The Walker Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Walker Brothers were an American
1960s and 1970s pop
group
, comprising Scott Engel (eventually known professionally as Scott Walker
), John Walker
(born John Maus, but using the name Walker since his teens), and Gary Leeds
(eventually known as Gary Walker
). After moving to Britain they had a number of top ten albums and singles there in the mid 1960s, including the #1 chart hits "Make It Easy on Yourself
" and "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)", both of which also made the US top twenty.
Formed in 1964, the three unrelated musicians adopted the 'Walker Brothers' name as a show business
touch—"simply because we liked it". They provided a unique counterpoint to the British Invasion
in that they were a group from the United States that achieved much more substantial success in the United Kingdom than in their home country, during the period when the popularity of British bands such as The Beatles
dominated the US.
in 1964, by John Walker (lead vocals, guitar), Scott Engel (bass, harmony vocals), and drummer Al "Tiny" Schneider. Before then, John Walker—who had already been using that name professionally for several years—had performed and recorded several unsuccessful singles with his sister as a duo, John and Judy, and Engel had been bass player with instrumental band The Routers
. Walker and Engel, with two other musicians, had also toured the Midwest in 1963 as "The Surfaris
", although the group included none of the musicians who played on the Surfaris' records. Dropping the word "Trio", Walker and Engel were signed by Mercury Records
, recorded a single, "Pretty Girls Everywhere", and became a leading attraction at Gazzari's Club
in Hollywood. They also appeared on the Shindig!
TV show developed by Jack Good
, and then on a weekly TV show, Ninth Street A Go Go.
Late in 1964, they met drummer Gary Leeds, previously of The Standells
, who had recently toured the UK with singer P.J. Proby. Leeds – along with club regular Brian Jones
– persuaded them that the band's rock and roll
and blues
style would go down well in "swinging London
", where Proby had already succeeded. Before leaving, they recorded their second single, "Love Her", overseen by Nick Venet
and arranger Jack Nitzsche
, with Scott Engel taking the lead vocal part for the first time—previously John Walker had been the lead vocalist. They also appeared in a film, Beach Ball, and sent demo
recordings to record labels in the United Kingdom.
With financial backing from Leeds' stepfather, Walker, Engel and Leeds travelled to the UK in February 1965 for an exploratory visit.
was keen to sign them up. In a short time Walker and Engel had secured a recording contract with Philips Records
, an affiliate of Mercury, and had played several venues around the UK, with Leeds as drummer. Their first single, "Pretty Girls Everywhere", had little success, but radio stations picked up on the follow-up "Love Her" with Engel's baritone
vocals
, and it made the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart
in June 1965. The song was originally recorded by The Everly Brothers
and released as B-side
to their single "The Girl Who Sang The Blues" in 1963.
Philips then recorded and released the group's version of "Make It Easy on Yourself
", a Burt Bacharach
and Hal David
ballad previously recorded by Jerry Butler
. The song was sung by Engel (by now called Scott Walker), arranged by Ivor Raymonde
and produced by Johnny Franz, with a full orchestra augmented by session musicians, very much in the style of Phil Spector
's productions. Session musicians on the record included Alan Parker
and Big Jim Sullivan
.
By August 1965, "Make It Easy on Yourself" had entered the UK Top 10 eventually reaching the Number One
spot. Later in the year it also made #16 in the US Billboard Hot 100
chart
. The track sold 250,000 copies in the UK, and over one million copies globally, gaining gold disc
status.
The Number 3 UK hit "My Ship Is Coming In", originally recorded in 1965 by Soul singer Jimmy Radcliffe
, followed, and then in March 1966, The Walker Brothers hit #1 for the second time in six months with "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
". Their popularity in the UK – particularly that of Scott – reached a new high, especially among teenage girls, and their fan club in that country was said to have been larger than The Beatles
'. Although "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" also made the US Top 20, they had much less success in their home country.
