Wayne Walker
Wayne Paul Walker (born December 13, 1925 in Quapaw , Oklahoma , † January 2, 1979 in Nashville , Tennessee ) was an American country and rockabilly singer and songwriter .
Life
Beginnings
Wayne Walker was active as a musician and songwriter from 1949. During these years he worked frequently with Tillman Franks and in 1954 Walker became a member of the Louisiana Hayrides of Shreveport , Louisiana . In the same year he received his first recording contract with Chess Records ; shortly thereafter his first single was released.
Though Walker hated performing in front of an audience, he was persuaded by Tillman Franks to team up with singer and guitarist Jimmy Lee Fautheree . Fautheree had just broken up with his musical partner "Country" Johnny Mathis , with whom he had a number 4 hit as Jimmy and Johnny . In January, Walker and Fautheree recorded the two tracks Lips That Kiss So Sweetly and Love Me . The latter is considered the first rock'n'roll title recorded by Chess. However, their collaboration did not last long; Walker and Fautheree separated again in May.
Moved to Nashville
Walker's shyness continued to prevent him from performing regularly. He only appeared in the presence of his friend Tillman Franks - but as the manager of Johnny Horton he had enough to do and so it came about that Walker only made a few appearances. In 1956 he moved to Nashville , Tennessee , where he worked as a songwriter at Cedarwood Music and could concentrate fully on it. However, Walker did not want to give up his career as a musician, so he recorded the rockabilly title All I Can Do Is Cry on ABC Paramount . Johnny Bond later covered this song, but musically his recording did not come close to Walker's version. Walker's contract with ABC-Paramount didn't last long, and a year later he moved to Columbia Records . However, his rockabilly like Bo Bo Ska Diddle Daddle or A Teenage Love Affair did not sell extremely well. Walker wrote the classic Sixteen Chicks for Link Davis and Joe Clay and also composed Sweet Love On My Mind , which was recorded in 1956 by the Johnny Burnette Trio and Jimmy & Johnny. Other rockabilly songs written in whole or in part by Walker were Lost Weekend (recorded by Billy Brown ), What'cha Doin 'to Me (with Mel Tillis and Webb Pierce for Jimmy and Johnny) or Real Cool Cat (recorded by Sonny Burns ).
As a songwriter, Walker had his first success in 1957 when Ray Price recorded his song I've Got A New Heartache and made it a hit. In the following years, stars of the country musicians were repeatedly in the charts with Walker's titles. Other hits from Walker's pen include Why Why , Memory No.1 and Burning Memories , which he wrote with Mel Tillis . Walker enjoyed success with his talent as a composer until the 1960s. In 1967 his title All The Time was voted “Song of the Year”.
His own records continued to not sell well and Walker never achieved a hit despite being signed to major record labels. His last single was released in 1970 on Starday Records .
Wayne Walker died on January 2, 1979 at the age of 54. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975.
Discography
| year | title | Record company |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Now Is The Time For Love / You Got The Best Of Me | Chess Records |
| 1955 | Lips That Kiss So Sweetly / Love Me (with Jimmy Lee ) | Chess Records |
| 1956 | All I Can Do Is Cry / It's My Way | ABC Paramount Records |
| 1957 | A Teenage Love Affair / Whatever You Desire | Columbia Records |
| 1957 | Just Walkin 'Around / Sands Of Gold | Columbia Records |
| 1957 | Bo Bo Ska Diddle Daddle / Come Away From His Arms | Columbia Records |
| 1958 | I'm Finally Free / It's Written In The Stars | Columbia Records |
| 1958 | After The Boy Gets The Girl / Just Before Dawn | Coral Records |
| 1959 | You've Got Me / If What Kind Of "God" Do You Think You Are | Brunswick Records |
| 1959 | You've Got Me / Little Ole You | Brunswick Records |
| 1960 | Love Love Love / Soft Chains Of Love | Everest Records |
| 1963 | Battle Of The Bulge / Reaching For The Impossible | Coral Records |
| 196? | Wine And The River / Nobody Knows But Me | Rik Records |
| 196? | When Passion Calls / The Message | Rik Records |
| 196? | Ever So Often / I Was Sorta Wondering | Rik Records |
| 1970 | When Passion Calls / Nobody Knows But Me | Starday Records |
| Unpublished titles | ||
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not published | |
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[unknown] | |
Web links
- Entry into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
- Audio samples on Rocky-52.net
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Walker, Wayne |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Walker, Wayne Paul (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 13, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Quapaw , Oklahoma |
| DATE OF DEATH | 2nd January 1979 |
| Place of death | Nashville , Tennessee |