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Gary Walker | |
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 Walker in 1965 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gary Leeds |
| Born | March 9, 1942 (age 81) Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instrument(s) | |
| Years active | 1962–present |
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| Formerly of |
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Gary Walker (born Gary Leeds; March 9, 1942) is an American musician, who was the drummer and vocalist with both the Standells and the Walker Brothers.
Born Gary Leeds, his professional career started in 1962 when he was recruited to join The Standells. He toured with the group from 1962 to 1964. For a period of time in 1964, he toured with P. J. Proby.
In 1964, Gary met John Walker and Scott Walker (real name Scott Engel). The two persuaded Gary to join their band The Walker Brothers, and take the stagename “Gary Walker” (something all three members did as they were not related). He has been credited as the catalyst in bringing the unrelated Walker Brothers to the UK in 1965 where, for a couple of years, they enjoyed commercial success. The Walker Brothers are best remembered for their 1966 hit single, a cover of Frankie Valli’s "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)". He had two minor UK hit singles while still a member of the group in 1966.
After a UK tour in April 1967, which also featured Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, and Engelbert Humperdinck, followed by a tour of Japan in 1968, the group officially disbanded. [1]
Late in 1974, Walker, Engel and Leeds agreed to reform The Walker Brothers. In 1975, they released the album No Regrets . The title track went to no. 7 on the British charts. The second incarnation of the band split in 1978. In the following years, two reunion performances occurred, in 1982 and 1991.
In 1967 he founded Gary Walker and the Rain, which consisted of Joey Molland (later of the band Badfinger, guitar and vocals); Charles "Paul" Crane (lead vocals, guitar); and John Lawson (bass guitar). They released four singles between 1968 and 1969.
Their debut album, Album No.1, was published in 1968.
As a solo artist, Leeds released his debut single, "You Don't Love Me"/"Get It Right", in February 1966. He released two singles in May 1966 and 1968.
His fourth and last single was a cover of The Easybeats’ 1968 song "Hello, How Are You", (B-side: “Fran”) which was released in March 1975 and was produced by Allan Clarke, former frontman for The Hollies.
Gary and Walker Brother, John Walker, published their own joint autobiography, The Walker Brothers: No Regrets—Our Story, in 2009.
Walker still remains active in England.
As of 2019, owing to the death of Scott Walker, Gary is now the last surviving member of The Walker Brothers.
Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in 1961 in Swansea. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recognised for their influence on the 1970s power pop genre. It is estimated that the band sold 14 million records.
The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and Ramones. They are best known for their 1966 hit "Dirty Water", written by their producer, Ed Cobb. "Dirty Water" is now the anthem of several Boston sports teams and is played following every Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins home win.
Noel Scott Engel, better known by his stage name Scott Walker, was an American-British singer-songwriter and record producer who resided in England. Walker was known for his emotive voice and his unorthodox stylistic path which took him from being a teen pop icon in the 1960s to an avant-garde musician from the 1990s to his death. Walker's success was largely in the United Kingdom, where his first four solo albums reached the top ten. He lived in the UK from 1965 onward and became a UK citizen in 1970.
Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg, better known as his stage name Harry Vanda, is an Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as lead guitarist of the 1960s Australian rock band the Easybeats who with fellow member George Young formed the 1970s and 1980s songwriting and record production duo Vanda & Young.
George Redburn Young was an Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands The Easybeats and Flash and the Pan, and was one-half of the songwriting and production duo Vanda & Young with his long-time musical collaborator Harry Vanda, with whom he co-wrote the international hits "Friday on My Mind" and "Love Is in the Air", the latter recorded by John Paul Young.