The Walker Brothers continued to have chart hits in the UK in 1966 and 1967, with Scott taking a more prominent role in their song choices and arrangements, but with diminishing commercial success. They also had to leave the UK for six months in early 1967 because of work permit problems. As pop music moved on, the Walker Brothers began to sound dated. By the end of 1967, the pressures of stardom, internal tensions, and 'artistic differences' began to diminish the group. It sent Scott Walker into depression
—he had already reportedly attempted suicide (though accounts differ) and he sought refuge in a monastery by the time his differences with Maus split the band. After a UK tour in late 1967 which also featured Jimi Hendrix
, Cat Stevens
, and Engelbert Humperdinck
, followed by a tour of Japan in 1968, the group officially disbanded.
records, with Scott (who first recorded solo in 1967) being by far the most successful and creating a large cult following. Late in 1974, Walker, Engel and Leeds agreed to reform The Walker Brothers and in 1975 they released an album, No Regrets
. The title track
was taken off as a single and rose to # 7 on the UK chart in early 1976. They recorded two further albums together, Lines
(1976) and Nite Flights
(1978), which were less successful, although the experimental style of Scott's tracks on Nite Flights laid the stylistic groundwork for his later solo career. The Walker Brothers undertook some cabaret performances, although Engel (by now more usually known as Scott Walker) was reluctant to sing live; the group's contract with GTO Records
ended and, according to John Walker, the group "just drifted apart".
, and resumed touring in 2004. Gary Walker remains active in England. Scott Walker continues to record sporadically and engage in cultural works e.g. curating the Meltdown festival. Much of the Walkers' story is retold in the biography, Scott Walker: A Deep Shade of Blue, published in the UK, although both John and Gary Walker have criticised the book for errors. John and Gary Walker published their own joint autobiography, The Walker Brothers: No Regrets—Our Story, in 2009. John died at his Los Angeles
home on May 7, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
1960s and 1970s pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, comprising Scott Engel (eventually known professionally as Scott Walker
Scott Walker (singer)
Scott Walker, born Noel Scott Engel on January 9, 1943 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and the former lead singer of The Walker Brothers. Despite being American born, Walker's chart success has largely come in the United Kingdom, where his first four solo albums...
), John Walker
John Walker (musician)
John Joseph Maus , known professionally as John Walker, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the founder of The Walker Brothers, who had their greatest success in the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom.-Early life and career:John Maus was born in New York City, the...
(born John Maus, but using the name Walker since his teens), and Gary Leeds
Gary Walker (musician)
Gary Walker is an American musician, who was the drummer and vocalist with both The Standells and The Walker Brothers....
(eventually known as Gary Walker
Gary Walker (musician)
Gary Walker is an American musician, who was the drummer and vocalist with both The Standells and The Walker Brothers....
). After moving to Britain they had a number of top ten albums and singles there in the mid 1960s, including the #1 chart hits "Make It Easy on Yourself
Make It Easy On Yourself
"Make It Easy On Yourself" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David which was first a hit for Jerry Butler in 1962 and has since been a Top 40 single for the Walker Brothers - for whom it was a #1 UK hit - and Dionne Warwick.-Jerry Butler:...
" and "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)", both of which also made the US top twenty.
Formed in 1964, the three unrelated musicians adopted the 'Walker Brothers' name as a show business
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
touch—"simply because we liked it". They provided a unique counterpoint to the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
in that they were a group from the United States that achieved much more substantial success in the United Kingdom than in their home country, during the period when the popularity of British bands such as 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...
dominated the US.
Formation
The Walker Brothers Trio was formed in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1964, by John Walker (lead vocals, guitar), Scott Engel (bass, harmony vocals), and drummer Al "Tiny" Schneider. Before then, John Walker—who had already been using that name professionally for several years—had performed and recorded several unsuccessful singles with his sister as a duo, John and Judy, and Engel had been bass player with instrumental band The Routers
The Routers
-Career:Formed in 1962 by Mike Gordon, the Routers recordings sometimes used session musicians in addition to the actual group with the exception of Gordon who played on most the sessions. The Routers first release in September 1962 was the guitar-driven instrumental "Let's Go ", which reached #19...
