Ernest Clayton "Clay" Walker, Jr. (born August 19, 1969) is an American
country musicCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single "
What's It to You"What's It To You" is the debut single of American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, it was also Walker's first Number One single...
", which reached Number One on the
Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now
Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts, as did its follow-up, 1994's "
Live Until I Die"Live Until I Die" is a single by American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart...
". Both singles were included on Walker's self-titled debut album, also released in 1993. Throughout the 1990s, Walker produced a constant string of hit singles on the country music charts, interrupted briefly when he was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis is an idiopathic disease of suspected autoimmune cause, in which the body's immune response attacks a person's central nervous system , leading to demyelination. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in females...
(MS) in 1996. Walker has since participated in several forms of charity to help combat the disease.
Walker has released a total of ten albums, including a Greatest Hits package and an album of Christmas music. His first four studio albums all achieved RIAA platinum certification in the United States, while his Greatest Hits collection and fifth studio album were each certified gold. In addition, he has charted more than twenty-five singles on the country charts, including six Number One singles. His most recent album,
FallFall is the title of American country music singer Clay Walker's ninth album. It was released April 17, 2007, on Asylum-Curb Records. The album's first single was "'Fore She Was Mama", which reached #21 on the Hot Country Songs charts in mid-2007...
, was released in 2007 on
AsylumAsylum Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group, and is currently distributed through Warner Bros. Records. After various incarnations, today it is geared primarily towards hip-hop music.-Formation:...
-
Curb RecordsCurb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973 Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of MGM and Verve Records...
.
Early years
Ernest Clayton Walker, Jr. was born on August 19, 1969 in
Beaumont, TexasBeaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 113,866 at the 2000 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the Gulf...
. After his parents divorced, Clay lived with his father, who gave him a guitar when he was nine years old. Raised in
Vidor, TexasVidor is a city in western Orange County, Texas, United States. A city of Southeast Texas, it lies at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Farm Market Road 105, six miles east of Beaumont. The town is mainly a bedroom community for the nearby refining complexes in Beaumont and Port Arthur and is...
. At age sixteen, after leaving his shift as night-shift desk clerk at a Super 8 Motel, Walker stopped at a local radio station to deliver a tape of a song that he had written himself. Although the morning
disc jockeyA disc jockey is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, dis
k referred to phonograph records, while dis
c referred to the Compact Disc, and has become the more common spelling...
told him that the station's policies prohibited playing self-submitted tapes, he nonetheless played Walker's song, announcing that the song was "too good to pass up".
After graduating from Vidor High School in 1987, Walker went on to tour the state of
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
, playing at various local clubs and eventually finding work as the house singer at a bar in Beaumont called the Neon Armadillo. There, Walker was discovered by
James StroudJames Stroud is an American musician and record producer who works in country music. In the 1990s he was the president of Giant Records and held several credits as a session drummer...
, a record producer who helped him receive a record deal with Giant Records, a subsidiary label of
Warner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. The current incarnation of the company was formed in 2004 when it was spun off by Time Warner, and as a result, Time Warner no longer...
which Stroud was president of at the time.
Walker has been married twice, he was first married to Laurie Lampson with whom he had two daughters, MaClay Delayne and Skyler, they later got divorced. He is now married to Jessica Walker, together they have a son named William Clayton.
Musical career
Clay Walker
Walker's debut album, the self-titled
Clay WalkerClay Walker is the self-titled debut album of American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 1993 on Giant Records and produced by James Stroud. The album produced four singles on the Billboard country music charts, of which three — "What's It to You", "Live Until I Die" and...
, was released in 1993. Its first two singles, 1993's "
What's It to You"What's It To You" is the debut single of American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, it was also Walker's first Number One single...
" and 1994's "
Live Until I Die"Live Until I Die" is a single by American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart...
", both reached the top of the
Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, followed by the #11 "
Where Do I Fit in the Picture"Where Do I Fit in the Picture" is a song written and recorded by country music artist Clay Walker. It is the third single released from his 1993 self-titled debut album. It peaked at #11 in the United States, while it was a top ten in Canada, peaking at #6 there.-Content:"Where Do I Fit in the...
". "
Dreaming with My Eyes Open"Dreaming With My Eyes Open" is a single by American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart...
", the fourth single, became Walker's third Number One. The album was also certified platinum in the United States for shipments of one million copies.
