Clarence "Tex" Walker (24 January 1946 – 8 August 2007) was a prominent rhythm and blues musician who was the lead singer with Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters and

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with " Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producin ...

. After touring Europe with Big Joe Turner, Clarence T Walker appeared at the prestigious Bishopstock Blues Festival, before forming his own group in London, The Walker Street Blues Band, and recording "Blues in Black," which was released to critical acclaim in Britain. Walker made the UK his home and performed numerous gigs and concerts in the UK. In his later years he lived in Oxford UK. Walker died of a heart attack on August 8, 2007. He had the attack in the King's Arms Hotel at Woodstock, Oxfordshire and died four days later.

A rock and roll original

Walker's family were talented and musically gifted. As a child he became a leading voice in the gospel choir of his hometown congregation in

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. In his teens, he joined his brother's group and appeared with

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bill ...

Vietnam to The Original Drifters

During the sixties, Walker served in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. When he returned to the United States, he was invited to join Bill Pinkney's group, The Original Drifters as the lead vocalist. Walker fronted the group on several appearances on Jerry Lewis' Telethon. In Las Vegas, Walker appeared with the Drifters who worked in the same venues with Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin,

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

and many major rock, blues and jazz artists including:

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

;

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

;

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

; Aretha Franklin; Louis Armstrong;

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

; Herbie Hancock;

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

;

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

and

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

The Coasters

After several major tours and three guest appearances on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

'', Clarence was invited to front The Coasters. As the lead singer, he fronted the group's appearances in America, the Middle East and Europe on several successful sell out tours.

Touring Europe and recording with Big Joe Turner

In the late 1990s, Walker supported B.B King with Big Joe Turner at the Royal Albert Hall. Soon thereafter, Walker made his home in Great Britain. Big Joe Turner invited Walker to tour with his group in Europe. While touring with Big Joe Turner, Walker sang the lead vocals on two of Turner's albums: ''Big Joe Turner's Memphis Blues Caravan'' and ''French Connection''.

Bishopstock and the Walker Street Blues Band

After appearing at Bishopstock, Walker released "Blues in Black," to critical acclaim and was hailed in Blueprint, the prominent British blues journal. In Britain, Walker headlined many venues including the Jazz Cafe. Walker lived in Winston-Salem where he was planning a European tour with backup singers Sian Pugh and Chloe Quinn before his death.

References

External links

Clarence Tex Walker A Drifter In The Blues

Painswick Blues

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20061101195607/http://www.josaka.com/GigGuide/2002/August.htm Josaka: live music in Berkshire - Walker at the Jazz Cafe {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Clarence Tex 1946 births 2007 deaths American blues singers 20th-century African-American male singers