. Walker and Engel, with two other musicians, had also toured the Midwest in 1963 as "The Surfaris
The Surfaris
The Surfaris were an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles, California area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" on the A-side and "Wipe Out" on the B-side of a 45 RPM single.-Career:The original...
", although the group included none of the musicians who played on the Surfaris' records. Dropping the word "Trio", Walker and Engel were signed by Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, recorded a single, "Pretty Girls Everywhere", and became a leading attraction at Gazzari's Club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in Hollywood. They also appeared on the Shindig!
Shindig!
Shindig! was an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles at the time who also created the show along with his wife Sharon Sheeley and production executive Art Stolnitz....
TV show developed by Jack Good
Jack Good (producer)
Jack Good is a pioneering former TV television producer, musical theatre producer, record producer, musician and painter of icons.-Career:...
, and then on a weekly TV show, Ninth Street A Go Go.
Late in 1964, they met drummer Gary Leeds, previously of The Standells
The Standells
The Standells are a garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as the "Godfathers of Punk Rock", and are best known for their 1966 hit "Dirty Water," now the anthem of several Boston sports teams.-The 1960s:...
, who had recently toured the UK with singer P.J. Proby. Leeds – along with club regular Brian Jones
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....
– persuaded them that the band's rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
style would go down well in "swinging London
Swinging London
Swinging London is a catch-all term applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in London, in the 1960s.It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasised the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the...
", where Proby had already succeeded. Before leaving, they recorded their second single, "Love Her", overseen by Nick Venet
Nick Venet
Nick Venet was an American record producer who began his career at age 19 with World Pacific Jazz...
and arranger Jack Nitzsche
Jack Nitzsche
Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche was an arranger, producer, songwriter, and film score composer. He first came to prominence in the late 1950s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, and went on to work with the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and others...
, with Scott Engel taking the lead vocal part for the first time—previously John Walker had been the lead vocalist. They also appeared in a film, Beach Ball, and sent demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
recordings to record labels in the United Kingdom.
With financial backing from Leeds' stepfather, Walker, Engel and Leeds travelled to the UK in February 1965 for an exploratory visit.
Success in the UK
When they landed in England, record producer Johnny FranzJohnny Franz
Johnny Franz was a UK record producer and A&R man at the Philips label. Although his name is not recognized by many Americans, Franz was one of Britain's most successful producers in the 1950s and 1960s...
was keen to sign them up. In a short time Walker and Engel had secured a recording contract with Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
, an affiliate of Mercury, and had played several venues around the UK, with Leeds as drummer. Their first single, "Pretty Girls Everywhere", had little success, but radio stations picked up on the follow-up "Love Her" with Engel's baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
, and it made the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in June 1965. The song was originally recorded by The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
and released as B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to their single "The Girl Who Sang The Blues" in 1963.
Philips then recorded and released the group's version of "Make It Easy on Yourself
Make It Easy On Yourself
"Make It Easy On Yourself" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David which was first a hit for Jerry Butler in 1962 and has since been a Top 40 single for the Walker Brothers - for whom it was a #1 UK hit - and Dionne Warwick.-Jerry Butler:...
", a Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and Hal David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
ballad previously recorded by Jerry Butler
Jerry Butler (singer)
Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
. The song was sung by Engel (by now called Scott Walker), arranged by Ivor Raymonde
Ivor Raymonde
Ivor Raymonde was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s.-Life and career:...
and produced by Johnny Franz, with a full orchestra augmented by session musicians, very much in the style of Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
's productions. Session musicians on the record included Alan Parker
Alan Parker (musician)
Alan Parker is a British guitarist and composer. Parker was trained by Julian Bream at London’s Royal Academy of Music....
and Big Jim Sullivan
Big Jim Sullivan
Big Jim Sullivan is an English musician, whose career started in 1959. He is best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Sullivan was one of the most "in-demand" studio musicians in the UK, and performed in more than one thousand charting singles over his career...