If I Could Make a Living
If I Could Make a LivingIf I Could Make a Living is the title of American country music singer Clay Walker's second album, released in 1994 on Giant Records. Like his self-titled debut album, this album was certified platinum by the RIAA...
was the title of Walker's second album, released in 1994. Overall, it produced two more Number One singles in the
title track"If I Could Make a Living" is the title of a country music song written by Alan Jackson, Keith Stegall, and Roger Murrah. Although Jackson was already a highly successful country music star in his own right, he did not record the song himself, and instead, Clay Walker recorded it as the title...
(co-written by
Alan JacksonAlan Eugene Jackson is an American country artist who has sold over 50 million records. He was influenced by traditional country, and he was one of the most popular country singers of the 1990s, blending both honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits...
,
Keith StegallRobert Keith Stegall is an American country music recording artist and record producer. Active since 1980, Stegall has recorded two-major label studio albums: 1985's Keith Stegall and 1996's Passages...
and
Roger MurrahRoger Murrah is a songwriter and music publisher who has written hits for artists including Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, Al Jarreau, and Alabama.After working in the late 1960s as a staff writer, he opened his own studio in Huntsville, Alabama...
) and 1995's "
This Woman and This Man"This Woman And This Man" is a single by American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was the second single released from his CD, If I Could Make a Living.-Music Video:...
", as well as a Top 20 hit in "My Heart Will Never Know".
Hypnotize the Moon
1995 also saw the release of Walker's third studio album, titled
Hypnotize the MoonHypnotize the Moon is American country music singer Clay Walker's third studio album. It was released October 17, 1995, on Giant Records. It was the third consecutive album of his career to earn RIAA platinum certification for U.S. shipments of one million copies, although it was also the first...
. Although none of its singles reached Number One,
Hypnotize the Moon produced three consecutive Top Five hits: "
Who Needs You Baby"Who Needs You Baby" is a song co-written and recorded by country music artist Clay Walker. It is the lead-off single to his 1995 album Hypnotize the Moon. It peaked at #2 in both the United States and Canada.-Music Video:...
", followed by the album's
title track"Hypnotize the Moon" is a song written by Steve Dorff and Eric Kaz, and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. Released as the second single from Walker's CD, Hypnotize the Moon, it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.-Music Video:The music video was...
and "
Only on Days That End in "Y""Only on Days That End in 'Y" is track number six on, and was the third single released from, Clay Walker's 1995 album Hypnotize the Moon. It peaked at #5 in the United States, and #7 in Canada.-Content:...
". This was also the third straight platinum album of his career.
Rumor Has It
In 1996, after recording the tracks to his fourth studio album, Walker was playing basketball with a friend, when he began to experience numbness, facial spasms, and double vision. An MRI revealed
multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis is an idiopathic disease of suspected autoimmune cause, in which the body's immune response attacks a person's central nervous system , leading to demyelination. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in females...
. After a year of recovery, he released his fourth album, 1997's
Rumor Has ItRumor Has It is country music singer Clay Walker's fourth album. It was released April 8, 1997, on Giant Records. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and reached #32 on the Billboard album charts...
. Its title track, which was the first single released, became his sixth and final Number One single that year. Other singles from the album included the Top 20 "One, Two, I Love You", and the Top 5 hits "Watch This" and "
Then What?"Then What?" is a single by American country music artist Clay Walker that reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was the fourth and final single released from his 1997 album Rumor Has It....
", the former of which was his first entry on the
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
since "What's It to You".
Greatest Hits
Walker's first
greatest hitsGreatest Hits is the first greatest hits compilation album by country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 1998. Two previously unreleased tracks are included on this album; both were issued as singles in 1998...
album was issued in 1998. Included on the album were two previously unreleased songs, both of which were released as singles. Of these, "Ordinary People" peaked at #35, while "
You're Beginning to Get to Me"You're Beginning To Get To Me" is a single by American country music singer Clay Walker. Released as the second single from his CD, Greatest Hits, it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart....
" was another #2.
Greatest Hits achieved a gold certification from the RIAA. Also in late 1998, Walker charted from unsolicited airplay of a cover of
Earl Thomas ConleyEarl Thomas Conley is an American country music singer and composer. Between 1980 and 2003, he recorded ten studio albums, including seven for the RCA Records label...
's hit "Holding Her and Loving You", which he never included on an album.
