(Nashville, Tenn. – April 3, 2015) World renowned arranger, conductor, and music director, Bill Walker was recently presented with the 50 Years of Service To The Industry pin by the Nashville Musicians Association (American Federation of Music). AFM Nashville President, Dave Pomeroy, made the presentation to Walker and noted, “Over the past few years it has been a real pleasure to get to know Bill Walker. He is a great arranger, composer, conductor, bandleader, and a wonderful man. His impact on the Nashville music scene has been tremendous, and it was an honor to present him with his 50-year AFM pin.”
Bill Walker, a native Australian, arrived in Nashville in 1964 following a stint in South Africa. While working as musical director on the film Kimberly Jim, Walker met Jim Reeves who invited him to Nashville – an invitation he accepted. Once settled in Nashville, Walker connected with Chet Atkins, who was working with artist Eddy Arnold. Atkins asked Walker to do orchestral arrangements for Arnold’s album “My World,” which contained the #1 single, “Make The World Go Away.” That record became Walker’s first gold release and lead to a longtime career of making music in the Music City.
Walker’s extensive body of work includes music director residency on various television shows, including The Johnny Cash Show (1969-1971) on ABC, the CMA Awards (for 15 years), the Music City News Awards, Music Hall America (Syndicated), The Statler Brothers Show on TNN (1991-1998) and numerous other prime-time television specials. He is recognized for his work in movies, and produced or arranged some of the biggest hits in Country music history.
Although semi-retired, Walker recently worked with Crystal Gayle to arrange and conduct the strings for select tracks on her new album. Walker lives in Brentwood, Tennessee with his wife Jeanine Walker. Several of Walker’s original releases are available on GMV Nashville and can be found here.