.
By August 1965, "Make It Easy on Yourself" had entered the UK Top 10 eventually reaching the Number One
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
spot. Later in the year it also made #16 in the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. The track sold 250,000 copies in the UK, and over one million copies globally, gaining gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status.
The Number 3 UK hit "My Ship Is Coming In", originally recorded in 1965 by Soul singer Jimmy Radcliffe
Jimmy Radcliffe
James "Jimmy" Radcliffe was an American soul singer, composer, arranger, conductor and record producer.-Biography:James Radcliffe was born in New York City...
, followed, and then in March 1966, The Walker Brothers hit #1 for the second time in six months with "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine " is the name of a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was originally released as a single by Frankie Valli in 1965 on the Smash label and has been recorded by numerous artists since, including The Walker Brothers, Cher, and Keane.- Frankie Valli original :The...
". Their popularity in the UK – particularly that of Scott – reached a new high, especially among teenage girls, and their fan club in that country was said to have been larger than 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...
'. Although "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" also made the US Top 20, they had much less success in their home country.
The Walker Brothers continued to have chart hits in the UK in 1966 and 1967, with Scott taking a more prominent role in their song choices and arrangements, but with diminishing commercial success. They also had to leave the UK for six months in early 1967 because of work permit problems. As pop music moved on, the Walker Brothers began to sound dated. By the end of 1967, the pressures of stardom, internal tensions, and 'artistic differences' began to diminish the group. It sent Scott Walker into depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
—he had already reportedly attempted suicide (though accounts differ) and he sought refuge in a monastery by the time his differences with Maus split the band. After a UK tour in late 1967 which also featured Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
, and Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck was a German composer, best known for his opera, Hänsel und Gretel. Humperdinck was born at Siegburg in the Rhine Province; at the age of 67 he died in Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.-Life:After receiving piano lessons, Humperdinck produced his first composition...
, followed by a tour of Japan in 1968, the group officially disbanded.
Reunion in the 1970s
All three continued to release soloSolo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
records, with Scott (who first recorded solo in 1967) being by far the most successful and creating a large cult following. Late in 1974, Walker, Engel and Leeds agreed to reform The Walker Brothers and in 1975 they released an album, No Regrets
No Regrets (The Walker Brothers album)
- Personnel :* Acoustic Guitar - John Walker, Judd Procter, Len Walker, Scott Walker* Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar - Alan Parker* Backing Vocals - Suzanne Lynch, Bones* Bass - Darryl Runswick* Conductor - Steve Grey* Drums - Barry Morgan...
. The title track
No Regrets (Tom Rush song)
"No Regrets" is a song by folk and blues singer/songwriter Tom Rush. It is the final song on his 1968 album The Circle Game.His 1968 composition has become an acknowledged standard, with numerous cover versions having been recorded...
was taken off as a single and rose to # 7 on the UK chart in early 1976. They recorded two further albums together, Lines
Lines (The Walker Brothers album)
-Personnel:* Backing Vocals - Bones, The Charles Young Choral* Electric Bass - Alan Jones* Conductor - Steve Grey* Drums - Barry Morgan, Brian Bennett, Simon Phillips* Acoustic, Electric, Mandolin, High Strung Guitar, and Slide Guitar - Alan Parker...
(1976) and Nite Flights
Nite Flights (album)
Nite Flights is the sixth studio album by the American pop group The Walker Brothers. It was released in 1978. It includes the single "The Electrician". The album was to be the group's last together....
