Charlie Walker (musician)
Charlie Walker | |
|---|---|
 Promotional drawing of Charlie Walker, 1967 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | November 2, 1926 |
| Origin | Copeville, Texas |
| Died | September 12, 2008 (aged 81) Hendersonville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1952–1979 |
Charlie Walker (November 2, 1926 – September 12, 2008)[1] was an American country musician born in Copeville, Texas. He held membership in the Grand Ole Opry from 1967, and was inducted into the Country Radio DJ Hall of Fame in 1981.[2]
Career
Walker worked as a disc jockey in the early from 1951 - 1961 at KMAC in Corpus Christi and then 1961 - 1963 at KENS in San Antonio, Texas before signing with Decca Records. His first hit, "Only You, Only You" was co-written with Jack Newman and reached No. 9 on the country chart in January 1956. Walker later signed with Columbia Records and reached No. 2 with a Harlan Howard song, "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down". His other hits include "Who Will Buy the Wine", "Wild as a Wildcat", "Don't Squeeze My Sharmon", and "I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dogfight." Many of his records featured harmony vocals by Ray Price. Walker played a minor role in the 1985 Patsy Cline biographical film Sweet Dreams.[2]
Walker died of colon cancer at the age of 81 in Hendersonville, Tennessee.[2] He is survived by his wife Connie and 10 children: Ronnie, Cindy, Arthur, Charlie III, Elissa, Charlene, Catherine, Christina, Caroline and Charlton; along with 15 grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.[3]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Greatest Hits | Columbia | |
| 1965 | Close All the Honky Tonks | Epic | |
| 1966 | Born to Lose | ||
| Wine, Women and Walker | |||
| 1967 | Don't Squeeze My Sharmon | 16 | |
| 1968 | Greatest Hits | ||
| Country Style | Vocalion | ||
| 1969 | He Is My Everything | Epic | |
| Recorded Live in Dallas, Texas | |||
| 1971 | Honky Tonkin' | ||
| 1972 | I Don't Mind Goin' Under | RCA Victor | |
| 1973 | Break Out the Bottle / Bring On the Music | ||
| 1978 | Golden Hits | Plantation | |
| 1979 | Texas Gold |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1952 | "I'm Looking for Another You" | singles only | ||
| "Flaming Jewels" | ||||
| "Out of My Arms" | ||||
| 1953 | "Flock of Memories" | |||
| "Stay Away from My Heart" | ||||
| 1954 | "Tell Her Lies and Feed Her Candy" | |||
| "When You Know You Have Lost" | ||||
| 1955 | "Chocolate Song" | |||
| 1956 | "Only You, Only You" | 9 | ||
| "Stand Still" | ||||
| 1957 | "Cheaters Never Win" | |||
| "Dancing Mexican Girl" | ||||
| "Take My Hand" | ||||
| 1958 | "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down" | 2 | Greatest Hits | |
| 1959 | "I'll Catch You When You Fall" | 16 | ||
| "When My Conscience Hurts the Most" | 22 | |||
| 1960 | "Who Will Buy the Wine" | 11 | ||
| 1961 | "Facing the Wall" | 25 | ||
| "Right Back at Your Door" | ||||
| "Louisiana Belle" | singles only | |||
| 1962 | "Life Goes On (I Wonder Why)" | |||
| "One in Every Crowd" | ||||
| 1963 | "That's Where Katie Waits" | |||
| 1964 | "Close All the Honky Tonks" | 17 | Close All the Honky Tonks | |
| 1965 | "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down" | |||
| "Wild as a Wildcat" | 8 | single only | ||
| 1966 | "He's a Jolly Good Fellow" | 39 | Wine, Women and Walker | |
| "The Man in the Little White Suit" | 37 | |||
| "Little Old Wine Drinker" | ||||
| "Daddy's Coming Home (Next Week)" | 56 | singles only | ||
| "I'm Gonna Hang Up My Gloves" | 65 | |||
| 1967 | "The Town That Never Sleeps" | 38 | ||
| "Don't Squeeze My Sharmon" | 8 | Don't Squeeze My Sharmon | ||
| "I Wouldn't Take Her to a Dogfight" | 33 | |||
| 1968 | "Truck Drivin' Cat with Nine Wives" | 54 | singles only | |
| "San Diego" | 31 | 28 | ||
| 1969 | "Honky-Tonk Season" | 52 | Recorded Live in Dallas, Texas | |
| "Moffett, Oklahoma" | 44 | |||
| 1970 | "Honky Tonk Women" | 56 | Honky Tonkin' | |
| "Let's Go Fishin' Boys (The Girls Are Bitin')" | 52 | |||
| "God Save the Queen (Of the Honky Tonks)" | ||||
| 1971 | "My Baby Used to Be That Way" | 71 | ||
| "Wild Women" | single only | |||
| 1972 | "I Don't Mind Goin' Under (If It'll Get Me Over You)" | 74 | I Don't Mind Goin' Under | |
| 1973 | "Soft Lips and Hard Liquor" | 65 | 81 | Break Out the Bottle / Bring On the Music |
| "Gonna Drink Milwaukee Dry" | ||||
| 1974 | "Wanting My Women Again" | singles only | ||
| "Odds and Ends (Bits and Pieces)" | 66 | |||
| 1975 | "Say You're Gone" | |||
| 1977 | "Deep Water" | |||
| "I've Had a Beautiful Time" | ||||
| 1978 | "T for Texas" | |||
| "Red Skies Over Georgia" | ||||
| "My Shoes Keep Walkin' Back to You" | ||||
| 1979 | "Don't Sing a Song About Texas" | Texas Gold | ||
References
- ^ "Grand Ole Opry Member Charlie Walker Dies at Age 81". Country Music Television website. Country Music Television, Inc., Viacom, MTV Networks. September 1, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Charlie Walker:Biography". Country Music Channel (cmt.com). Retrieved on September 12, 2008.
- ^ "Grand Ole Opry member Charlie Walker dies at age 81". USA Today. September 12, 2008.
Pugh, Ronnie (1998). "Charlie Walker". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 567.
External links
- Charlie Walker's Grand Ole Opry member page
- Charlie Walker discography at Discogs
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
 | This article about a country musician from the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1926 births
- 2008 deaths
- People from Collin County, Texas
- Grand Ole Opry members
- American male singer-songwriters
- American country singer-songwriters
- Singers from Texas
- Deaths from colorectal cancer
- Deaths from cancer in Tennessee
- 20th-century American singers
- Songwriters from Texas
- Country musicians from Texas
- 20th-century male singers
- American country musician stubs