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Billy Walker (January 14, 1929 – May 21, 2006) was an American country-music singer and guitarist, nicknamed "The Tall Texan."
Walker was born in Ralls, Texas, in 1929, and became active in the Dallas music scene in the late 1940s. After a brief stint with Capitol Records, he signed with Columbia Records in 1951 at the same time as Ray Price. Walker was a cast member on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee in the late 1950's.
He is most famous for his 1962 hit "Charlie's Shoes." He is also well known for his 1961 cover version of Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away" and his 1964 hit "Cross the Brazos at Waco." [1]. Walker joined the Grand Ole Opry on January 1, 1960, and he was an active member until his death in 2006.
On Sunday, May 21, 2006, Walker died when the van he was driving back to Nashville after a performance in Foley, Alabama veered off Interstate 65 in Fort Deposit, Alabama and overturned. His wife Bettie, bassist Charles Lilly Jr., son of Everett Lilly of Bluegrass Hall of Fame Inductees, "The Lilly Brothers", and guitarist Daniel Patton were also killed in the 12:40 a.m. crash. Walker's grandson, Joshua Brooks, survived the crash with serious injuries.
Billy Walker played all over the world and was loved everywhere for his smooth singing and gentle mind. Several times in the 1980s Billy Walker sang at The International Festival of Country Music at Wembley Arena in London. Only one month before his death, Walker once again was in contact with Europe, recording the duet "All I Ever Need Is You" with the Danish singer [[Susanne Lana] for Hillside House Records. The recording took place in Nashville, Tennessee, at Signal Path Studio and was produced by Charlie McCoy.
References
- Allmusic.com Entry On Billy Walker
- Escott, Colin. (1998). "Billy Walker". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 566-7.
- Forbes Online, "Grand Ole Opry Legend Billy Walker Dies", 21 May 2006
- News of Walker's Death from CMT.com
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- This page was last modified on 22 November 2008, at 22:36.
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