Tommy Walker (worship leader)

Last updated

Tommy Walker is an American worship leader, composer of contemporary worship music, recording artist and author. Since 1990, he has been the worship leader at Christian Assembly, [1] a church affiliated with the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Los Angeles, California. Some of Walker's most well-known songs are "Only A God Like You," "No Greater Love," "Mourning Into Dancing," "He Knows My Name," and "That's Why We Praise Him."

Contents

In addition to his responsibilities as a church leader, he has taken the "CA Worship Band" on numerous overseas trips, including several trips to Southeast Asia and the Philippines. [2] He has worked alongside Franklin Graham, Greg Laurie, Jack Hayford, Bill Hybels, Rick Warren [2] and at Promise Keepers events.

Career

In 2000, Walker released his album Never Gonna Stop, which earned a larger reception than his previous albums, peaking at number one hundred and fifty three on the Billboard Top 200 chart. [3] In 2004, Walker released his album, Make it Glorious, which was recorded live at Regent University with a 50-member choir. [4] A choral collection of some of Walker's best-known songs entitled That's Why We Praise Him: Celebrating the Songs of Tommy Walker (arranged and orchestrated by Bradley Knight) was also released in 2004. This was followed by a second choral collection of songs by Walker, Great and Marvelous: Celebrating the Songs of Tommy Walker Volume 2, in 2005, which earned Walker a Dove Award nomination. [2] On March 18, 2008, following eight live recordings and many years as a worship leader, Tommy Walker released his first studio recording, I Have A Hope. [2] The album was produced by producer Ed Cash and labeled by Maranatha! Music. In support of his national studio debut, Walker made appearances at the National Christian Musicians Summit, Liberty University and the National Worship Leadership Conference, run by Worship Leader Magazine. [2] In an interview, Walker said that he had been offered deals by record labels and publishers when his songs were first being recorded, but he had declined the offers because he had grown up with a negative perception on the music industry. [5] In 2012, Shepherd University (Cornel School of Contemporary Music) awarded Tommy Walker with an “Honorary Doctorate in Music Arts”.

Musical style

Influences

Tommy Walker has cited Justo Almario, Abraham Laboriel, Andrae Crouch, Lindell Cooley and Darlene Zschech as influences. [6]

A trained guitarist, Tommy is "Supported by Taylor Guitars". [7]

Personal life

Tommy Walker is the son of Fred and Eileen Walker, who were once the pastors of an independent charismatic church. Walker's sister, Janey Stewart, and her husband, Sam Stewart, are the founders and overseers of Charlie's Lunch, a worldwide faith based relief organization. [8] One of Walker's brothers, Dale Walker is the founder and director of Heart of the World, an interdenominational, worldwide ministry, that operates Borderland Kids program, which is a program that provides food to needy children in the United States. [9] Hilary (Walker) Overton, a niece of Tommy Walker, and her husband David, administer Glory Reborn, a midwifery clinic in the Philippines. [9] [10] Tommy Walker is married to Robin Walker, and together, the couple has four children, Jake, Levi, Emmie and Eileen. [11]

Discography

Singles

Charts

Albums - Billboard (North America)

YearAlbumPeak Chart Positions
Top Independent Albums Billboard 200 Albums
2001Never Gonna Stop#6#153

Bibliography

Award Nominations

GMA Dove Awards [2]
YearNominee / workAwardResult
2006Great and Marvelous-Celebrating the Songs of Tommy Walker Vol. 2Choral Collection of the YearNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael W. Smith</span> American musician (born 1957)

Michael Whitaker Smith is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in This World" hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the course of his career, he has sold more than 18 million albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Contemporary worship music</span> Modern genre of music sung in many churches

Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a defined genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has developed over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are frequently referred to as "praise songs" or "worship songs" and are typically led by a "worship band" or "praise team", with either a guitarist or pianist leading. It has become a common genre of music sung in many churches, particularly in charismatic or non-denominational Protestant churches with some Roman Catholic congregations incorporating it into their mass as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. W. Tozer</span> American pastor

Aiden Wilson Tozer was an American Christian pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor. For his accomplishments, he received honorary doctorates from Wheaton and Houghton colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casting Crowns</span> American Christian rock band

Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian and Christian rock band which began in Daytona Beach, Florida. The band was formed in 1999 by lead vocalist Mark Hall. They moved to Stockbridge, Georgia, and more members joined. Some members of the band are currently ministers for Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia. The band has won a Grammy and a Dove Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Redman</span> English worship leader and musician

Matthew James Redman is an English Christian worship leader, singer-songwriter and author. Redman has released 16 albums, written 8 books, and helped start three church-plants. He is best known for his two-time Grammy Award-winning single, "10,000 Reasons ". Co-written with Jonas Myrin, the single reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Christian Songs chart in 2012.

Hillsong Music is Christian music produced by Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia as well as offshoot churches, Hillsong London, and Hillsong Kiev. Hillsong albums are released and distributed by Hillsong Music. The main groups are Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United, Hillsong Young & Free, and Hillsong Kids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetshakers</span> Australian contemporary worship music band

Planetshakers is a contemporary worship music band, a central part of Planetshakers Church in Melbourne, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Green (singer)</span> American singer

Steve Green is an American Christian music singer.

