Scott Walker

Noel Scott Engel, aka Scott Walker, found fame as one third of The Walker Brothers, a massively popular American vocal trio who had number one hits with ballads 'Make It Easy On Yourself', 'My Ship Is Coming In' and 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More' in the mid-1960s. He previously had success in America in the late 1950s appearing on 'The Eddie Fisher Show' and playing in various bands before forming The Walker Brothers, his powerful baritone voice making him the group's main focal point.

Plagued by stage fright, Walker hated his teen idol status and when the group split in 1967 he launched a solo career that took him in another direction entirely, exploring dramatic, heavyweight songs heavily influenced by the Belgian artist Jacques Brel. He also studied classical music and Gregorian chants and continued to have success with a series of solo albums in the late '60s and with hit singles 'Jackie', 'Johanna' and 'Lights of Cincinnati'. He reunited with The Walker Brothers in 1975, splitting again three years later.

He recorded just three albums in 25 years - 'Climate of Hunter' in 1984, 'Tilt' in 1995 and 2006's 'The Drift' - and in 1999 recorded 'Only Myself to Blame' for the James Bond movie 'The World Is Not Enough'. The 2006 documentary 'Scott Walker: 30 Century Man' brought him back into the public eye and he recorded the track 'Darkness' as part of the 'Plague Sons' compilation album.

In 2007 he composed 'And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball?', a four-movement orchestral/dance work performed by London Sinfonietta and the CandoCo dance company; the 24-minute work was released under the 4AD label on a limited edition. He collaborated with Bat for Lashes on 'The Big Sleep' and composed the score for the 2011 production of the play 'Duet for One'. He released his final album 'Bish Bosch' in 2012. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 76.