Live, Laugh, Love
1999 saw the release of
Live, Laugh, LoveLive, Laugh, Love is country music singer Clay Walker's fifth album. It was released August 24, 1999, on Giant Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA and reached #55 on the Billboard album charts...
. The album's first two singles, "She's Always Right" (co-written by
Richie McDonaldRichard Vance "Richie" McDonald is an American country music artist. From 1992 until his departure in 2007, he was the lead singer of the group Lonestar, which recorded seven studio albums on BNA Records during his tenure as lead vocalist. McDonald co-wrote several of the band's singles, and sang...
, then the lead singer of
LonestarLonestar is an American country music group consisting of Cody Collins , Michael Britt , Keech Rainwater and Dean Sams...
) and the title track, were both Top 20 hits, while 2000's "
The Chain of Love"The Chain of Love" is a single by country singer Clay Walker. Released in early 2000 as the third single from his 1999 album Live, Laugh, Love, "The Chain of Love" reached a peak of #3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, providing Walker with his thirteenth Top Ten hit on that...
" reached a peak of #3. Although
Live, Laugh, Love was also certified gold in the United States, its fourth single ("Once in a Lifetime Love") became the first single of his career to miss Top 40.
Say No More and Christmas
In 2001, Warner Music Group merged Giant Records into its
Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
division, and Walker was then transferred to Warner Bros. Records' Nashville division. The same year, he released the album
Say No MoreSay No More is country music singer Clay Walker's sixth album. It was released March 27, 2001, on Giant Records. The album reached #129 on the Billboard album charts. The album's two singles were its title track and "If You Ever Feel Like Loving Me Again", both of which were minor Top 40 hits on...
. It produced two singles in its title track and "If You Ever Feel Like Lovin' Me Again", neither of which made Top 20. After
Christmas, a compilation of Christmas music released in 2002, Walker exited Warner Bros.' roster.
A year later, he wrote and recorded a song for the
National Football LeagueThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
's newest expansion team at the time, the
Houston TexansThe Houston Texans is a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The Texans joined the NFL in 2002 as an expansion team after Houston's previous franchise,...
. Titled "Football Time in Houston", the song was used as the team's official fight song during their inaugural season; except for a temporary switch in the team's second season, the Texans have used "Football Time in Houston" as their fight song ever since. Walker also sings the "Star Spangled Banner" at the Texans home opener each season.
A Few Questions
By 2003, Walker signed to a second record deal on
RCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1983 and a partner from 1983 to 1986.-The RCA family of labels:RCA is the name of three different co-owned record...
' Nashville division. His only album for the label, 2003's
A Few QuestionsA Few Questions is country music singer Clay Walker's eighth album. It was released September 9, 2003. The album reached #23 on Billboard magazine's album chart. Released from this album were the singles "A Few Questions" and "I Can't Sleep", both of which reached Top Ten on the Hot Country Songs...
, produced consecutive Top Ten singles in its title track and "
I Can't Sleep"I Can't Sleep" is a single by American country music singer Clay Walker. The second single from his 2003 album, A Few Questions, it peaked at #9 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, and features Chely Wright on background vocals.-Content:The song describes a narrator who has been up all...
". Walker co-wrote this song with
Chely WrightRichell Rene "Chely" Wright is an American country music artist who released her debut album in 1994. Although she received an ACM award for Top New Female Vocalist that same year, none of her initial songs made a significant impact on the charts. In 1997, Chely had her first Top 40 country hit,...
, who also sang backing vocals on it. "Jesus Was a Country Boy", the third single from
A Few Questions, peaked at #31 in late 2004, and Walker was dropped from RCA soon afterward.
Fall
Walker was signed his third record deal in late 2006, this time with Asylum-Curb, a division of
Curb RecordsCurb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973 Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of MGM and Verve Records...
. His first single for the label, "'Fore She Was Mama", reached a peak of #21 in March 2007. It was followed by the release of
FallFall is the title of American country music singer Clay Walker's ninth album. It was released April 17, 2007, on Asylum-Curb Records. The album's first single was "'Fore She Was Mama", which reached #21 on the Hot Country Songs charts in mid-2007...