The Walker Brothers were an American pop group formed in Los Angeles in 1964 by John Maus and Noel Scott Engel, and soon after joined by Gary Leeds. They adopted the 'Walker Brothers' name as a show business touch even though none of the members were related. After moving to Britain in 1965, they had several top-10 albums and singles there, including the No. 1 hits "Make It Easy on Yourself" and "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)", both of which also made the US top 20 and Canadian top 2. Between them was the UK No. 3 hit "My Ship is Coming In". They provided a unique counterpoint to the British Invasion by achieving much more success in the UK than in their home country, a period when the popularity of British bands such as The Beatles dominated the U.S. charts.
James George Tomkins, known professionally as Big Jim Sullivan, was an English guitarist.
Joseph Charles Molland is an English songwriter and rock guitarist whose recording career spans five decades. He is best known as a member of Badfinger, the most successful of the acts he performed with. Molland is the last surviving member from the band's classic line-up. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
'Til the Band Comes In is the sixth studio album by the American solo artist Scott Walker. It was released in December 1970 but failed to chart. Three singles were released from the album. The title track backed with "Jean the Machine" was released in the Netherlands. "Jean the Machine" and "Thanks For Chicago Mr. James" were each released in Japan. No singles were released in the UK. The release is a loose concept album about the inhabitants of a tenement.
The Spiders were a Japanese rock band formed in Tokyo in 1961, as one of the leading groups of the Group Sounds genre.
Portrait is the second album by the American pop group The Walker Brothers. Released in 1966 the album was their most successful and reached number three on the UK Albums Chart. The group's musical accompaniment was directed by Ivor Raymonde and Reg Guest and produced by John Franz. Receiving good to mixed reviews the album was first released in both Mono and Stereo LP formats in August 1966. The album was later released on CD having been remastered and expanded in 1998. The sleeve notes were written by Keith Altham with photography by Dezo Hoffmann.
Images is the third album by the American pop group The Walker Brothers. Released in 1967 the album reached number six on the UK Albums Chart. It was the last of their trio of 1960s albums. They would not record together again until 1975's No Regrets.
"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 and was released as a single in the UK in January 1968 and in the US in April. It peaked at number 57 on the UK BMRB Breakers, an official extension of the UK Singles Chart.
Nite Flights is the sixth and final studio album by American pop group the Walker Brothers, released in July 1978 by GTO Records. Unlike their previous two albums which consisted almost entirely of cover versions, each member of the group wrote songs for Nite Flights; Gary Walker contributed two while Scott Walker and John Walker each contributed four. In addition to containing all original material, the album was a radical departure from the group's usual mainstream sound, displaying elements of art rock, new wave and experimental music. It is generally considered an artistic breakthrough for Scott Walker, presaging his later reemergence as an avant-garde artist.
Vanda & Young were an Australian songwriting and producing duo composed of Harry Vanda and George Young. They performed as members of 1960s Australian rock group the Easybeats where Vanda was their lead guitarist and backing singer and Young was their rhythm guitarist and backing singer. Vanda & Young co-wrote most of the Easybeats' later hits including their international hit "Friday on My Mind" and they were the record producers for the group from 1967. Young was the older brother of Malcolm and Angus Young of the hard rock band AC/DC and also the record producer behind several of the band's biggest albums.
No Regrets is the fourth album by the American pop group The Walker Brothers. The album was released in 1975 and was the group's first together since 1967. It reached number forty-nine on the UK Albums Chart and includes the single "No Regrets". The single backed with the non-album B-side "Remember Me" became the group's final significant hit single, reaching #7 in the UK Singles Chart in early 1976.
Scott Walker is the stage name of the American singer-songwriter Noel Scott Engel (1943–2019), former lead singer with The Walker Brothers. He lived in the United Kingdom from the 1960s until his death.
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.
The discography of American pop group The Walker Brothers consists of eight studio albums, two of which were created for the American market, one live album, three extended plays, twenty singles, twenty b-sides and numerous compilations - several of which are listed here.
"Ooh Poo Pah Doo" is a song written and performed by Jessie Hill. It was arranged and produced by Allen Toussaint. The single reached No. 3 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 28 on the Hot 100 in 1960.
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