(1978), which were less successful, although the experimental style of Scott's tracks on Nite Flights laid the stylistic groundwork for his later solo career. The Walker Brothers undertook some cabaret performances, although Engel (by now more usually known as Scott Walker) was reluctant to sing live; the group's contract with GTO Records
GTO Records
GTO Records is a British Record label which released many hits during the 1970s. It ran from 1974 to 1981 and mainly concentrated on pop music and disco.-Background:...
ended and, according to John Walker, the group "just drifted apart".
Later activities
John Walker later went on to customise guitars and establish his own recording studio in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and resumed touring in 2004. Gary Walker remains active in England. Scott Walker continues to record sporadically and engage in cultural works e.g. curating the Meltdown festival. Much of the Walkers' story is retold in the biography, Scott Walker: A Deep Shade of Blue, published in the UK, although both John and Gary Walker have criticised the book for errors. John and Gary Walker published their own joint autobiography, The Walker Brothers: No Regrets—Our Story, in 2009. John died at his Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
home on May 7, 2011.
Band members
- Scott WalkerScott Walker (singer)Scott Walker, born Noel Scott Engel on January 9, 1943 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and the former lead singer of The Walker Brothers. Despite being American born, Walker's chart success has largely come in the United Kingdom, where his first four solo albums...
- born Noel Scott Engel, 9 January 1943, HamiltonHamilton, OhioHamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
- lead vocalist, bassistBassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments... - Gary WalkerGary Walker (musician)Gary Walker is an American musician, who was the drummer and vocalist with both The Standells and The Walker Brothers....
- born Gary Leeds, 9 March 1942, Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale, CaliforniaGlendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
- drummer, vocalist. - John WalkerJohn Walker (musician)John Joseph Maus , known professionally as John Walker, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the founder of The Walker Brothers, who had their greatest success in the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom.-Early life and career:John Maus was born in New York City, the...
- born John Joseph Maus, 12 November 1943, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-May 7, 2011, Los Angeles, California - guitarist, vocalist.
Albums
| Year | Album details | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
DEU Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
||
| 1965 | Take It Easy with The Walker Brothers Take It Easy with The Walker Brothers Take It Easy with The Walker Brothers is the debut album by The Walker Brothers, released in 1965. It is often known simply as, Take It Easy.In the USA the album was released on Smash Records as Introducing the Walker Brothers...
|
3 | 7 |
| 1966 | Portrait Portrait (The Walker Brothers album) Portrait is the second album by The Walker Brothers, released in 1966. It was their most successful album.-Track listing:Side One# "In My Room" - 2:34# "Saturday's Child" - 2:07... |
3 | 8 |
| 1967 | Images Images (The Walker Brothers album) Images is the third album by The Walker Brothers, released in 1967. It was the last of their trio of 60s albums. They would not record together again until 1975's No Regrets.-Track listing:Side One# "Everything Under the Sun" Images is the third album by The Walker Brothers, released in 1967. It... |
6 | 23 |
| 1975 | No Regrets No Regrets (The Walker Brothers album) - Personnel :* Acoustic Guitar - John Walker, Judd Procter, Len Walker, Scott Walker* Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar - Alan Parker* Backing Vocals - Suzanne Lynch, Bones* Bass - Darryl Runswick* Conductor - Steve Grey* Drums - Barry Morgan... GTO Records GTO Records is a British Record label which released many hits during the 1970s. It ran from 1974 to 1981 and mainly concentrated on pop music and disco.-Background:... |
49 | — |
| 1976 | Lines Lines (The Walker Brothers album) -Personnel:* Backing Vocals - Bones, The Charles Young Choral* Electric Bass - Alan Jones* Conductor - Steve Grey* Drums - Barry Morgan, Brian Bennett, Simon Phillips* Acoustic, Electric, Mandolin, High Strung Guitar, and Slide Guitar - Alan Parker... |
— | — |
