Clarence Tex Walker
Encyclopedia
Clarence "Tex" Walker was a prominent rhythm and blues musician who was the lead singer with Bill Pinkney's Original Drifters and The Coasters
. After touring Europe with Big Joe Turner
, 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 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.
. In his teens, he joined his brother's group and appeared with Wilson Pickett
.
. 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
and many major rock, blues and jazz artists including: The Rolling Stones
; The Beatles
; B.B. King; Aretha Franklin
; Louis Armstrong
; Count Basie
; Herbie Hancock
; Miles Davis
; Ray Charles
and Nat King Cole
.
, Clarence was invited to front The Coasters. As the lead singer, he fronted the groups appearances in America, the Middle East and Europe on several successful sell out tours.
. 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.
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
. After touring Europe with Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
, 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 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, North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. In his teens, he joined his brother's group and appeared with Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
.
Vietnam to The Original Drifters
During the sixties, Walker served in VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. 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
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
' Telethon. In [Las Vegas], Walker appeared with the Drifters who worked in the same venues with Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
and many major rock, blues and jazz artists including: The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
; The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
; B.B. King; Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
; Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
; Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
; Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
; Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
; Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
.
The Coasters
After several major tours and three guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan ShowThe Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, Clarence was invited to front The Coasters. As the lead singer, he fronted the groups 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 HallRoyal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
. 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.