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Charlie Walker (musician)

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Charlie Walker
Walker in a promotional drawing, 1967
Walker in a promotional drawing, 1967
Background information
Birth nameCharles Levi Walker
Born(1926-11-02)November 2, 1926
Copeville, Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 12, 2008(2008-09-12) (aged 81)
Hendersonville, Tennessee, U.S.
GenresCountry
OccupationSinger-songwriter
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1952–1979

Charles Levi Walker (November 2, 1926 – September 12, 2008)[1] was an American country musician. His biggest success was with the song, "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down".

He held membership in the Grand Ole Opry from 1967,[2] and was inducted into the Country Radio DJ Hall of Fame in 1981.[3]

Career

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He was born in Copeville, Texas, United States in 1926.[2] In 1943, Walker joined Bill Boyd's Cowboy Ramblers, and during World War II, he served as a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio Network.[2]

Walker worked as a disc jockey from 1951 until 1961 at KMAC and then from 1961 up to 1963 at KENS in San Antonio, Texas, before signing with Decca Records.[2] His first hit, "Only You, Only You" was co-written with Jack Newman and reached No. 9 on the country chart in January 1956.[2] Walker later signed with Columbia Records and reached No. 2 with a Harlan Howard song, "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down".[2] 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."[2] Many of his records featured harmony vocals by Ray Price. His more popular recordings were of honky-tonk numbers, such as "Close All the Honky Tonks", and "Honky Tonk Women".[2] Walker played a minor role in the 1985 Patsy Cline biographical film, Sweet Dreams.[3]

Walker died of colon cancer in September 2008, at the age of 81 in Hendersonville, Tennessee.[3][4]

Discography

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Albums

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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

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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

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  1. ^ "Grand Ole Opry Member Charlie Walker Dies at Age 81". Cmt.com. September 1, 2008. Archived from the original on September 16, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 432. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
  3. ^ a b c "CMT : Charlie Walker : Biography". Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
  4. ^ "Charlie Walker: Honky-tonk singer of 'Pick Me Up On Your Way Down'". The Independent. October 23, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2021.

Bibliography

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Pugh, Ronnie (1998). "Charlie Walker". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 567. ISBN 978-0195395631

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