Bill Walker - April 28, 1927 - May 26, 2022

Producer, arranger, music director and keyboardist William Alfred “Bill” Walker, 95, died May 26, 2022. Over the course of his long and storied career, he accumulated a stunning list of production credits for hit records with Eddy Arnold and a host of other artists. He was also the musical director on a vast array of television programs, including the Johnny Cash Show, 15 years of CMA Award shows, and many more. He was a 57-year life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 Aug. 6, 1964.

The Sydney, Australia, native was born April 28, 1927, into a musical family. His father played harmonica, and his mother was a singer. The family owned a dairy farm and Walker said in an interview he had to milk 20 cows every morning and afternoon. He quickly followed in the family musical tradition, and was playing piano by the age of five. After high school he worked a variety of jobs — including playing in local nightclubs and writing arrangements for local dance bands — to earn tuition to attend college. He went on to earn a degree in music at the Sydney University Conservatorium of Music, and then to work for RCA in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he arranged 23 albums containing cover versions of popular American songs.

In 1962 Walker produced a record for Jim Reeves, who was already a star in South Africa. The record went gold in Europe, and in 1963 Reeves enlisted Walker to become musical director for a planned television show he was slated to host. The NBC project was to compete with an ABC series starring Jimmy Dean. Walker moved to the U.S. in 1964 just in time to hear the news of Reeves’ fatal plane crash. He said in an interview that the first thing he did in Nashville was attend Reeves’ funeral.

He decided to stay anyway, applied for citizenship, and played around town at various gigs for a few months before drawing the attention of RCA artist Eddy Arnold, who enlisted Walker to arrange an album of country songs,

which included the huge hit “Make the World Go Away.” The track gave Walker his first No. 1 gold record, and launched his Nashville career.

Walker would go on to work with Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, the Statler Brothers, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and many more. His gold records continued to accumulate, and included “Turn the World Around,” “Misty Blue,” and “What’s He Doing in my World” for Eddy Arnold, Sammi Smith’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “My Woman, My Woman, My Wife” for Marty Robbins, “Sunday Morning Coming Down” for Johnny Cash, and Donna Fargo’s “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.” as well as many others.

In addition to his role as the highly-valued musical director on the "Johnny Cash Show" — Cash ended every show by saying “Goodnight, Bill Walker!” — and the long tenure on CMA Awards shows, he worked on programs such as "Perry Como and His Nashville Friends," "Nashville Remembers Elvis," "Grand Ole Opry at 50," "Opryland in Russia," "A Celebration of Country Music at Ford’s Theater," and a host of other productions. Over his career Walker arranged and conducted music on shows attended by three different American presidents.

Woodwind player and MTSU professor emeritus John Duke was part of the house band for the Johnny Cash Show, and worked with Walker on many other dates as well.

“I’ll never forget Bill Walker. He played a huge role in my career in Nashville. I remember hiring him when he first came to Nashville under trying circumstance. I remember his beautiful Brentwood wedding to Jeanine. I remember his providing me an introduction to country music on such shows as the CMA Awards shows, Eddy Arnold, Elvis, Johnny Cash and others. I remember well his telling Bobby Moore to hire me for the Johnny Cash TV series. I remember his great job as conductor of the Cash show. I remember his sense of humor and his smiling face no matter what the circumstances. I was so sorry to not be able to attend his funeral, but I’ll remember Bill Walker for the rest of my life. Rest in Peace, old friend, and condolences to Jeanine and the rest of his family,” Duke said.

Walker also worked as a producer for Capitol records, helming projects for Roy Rogers, Wanda Jackson, Ferlin Husky, and others. He was regularly a guest conductor for many symphonies, including those in Nashville, Dallas, Atlanta, Memphis, Tampa, and Boston. A friend of film composer John Williams, Walker sometimes sat in with Boston Pops Orchestra, and also wrote arrangements for the orchestra.

In the late ‘70s Walker ran his own indie label, Con Brio Records. In the ‘80s and ‘90s he worked extensively with The Nashville Network, including seven years as producer of "The Statler Brothers Show."

He also worked on film scoring for movies starring Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck, among others. Walker continued to record in the 2000s, and released four gospel albums with his wife Jeanine.

Trumpet player George Tidwell talked about his friendship with Walker.

“I met Mr. Walker within a few weeks of his arrival in Nashville, in 1964, from Australia via South Africa, and for the next many decades was privileged to work for and with him in many capacities. I was his trumpet player, copyist, contractor, and best of all his friend. His support and loyalty, his generosity and his ready smile, got us through gigs of all kinds, from Joni Mitchell to balloon animal makers, and he treated all with equal respect and concern. In addition to enjoying the musical ride, I learned much about work ethic, loyalty and commitment from Bill, a real gift. So, rest well my friend, and I’ll add, not goodbye, but one last ‘Goodnight, Bill Walker!’, with thanks and love,” Tidwell said.

Walker was preceded in death by two sons, Jeff and Peter Walker; and one daughter, Lisa Gibson. Survivors include his wife, Jeanine Ogletree Walker; one daughter, Beth Walker; one son, Colin Walker; one sister, Julianne Smith; one brother, Robert Walker; 13 grandchildren; and 21 greatgrandchildren.

Funeral services were conducted June 2, 2022, at First Baptist Church in Nashville, with interment at Williamson Memorial Gardens in Franklin, Tennessee.

Bill Walker receiving his 50-year AFM Local 257 membership pin in 2014 from President Dave Pomeroy