Iconic Nashville Arranger, Music Director Bill Walker Passes

Born April 28, 1927 in Sydney, Australia, William Alfred Walker grew up in a musical home and could play the family piano by the age of 5. After earning his degree at Sydney University’s Conservatorium of Music, Walker took a job with RCA Records at its office in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he arranged covers of songs that had already become popular in America. During his time in Africa, Walker recorded 23 albums, including the collections Walker’ Round The World and Walker’ Round The Shows.

Walker’s career direction changed when Eddy Arnold asked him to write arrangements for an album which included the iconic “Make The World Go Away.” Recorded and released seven times before Arnold cut it but buoyed by Walker’s fresh arrangement, the song vaulted to No. 1 on the country charts and became a top 10 pop hit, earning Walker his first Gold record.

In 1969, Walker joined The Johnny Cash Show as musical director. When Cash debuted Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” Walker’s arrangement yielded Cash a No. 1.

After the show ended, Walker worked as an independent producer for Capitol Records, helming sessions for Roy Rogers, Billy Walker, Ferlin Husky, and Wanda Jackson, among others. During this time, he also began working with Donna Fargo, and his productions of “The Happiest Girl In The Whole U. S. A.” and “Funny Face” took Fargo to No. 1 and launched her career.

Walker also guest-conducted some of America’s best symphony orchestras  in Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, Hartford, Phoenix, Tampa, and Boston. Walker frequently wrote arrangements for artists performing with the Pops, and sometimes sat in with them as a pianist.

From the late ‘70s, Walker ran his own independent label, Con Brio Records, serving as talent scout, arranger, and producer. Under his leadership, Con Brio racked up a total of 47 nationally charted singles.

Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Walker concentrated primarily on writing, arranging, and conducting music for network and syndicated television. Among his credits are 15 years of the CMA awards show, Perry Como And His Nashville Friends, Nashville Remembers Elvis On His Birthday, The Grand Ole Opry At 50, Lynn Anderson & Tina Turner In Nashville, Ann-Margret’s Rhinestone Cowgirl, Opryland In Russia, That Great American Gospel Sound (with Tennessee Ernie Ford and Della Reese), Conway Twitty: On the Mississippi, The Tenth Anniversary Of The Reopening of Ford’s Theater, The Music City News Cover Awards Show, A Celebration Of Country Music At Ford’s Theater, Crystal [Gayle] In Sweden and George Burns In Nashville.

The then-flourishing Nashville Network kept Walker occupied throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. For seven years he served as music director of The Statler Brothers Show, TNN’s highest-rated series during that period, and the Statlers put Walker on camera each week during the gospel segment that closed the show.

As a record producer, arranger and conductor, he earned Gold records for Eddy Arnold’s “Make the World Go Away,” “Turn The World Around,” “Misty Blue,” and “What’s He Doing In My World;” Bobby Vinton’s “Roses Are Red (My Love)” and “My Elusive Dreams;” Roy Clark’s “Come Live With Me;” Jim Reeves’ “From a Jack to a King;” Sammi Smith’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night;” Marty Robbins’ “My Woman, My Woman, My Wife;” Johnny Cash’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down;” Bob Dylan’s “Copper Kettle” and Nashville Skyline; and more.

Walker is survived by his wife, singer Jeanine (Ogletree) Walker, daughter Beth Walker, son Colin Walker, sister Julianne Smith, brother Robert Walker, 13 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren. Walker was predeceased by his son, Music Row leader and AristoMedia Group Founder, Jeff Walker, son Peter Walker, and daughter Lisa Gibson.

Details surrounding the service will be released at a later date.