, Walker's tenth album overall. Its title track was released to radio in April 2007, and after more than thirty weeks on the
Billboard country charts, "Fall" became Walker's first Top Five hit in seven years. It was later covered by pop/R&B singer
Kimberley LockeKimberley Dawn Locke is an American adult contemporary pop/R&B singer and plus-size fashion model...
on her album
Based on a True StoryBased On A True Story is the second album from American Idol finalist, Kimberley Locke. Kimberley chose this title because the songs on the album, 8 of which co-written by Kimberley herself, tell the true story of the emotions she dealt with during and after her relationship with her ex-fiance...
. Also included on
Fall was a cover of
Freddy FenderFreddy Fender , born Baldemar Huerta in San Benito, Texas, USA, was an American, Tejano, country, and rock and roll musician, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados...
's hit song "Before the Next Teardrop Falls", which Walker recorded as a duet with Fender. "She Likes It in the Morning" was the album's third and final single, peaking at #43.
Ninth studio album
Walker's next album is slated for a late-2009 release. The album will include a duet with former
AlabamaAlabama is a Grammy Award-winning country music and southern rock band that originated in Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. In the late '60s, Randy Owen , and his cousin Teddy Gentry found they both enjoyed a common interest in music...
lead singer
Randy OwenRandy Owen is an American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band which saw considerable mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Although Alabama only records new albums on occasion, Owen himself has maintained a career...
on a cover of Alabama's "
Feels So Right"Feels So Right" is a song made famous by the country music band Alabama. Written by the group's lead singer, Randy Owen when he was only 18 years old, the song was released in 1981 as the title track to the band's second RCA Records album. It became the group's fourth straight No. 1 single "Feels...
".
Charitable efforts
In 1996, Walker was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis is an idiopathic disease of suspected autoimmune cause, in which the body's immune response attacks a person's central nervous system , leading to demyelination. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in females...
(MS), a disease which affects the
central nervous systemThe central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that functions to coordinate the activity of all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all animals more advanced than sponges or jellyfish. In vertebrates, the central nervous system is enclosed in the meninges. It contains...
. He manages his MS through daily injections of Copaxone. He has also participated in several forms of charity to help fight MS; most notably, his own non-profit charity, Band Against MS. He regularly competes in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am; in 2005, his team won the tournament, and Walker donated his share of the winnings to Band Against MS. Walker performs for health care professionals and their families at least once a year free of charge. Walker's last performance of this kind was May 29, 2009.
Albums
- Clay Walker
Clay Walker is the self-titled debut album of American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 1993 on Giant Records and produced by James Stroud. The album produced four singles on the Billboard country music charts, of which three — "What's It to You", "Live Until I Die" and...
(1993)
- If I Could Make a Living
If I Could Make a Living is the title of American country music singer Clay Walker's second album, released in 1994 on Giant Records. Like his self-titled debut album, this album was certified platinum by the RIAA...
(1994)
- Hypnotize the Moon
Hypnotize the Moon is American country music singer Clay Walker's third studio album. It was released October 17, 1995, on Giant Records. It was the third consecutive album of his career to earn RIAA platinum certification for U.S. shipments of one million copies, although it was also the first...
(1995)
- Rumor Has It
Rumor Has It is country music singer Clay Walker's fourth album. It was released April 8, 1997, on Giant Records. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and reached #32 on the Billboard album charts...
(1997)
- Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits compilation album by country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 1998. Two previously unreleased tracks are included on this album; both were issued as singles in 1998...
(1998)
- Live, Laugh, Love
Live, Laugh, Love is country music singer Clay Walker's fifth album. It was released August 24, 1999, on Giant Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA and reached #55 on the Billboard album charts...
(1999)
- Say No More
Say No More is country music singer Clay Walker's sixth album. It was released March 27, 2001, on Giant Records. The album reached #129 on the Billboard album charts. The album's two singles were its title track and "If You Ever Feel Like Loving Me Again", both of which were minor Top 40 hits on...
(2001)
- Christmas (2002)
- A Few Questions
A Few Questions is country music singer Clay Walker's eighth album. It was released September 9, 2003. The album reached #23 on Billboard magazine's album chart. Released from this album were the singles "A Few Questions" and "I Can't Sleep", both of which reached Top Ten on the Hot Country Songs...
(2003)
- Fall
Fall is the title of American country music singer Clay Walker's ninth album. It was released April 17, 2007, on Asylum-Curb Records. The album's first single was "'Fore She Was Mama", which reached #21 on the Hot Country Songs charts in mid-2007...
(2007)
External links