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William Marvin Walker (January 14, 1929 – May 21, 2006) was an American country music singer and guitarist best known for his 1962 hit, "Charlie's Shoes". Nicknamed The Tall Texan, Walker had more than 30 charting records during a nearly 60-year career, and was a long-time member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Billy Walker was born in Ralls, Texas, United States, and was the youngest of three children. His mother died when he was only six years old, and Billy's father was unable to care for him and his two older brothers. Some of the children, including Billy, were placed in a Methodist orphanage in Waco, Texas. He attended High School in Whiteface, Texas, and had won a talent contest which entitled him to appear on radio in Clovis, New Mexico. He had returned to live with his father at the age of 11.
Walker recorded for Capitol Records from 1949-1951, but he didn't make the U.S. country charts. In 1952 he joined the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he and Slim Whitman were responsible in part for Elvis Presley's first appearance on the radio program. In 1954, Walker scored his first hit with "Thank You for Calling". His early Columbia recordings were at a Dallas studio owned by producer Jim Beck, responsible for hits by Ray Price, Lefty Frizzell and others. In 1955, Walker, Presley and Tillman Franks teamed up for a tour of West Texas. Walker dispensed with his "Traveling Texan" persona and joined the Louisiana Hayride. He soon became a cast member of ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee in Springfield, Missouri, where he began a long friendship with host, Red Foley.
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| Billy with Jim Reeves |
After a brief attempt at rock and roll, Walker played the Texas bar circuit before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1959 and joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1960. He was one of the first artists to record a Willie Nelson song; and although his 1961 version of "Funny How Time Slips Away" only reached No. 23 on Billboard's country singles chart, it helped establish Walker's national reputation. In 1962, he topped the chart with "Charlie's Shoes", the only No. 1 single of his career. Subsequent successes included "Cross the Brazos at Waco,""A Million to One,""Sundown Mary,""She Goes Walking Through My Mind," and "Sing Me a Love Song to Baby."
After performing at a charity concert in Kansas City, Kansas on March 3, 1963, Walker received a call to return to Nashville. Fellow performer Hawkshaw Hawkins gave Walker his commercial airline ticket, and instead flew back to Tennessee on March 5 on a private plane, which crashed, killing Hawkins, Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and pilot Randy Hughes. After leaving Columbia in 1965, Walker signed with producer Fred Foster's Monument Records and moved to MGM in 1970 and to RCA Records in 1974. He later recorded for several independent labels, including his own Tall Texan label.
In the late 1960s, he hosted a syndicated television show, Billy Walker’s Country Carnival, and appeared on other country music TV programs. Walker performed around the world, and several times during the 1980s sang at the International Festival of Country Music at Wembley Arena in London. By the end of 1988, he had placed 65 records in the U.S. country charts, including duets with Barbara Fairchild on "The Answer Game" and "Let Me Be the One." His own songs included a tribute to Marty Robbins, "He Sang the Songs About El Paso."
In April 2006, Walker recorded the duet "All I Ever Need Is You" with Danish singer Susanne Lana for Hillside House Records. The recording, at Signal Path Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, was produced by Charlie McCoy. Walker continued to tour and remained a mainstay on the Grand Ole Opry, and was scheduled to perform two days following his death with Terri Clark, Porter Wagoner and others.
On May 21, 2006, Walker died in a road accident when the Chevrolet van he was driving back to Nashville after a performance in Foley, Alabama, veered off Interstate 65 in Fort Deposit and overturned. His wife Bettie; bassist Charles Lilly Jr., son of Everett Lilly of The Lilly Brothers; and guitarist Daniel Patton were also killed. The Walkers, Lilly, and Patton died instantly. Walker's grandson, Joshua Brooks, survived with serious injuries. Walker was interred in Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville.
Billy Walker left behind an impressive legacy which included several chart-topping hits and a long record of helping along other musicians. In 2001 he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. Walker is also honoured in the West Texas Music Hall of Fame. (Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic & TSHA online)