William Alfred Walker (April 28, 1927 – May 26, 2022) was an Australian-born American composer and conductor.

Career

Born in Sydney, Australia, he attended the NSW State Conservatorium of Music before moving to South Africa. In 1959, he began working at

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, South Africa. One of Walker's tasks was to arrange, conduct and record cover versions of songs that were popular in America. While there, he worked with many country stars who were touring Africa, including

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

. Reeves also filmed the movie ''

Kimberley Jim ''Kimberley Jim'' is a 1963 South African musical comedy film directed by Emil Nofal and starring American singer Jim Reeves. Plot American singer Jim Madison takes part in the Kimberley diamond rush in South Africa in the late 19th centu ...

'' in South Africa, for which Walker wrote the score. Reeves offered Walker the post of musical director on a new television series he was set to host. Walker moved to the United States and arrived in

Nashville, TN Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

just in time to learn that Reeves had died in a plane crash. Walker decided to stay in the U. S. and apply for citizenship. Once settled in Nashville, he connected with

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

, who was working with artist

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' cou ...

. Atkins asked Walker to do orchestral arrangements for Arnold's album ''My World'', which contained the No. 1 single "Make The World Go Away". That record became Walker's first gold. Walker also arranged orchestra scores for concerts and television appearances. In the late 1960s, Walker got offered the position of musical director for the '' Johnny Cash Show'' on ABC. Cash would end every show by shouting, "Good night, Bill Walker!" The show lasted for 58 episodes. Walker continued as music director for other Johnny Cash television specials after the series was canceled, including Cash's Christmas specials. The Bill Walker Orchestra was also featured on ''The Statler Brothers Show'' on TNN, for the show's entire seven-year run. The Statler Brothers Show was the top-rated show on TNN during its entire tenure. Walker also directed the music for three of the Statler Brothers' TV specials. Walker's other TV credits include ''Music Hall America'', ''Nashville Remembers Elvis on His Birthday'', ''Ann-Margret...Rhinestone Cowgirl'' and the ''Music City News Awards'',

Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...

for 15 years, Perry Como And His Nashville Friends, Nashville Remembers

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

On His Birthday, the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

At 50,

Lynn Anderson Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

In Nashville, Ann-Margret’s Rhinestone Cowgirl, Opryland In Russia, That Great American Gospel Sound (with Tennessee Ernie Ford and Della Reese),

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

: On the Mississippi, The Tenth Anniversary Of The Reopening of

Ford’s Theater Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in August 1863. The theater is infamous for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater box ...

, The Music City News Cover Awards Show (also for 15 years), A Celebration Of Country Music At Ford’s Theater (a two-hour special for President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

Crystal Gayle Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951) is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same as that of her oldest sist ...

In Sweden and George Burns In Nashville."Iconic Nashville Arranger, Music Director Bill Walker Passes"
/ref> He continued to work as a producer, with credits including

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

and

Donna Fargo Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People *Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name * Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...

. He also earned gold records for

's "Make the World Go Away", "Turn The World Around", "Misty Blue" and "What's He Doing In My World";

Bobby Vinton Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is a American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid trib ...

's "Roses Are Red (My Love)" and "My Elusive Dreams";

Roy Clark Roy Linwood Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018) was an American singer and musician. He is best known for having hosted ''Hee Haw'', a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Clark was an important and influen ...

's "Come Live With Me";

' "From a Jack to a King"; Sammi Smith's "Help Me Make It Through the Night";

Marty Robbins Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and suc ...

's "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife";

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

's "Sunday Morning Coming Down";

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's "Copper Kettle" and ''Nashville Skyline''; and

's "The Happiest Girl In The Whole U.S.A." and "Funny Face"."Iconic Nashville Arranger, Music Director Bill Walker Passes"
/ref> In the late 1970s, Walker started

Con Brio Records Con Brio Records was a record label active from 1975 to 1979 based in Nashville, Tennessee. Jeff Walker was co-founder and President of the label with his father Bill Walker. It was named Billboard Magazine's "Best New Country Label of the Year" ...

with his son, Jeff Walker. The label won Best New Label from ''Billboard'' magazine in 1977. Walker handled A&R and production while his son handled operations. Later, in 2007, Jeff Walker founded the digital distribution label

GMV Nashville GMV Nashville is a digital record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, founded by Jeff Walker in 2007. History Walker founded the label primarily to release digital versions of classic releases from Con Brio Records, which was founded by Walker ...

, primarily as a way to re-release the Con Brio titles. Con Brio's roster included

Don King Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups. He has been a controversial figure, partly due to a manslaughter conviction and civil cases against him, as well a ...

, Terri Hollowell, and

Dale McBride Dale McBride (December 18, 1936 – November 30, 1992) was an American country music singer. In the 1970s, he charted several singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' country charts, including two Top 40 hits on the Con Brio Records la ...

. In 2015, Walker was inducted to the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...

's Nashville Cat for his contributions to country music. Walker was married to the singer Jeanine Ogletree. He died in Nashville on May 26, 2022, aged 95."Iconic Nashville Arranger, Music Director Bill Walker Passes"
/ref>

Notes

References

*Bresnick, Paul and Jonathan Lethem. ''Da Capo Best Music Writing''. Da Capo Press, 2002. *Cusic, Don. ''Discovering Country Music''. Praeger, 2008.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Bill 1927 births 2022 deaths Australian emigrants to the United States Sydney Conservatorium of Music alumni Musicians from Sydney American male composers 21st-century American composers Australian country singers Australian male composers Australian composers Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee 21st-century American male musicians

Career

See also

Notes

References

External links