Billy Walker

William Marvin Walker was born on January 14, 1929, in Ralls, Texas, and became a prominent American country music singer and guitarist. After early exposure to radio in Clovis, New Mexico, and a stint with the Big D Jamboree in Dallas, he signed with Capitol Records in 1949 and later with Columbia Records in 1951, recording at Jim Beck’s Dallas studio. William Marvin Walker’s breakthrough came with the 1954 single "Thank You for Calling", and he achieved his only Number 1 hit with "Charlie's Shoes" in 1962, reaching the top of the Billboard country chart. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he released albums such as Thank You for Calling (1964) and A Million and One (1966), and he appeared on television programs including William Marvin Walker’s Country Carnival. William Marvin Walker joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1960 and remained a regular performer, recording for Monument, MGM, RCA, and his own Tall Texan label. He toured internationally, performing at the International Festival of Country Music in London during the 1980s. On May 21, 2006, William Marvin Walker died in a road accident in Fort Deposit, Alabama, after a performance in Foley, Alabama; he was interred in Spring Hill Cemetery, Nashville.