Some songs start with a melody, some songs start with a story. The tale of Walty and Co goes back many decades, linking the present day to a family legacy found in the most unlikely of settings. The initiative “Walty makes you dance-Walty te fais danser” is rooted in memory, creativity, and the enduring power of artistic expression.
Walty and Co is the creation of Liège-born singer and songwriter Lucien Dasoul. The project is centered around a heartfelt memorial to Lucien’s uncle Walter, known as Walty, an artist who died in the 1970s. What makes the piece more intriguing is the revelation that allowed Lucien to reconnect with his uncle’s world of creativity.
Hidden away in an attic were Walter's songs, musical scores, sketches and engravings. More than old family heirlooms, these were works written in the Liège Walloon dialect in the 1960s and 70s. They were a gateway to the next generation of creativity and eventually helped spark Lucien’s own enthusiasm for songwriting. That history provides “Walty makes you dance-Walty te fais danser” with an identity that is more than music. There’s something innately human about doing fresh work, influenced by someone whose artistic voice was in existence some decades before.
The release is a tip of the hat to remembering and carrying on. It reflects the idea that creativity can be passed from generation to generation, sometimes lying dormant until it is rediscovered and takes on a new shape.