| Jimmy Walker | |
| Birth Name: | James Walker |
| Birth Place: | The Bronx, New York, U.S |
| Origin: | New Jersey, U.S |
| Death Place: | California, U.S. |
| Genre: | Garage rock |
| Occupation: | Musician |
| Instrument: | Drums, vocals |
Jimmy Walker (1941 – July 15, 2020) was an American musician and singer who was the drummer for one-hit wonder band The Knickerbockers and the replacement for Bill Medley in the Righteous Brothers, following his 1968 departure.
Born in The Bronx, New York, Walker learned the drums when he was around seven or eight.[1] He was of Irish descent. His first group was in New York called The Castle Kings. They had signed to Atlantic Records after Ahmet Ertegun, the then president of the company, heard them:[2]
When he was a young adult, he moved to Bergenfield, New Jersey, and worked as a truck driver.
See main article: The Knickerbockers. Walker rose to prominence in 1965 as the drummer for the New Jersey-based group The Knickerbockers, consisting of brothers John and Beau Charles (guitar and bass), and Buddy Randall (previously of the Royal Teens fame/lead vocals). He first heard of them after hearing them play at a local fire department for memorial day in 1964:
They were spotted by producer and singer-songwriter Jerry Fuller playing the University Twist Palace in Albany, New York, and he signed them to Los Angeles-based Challenge Records. A one-hit wonder band, they had a number 20 charting hit in 1965, with their “Lies”.[3] With the three-way vocal harmonies by John Charles, Beau Charles, and Buddy Randall, "Lies" stood out due to its Beatles-esque sound. The Knickerbockers would become regulars on Dick Clark's Where The Action Is. Their debut album was released a few months later, in early 1966, and was named after the hit, and featured the song on there too.[4]
"Lies" entered the Billboard Hot 100 in the final week of December 1965,[5] went to number 20 on the charts in late January 1966,[5] and was, in total, on the Hot 100 for thirteen weeks, before leaving the charts in February 1966, last placed at number 34.[5] "Lies" has since been covered by the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Styx, Nancy Sinatra, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Lulu, and an instrumental version by The Ventures.
Despite appearing daily on Where the Action Is and constantly releasing new material, such as “One Track Mind”, “My Feet Are Off The Ground”, and a cover of Tom Jones' “It's Not Unusual” (which featured Walker on lead vocals), none of them could match the popularity of “Lies”, and Walker left the band in 1967.
He reappeared with the group for two reunions in 1983 and 1990.
In February 1968, Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers, left the duo to pursue a solo career. Walker would fill in Medley's place as the new righteous brother, from 1968 to 1971. As the Righteous Brothers, Walker and Bobby Hatfield released one album, Re-Birth (1969),[6] [7] which Walker also co-produced.
Walker remained in the duo until their three-year hiatus in 1971. In a 2013 interview, Walker said he had wanted to continue, but Hatfield decided to take a break and broke up the act.[8]
The Righteous Brothers reformed again in 1974, with the original duo of Medley and Hatfield.
In 1968, Walker signed to Columbia Records, and recorded a handful of solo singles between 1968 and 1970, including; Down In My Broken Dreams (1968), The Greatest Love (1969) and I Got The Best Of You (1969),[9] Chop No Wood (1970), and Feel The Warm (1970). His time in Columbia Records was short-lived, as he stepped stepped down from his contract two years later.
Walker released his debut solo album, Still There In My Soul, in 2014.[10]
After leaving Columbia Records in 1969, he would retire from working as a full-time professional musician and move to Wyoming in the 1970s. In the 1970s, he worked with three soul-funk groups; Fatback, Oasis and Hot Street.[11] Walker would continue to perform with his own group “The Jimmy Walker Band”. Walker moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2004, before relocating to California in 2012.
Walker died on July 15, 2020, aged 79 at his home in California.[12] A cause of death has yet to be publicly revealed.
| A-Side | B-Side | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All I Need is You | Bite Bite Barracuda | 1964 | |
| Jerktown | Room for One More | 1965 | |
| Lies | The Coming Generation | 1965 | |
| One Track Mind | I Must Be Doing Something Right | 1966 | |
| High on Love | Stick With Me | 1966 | |
| Chapel in the Fields | Just One Girl | 1966 | |
| Love is a Bird | Rumors, Gossip, Words Untrue | 1966 | |
| Please Don't Love Him | Can You Help Me | 1966 | |
| What Does That Make You? | Sweet Green Fields | 1967 | |
| Come and Get It | Wishful Thinking | 1967 | |
| I Can Do It Better | You'll Never Walk Alone | 1967 |
| Title | Label | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd Thaxton Presents.... | Challenge | 1965 | |
| Jerk & Twine Time | Challenge | 1966 |
| Titles (A-side, B-side) | Album | Year |
|---|---|---|
| "Here I Am"b/w "So Many Lonely Nights Ahead" | Souled Out | 1968 |
| "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"b/w "Let the Good Times Roll" (from The Righteous Brothers Greatest Hits, Vol. 2)UK reissue | The Righteous Brothers Greatest Hits | 1969 |
| "Woman, Man Needs Ya"b/w "And the Party Goes On" | Re-Birth | 1970 |
| "Po' Folks"b/w "Good N' Nuff" |
| Title | Label | Year | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Down In My Broken Dreams | Columbia | 1968 | ||
| The Greatest Love | Columbia | 1969 | ||
| I Got The Best Of You | Columbia | 1969 | ||
| Feel The Warm | Columbia | 1970 | ||
| Chop No Wood | Columbia | 1970 |