulate. Parallel sides set up standing waves, and that cancels your higher tones."

To demonstrate, Walton starts plinking out tunes. His kalimba sounds like, well, a kalimba, with that distinctive island sound but with richer bass, purer tuning, and more sustain (listen to sample).

Walton went into the studio with fellow Elevator Bobby Rector and Cowboy Doug Davis and recorded ten songs, covering styles from polka (Beer Barrel Polka) to swing (The Yellow Rose of Texas) to barroom standards (The Can Can Song) ("We thought we'd make it 'world friendly,'" he said).

The only other recording of the kalimba was from a 1986 session. That tape literally disintegrated as it was transferred onto CD.

Walton and his wife Alice built a workshop behind their house in Kerrville, where they are busy producing enough instruments to sell.

Walton has already had commercial success with his African Zulu drums. Walton first saw the Zulu style drum in 1967. He refined it by making the shell out of sheet metal, on which Alice paints leopard patterns, animal designs, and Indian motifs. Leather heads cover each end, laced together with hard plastic lines run through grommets. The lacing over the metal sides adds a snare type sound to the conventional beating of the drum head. Walton demonstrates with an intricate two-minute riff (Now in his 60s, Walton still has his drumming chops - "It's like roller skating," he said).

They have sold several hundred to people who use them in churches, drum circles, or just to play around the campfire.

"People catch on, because it's real easy to play," Walton said. "You can take it with you on jams, and it's just fun!"

You can buy one of the kalimbas or drums at their web site www.13thfloorelevators.com. But there is another option.

"We'd like to sell them," said Walton, who teaches drums, guitar, kalimba, and banjo. "But if you can't buy one, I'll still give you a lesson."