| 1978 | Nite Flights Nite Flights (album) Nite Flights is the sixth studio album by the American pop group The Walker Brothers. It was released in 1978. It includes the single "The Electrician". The album was to be the group's last together.... |
— | — |
Compilation albums
- The Walker Brothers' Story (1967, Philips Records) UK #9
- After The Lights Go Out: The Best of 1965-1967 (1992, Fontana/Phonogram)
- No Regrets—The Best Of Scott Walker and The Walker Brothers 1965-1976 (1992, Polygram Records) UK #4
- If You Could Hear Me Now (2001, Columbia)
- The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore—The Best of The Best of Scott Walker and The Walker Brothers (2006) UK #24
- Everything Under the Sun—The Complete Studio Recordings (2006, Universal International) (Five CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
box set)
Extended plays
| Year | E.P. details | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK EP chart | ||
| 1966 | I Need You
|
1 |
| Solo John - Solo Scott
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4 | |
| 1981 | Shutout
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— |
Singles
| Year | A-side | B-side | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
DEU Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
IRL Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
NL Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
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| 1965 | "Pretty Girls Everywhere" | "Doin' the Jerk" | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Love Her" | "The Seventh Dawn" | 20 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Make It Easy on Yourself Make It Easy On Yourself "Make It Easy On Yourself" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David which was first a hit for Jerry Butler in 1962 and has since been a Top 40 single for the Walker Brothers - for whom it was a #1 UK hit - and Dionne Warwick.-Jerry Butler:... " |
"But I Do" | 1 | — | 3 | — | 16 | |
| "My Ship Is Coming In" | "You're All Around Me" | 3 | — | — | — | 63 | |
| 1966 | "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine " is the name of a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was originally released as a single by Frankie Valli in 1965 on the Smash label and has been recorded by numerous artists since, including The Walker Brothers, Cher, and Keane.- Frankie Valli original :The... " |
"After the Lights Go Out" | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 13 |
| "(Baby) You Don't Have to Tell Me" | "My Love Is Growing" | 13 | 21 | — | 37 | — | |
| "Another Tear Falls" | "Saddest Night In The World" | 12 | 24 | — | — | — | |
| "Deadlier than the Male" | "Archangel" | 32 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1967 | "Stay With Me Baby Stay with Me (Lorraine Ellison song) "Stay with Me" is a song co-written by Jerry Ragovoy and George David Weiss. It was first recorded in 1966 by Lorraine Ellison, produced by Ragovoy.... " |
"Turn Out the Moon" | 26 | — | — | — | — |
| "Walking in the Rain Walking in the Rain (The Ronettes song) "Walking in the Rain" is a song written by Barry Mann, Phil Spector, and Cynthia Weil and was recorded by The Ronettes in 1964. The song reached #23 on The Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. The song also reached #28 on the R&B Singles chart in 1965. The song is the only Phil Spector produced song to win... " |
"Baby Make It The Last Time" | 26 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1976 | "No Regrets No Regrets (Tom Rush song) "No Regrets" is a song by folk and blues singer/songwriter Tom Rush. It is the final song on his 1968 album The Circle Game.His 1968 composition has become an acknowledged standard, with numerous cover versions having been recorded... " |
"Remember Me" | 7 | — | 5 | 7 | — |
| "Lines" | "First Day" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1977 | "We're All Alone We're All Alone "We're All Alone" is a song written by Boz Scaggs, who introduced it on his 1976 album Silk Degrees; in 1977, "We're All Alone" was a top-ten hit for Rita Coolidge in the US and the UK.-Early versions:... " |
"Have You Seen My Baby" | — | — | — | 32 | — |
| 1978 | "The Electrician" | "Den Haague" | — | — | — | — | — |
See also
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- UK No.1 Hits of 1965
- UK No.1 Hits of 1966
- Philips RecordsPhilips RecordsPhilips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
- List of number-one singles from the 1960s (UK)
- British InvasionBritish InvasionThe British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...