Jack Williams Hayford was an American author, songwriter, Pentecostal minister, and Chancellor Emeritus of The King's University. He was formerly a senior pastor of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, one of a handful of flagship churches in the Foursquare denomination, and was the fourth President of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. He was widely known for his involvement in the Promise Keepers movement and for being a prolific author and songwriter, with over 600 hymns and choruses in his catalog. He is the author of the popular 1978 hymn "Majesty", which is rated as one of the top 100 contemporary hymns and performed and sung in churches worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernando Ortega</span> American singer

Juan Fernando Ortega is a singer-songwriter in contemporary Christian music. He is noted both for his interpretations of many traditional hymns and songs, such as "Give Me Jesus", "Be Thou My Vision" and "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty", and for writing clear and easily understood songs such as "This Good Day".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Baloche</span> American Christian musician and worship leader

Paul Joseph Baloche is an American Christian music artist, worship leader, and singer-songwriter. A native of Maple Shade Township, New Jersey, Baloche was the worship pastor at Community Christian Fellowship in Lindale, Texas, for 26 years. He and his wife, Rita left Texas in January 2015, moving to New York City to be nearer to family. Baloche composes on piano and acoustic guitar, favoring guitar when leading worship. His wife, Rita Baloche, is also a Christian songwriter. Baloche is one of the writers for Compassionart, a charity founded by Martin Smith from Delirious?.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Doerksen</span> Canadian Christian singer-songwriter

Brian Robert Doerksen is a Canadian Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader from Abbotsford, British Columbia.

The 37th Annual GMA Dove Awards, also called the 37th Annual GMA Music Awards, were held on April 5, 2006 recognizing accomplishments of Christian musicians for the year 2005. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Rebecca St. James and Kirk Franklin. This was the last year in which the awards were called the "GMA Music Awards", since they will change their names to "GMA Dove Awards".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Hall (musician)</span> Musical artist

Charles Eugene Hall III is a contemporary worship music leader and songwriter from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is a member of a group of musicians and speakers that collectively form the Passion movement.

The 38th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 25, 2007 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2006. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Brian Littrell, Natalie Grant, and Donnie McClurkin. This was the first year in which the awards were called the "GMA Dove Awards" since the 2006 edition was called the "GMA Music Awards".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bart Millard</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1972)

Bart Marshall Millard is an American singer and songwriter who is best known as the leader of the band MercyMe. He has also released two solo albums: Hymned, No. 1, in 2005 and Hymned Again in 2008. He received a solo Grammy nomination in the category of Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album for the latter album.

Parachute Band was a Christian worship band from Auckland, New Zealand, formed out of the New Zealand-based organisation Parachute Music. The band made pop/rock music and spanned over two generations of musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Walker-Smith</span> Musical artist

Kim Walker-Smith is an American singer, songwriter, worship leader, and recording artist. She produced her first solo album, Here Is My Song, which was released in February 2008 through the Jesus Culture record label. Walker-Smith is best known as the worship leader for the Jesus Culture Band and Jesus Culture events, and as a worship pastor for Bethel Church in Redding.

As a musical collective, Sojourn Music consists of a group of musicians with backgrounds in jazz, country, and pop who came together with musicians from indie and punk rock backgrounds. Sojourn creates new songs for modern missionary worship, rich in Christian teaching and contextualized in modern culture. Contemporary hymns, psalms, and songs of lament and praise are written by members of the Louisville-based Sojourn Collective.

Hillsong Worship is a praise and worship collective from Sydney, Australia. They started making music in 1983 at Hillsong Church. Fifteen of their songs have appeared on the Billboard magazine charts in the US, with "What a Beautiful Name" (2016) representing their greatest success, reaching platinum in the US. The band has some notable members, including Darlene Zschech, Marty Sampson, Brooke Fraser, Reuben Morgan, and Joel Houston.

References

  1. Mason, Tracee N. (30 June 2006). "Vibes". Charisma . Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Tommy Walker Unveils I Have a Hope March 18th". CCM Magazine . February 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  3. "Tommy Walker: Chart History". billboard.com. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  4. Breimeier, Russ (2004). "Make It Glorious". Christianity Today . Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  5. Farias, Andree; Breimeier, Russ (2008). "Representing the Church". Christianity Today . Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  6. "Worship Chat with IntegrityMusic.com's Tommy Walker". Christianity Today International. 2001. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
  7. Tommy Walker --- Tyler Guitars
  8. Tiansay, Eric (30 April 2002). "One Lunch can Feed a Multitude". Charisma . Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  9. 1 2 González, María Cortés (4 April 2009). "A giving family: Founder of church instills sense of compassionin loved ones". El Paso Times . Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  10. Tiansay, Eric (31 August 2005). "Filipino Women Experience 'New Birth' Through Midwifery Ministry". Charisma . Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  11. "About Tommy". tommywalker.net. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  12. "Unknown".[ permanent dead link ]
  13. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : He Knows My Name. YouTube .