At 6’3 inches tall this gentle giant thrilled audiences everywhere with his craft and showmanship.  Billy Walker was pure talent.  His liquid velvet tone touched the hearts of young and old alike. 

It was Gene Autry who would have a lasting impact on Walker’s life.  At 13 his daddy gave him a dime to see a Gene Autry film.  From that moment on, Walker knew he was born to sing.  Stardom didn’t come easy for The Tall Texan.  He worked pluckin’ turkeys to earn enough money to buy his first guitar, only to be told by his Dad, “Boy, that guitar will send you to hell.”  By the age of 15 Walker won his first singing contest at KICA Radio in New Mexico, singing “I’ll Never Let You Go, Little Darlin’.”  KICA Radio offered Walker his own live radio show for two years.  It would mean hitchhiking 80 miles every week, but Walker had a dream. 

It was the Big D Jamboree radio show in Dallas that got the ball rolling.  In 1949 Hank Thompson assisted in securing Billy’s first recording contract for Capitol Records.    In 1952 Billy had become a mainstay on the Louisiana Hayride.  Walker recalls, “It was a great show, a little like the Grand Ole Opry.”  The Tall Texan has performed with many giants such as Gentleman Jim Reeves, Lefty Frizzell, Slim Whitman, Faron Young and a young fellow by the name of Elvis Presley.

His million seller “Charlie’s Shoes” was selected as one of The Top 100 Hot Country Singles of All Time. Billy joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1960.  The legendary Ernest Tubb introduced him.  Walker recalls that night at the Ryman Auditorium, “It was electric, and it’s not every day that you get to be a part of history.”

Billy Walker, his wife and two band members were killed on a Sunday morning, May 21, 2006, in a one-vehicle accident south of Montgomery, Ala.

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