Bradley Walker (singer)
| Bradley Walker | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1978 Athens, Alabama |
| Genres | Country, Bluegrass |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Gaither Music Group |
| Website |
bradleywalker |
Bradley Walker is an American bluegrass and country music singer and songwriter.
Early life
Bradley Walker is a native of Athens, Alabama. He was born with muscular dystrophy, and has been in a wheelchair all his life. He was a student at East Limestone High School where he played percussion in the school band.[1]
Walker started singing when he was two or three years old, and began performing in public when he was four.[2] When he was ten, he was invited on stage to performed with The Oak Ridge Boys, and when he was eleven, he sang with The Oak Ridge Boys on The Nashville Network's Nashville Now as well as on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.[3]
He works at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant as a Material Inventory Coordinator while pursuing a music career.[2]
Music career
In 1998, Walker formed a band, The Trinity Mountain Boys, and began to perform at bluegrass festivals.[3] In 2001, he joined the Georgia-based group Lost Horizon.[4] He was signed to Rounder Records, and released his debut album, Highway of Dreams, in 2006. The album was produced by Carl Jackson.[5] For his performance on the album, he won the Male Vocalist of the Year Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association.[6]
2016: Call Me Old-Fashioned
Walker's second album, Call Me Old-Fashioned, was produced by Rory Feek and recorded at the Joey + Rory studio out on their farm. Walker had known Joey and Rory Feek since 2007, and he was asked by Rory Feek to sing the hymn "Leave It There" at the funeral of Joey Feek in accordance with her wishes.[6] Bill Gaither of the Gaither Music Group, who was also at the funeral service, heard Walker's performance and signed Walker to his label.[7] The album includes a posthumous duet with Joey Feek, "In The Time That You Gave Me", using vocals she recorded before her death.[6] The album was released on September 23, 2016,[8] and debuted at No. 9 on the Top Country Albums chart.[9]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [10] |
US Country [11] |
US Christian [12] |
US Bluegrass [13] | |||
| Highway of Dreams[14] |
|
— | — | — | 10 | |
| Call Me Old-Fashioned[15] |
|
155 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
|
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
References
- ↑ Hollman, Holly (July 21, 2006). "Riding on a 'Highway of Dreams'". The Decatur Daily.
- 1 2 Essex, Kimberly. "Overcoming the Odds: Country singer lives out his dreams". WAFF48.
- 1 2 McCall, Michael (January 20, 2008). "Singer Thrives Despite Disease". American Profile.
- ↑ "Bradley Walker > Biography". Billboard.
- ↑ "'Highway of Dreams' for Singer Bradley Walker". NPR. January 23, 2007.
- 1 2 3 Evans Price, Deborah (October 20, 2016). "Bradley Walker on Joey Feek's Influence Behind New Album". Rolling Stone.
- ↑ Klett, Leah Marianne (October 21, 2016). "Christian Artist Born with Muscular Dystrophy Discusses Faith, Influence of Rory and Joey Feek, Album 'Call Me Old-Fashioned'". Gospel Herald.
- ↑ Deming, Mark. "Call Me Old-Fashioned". AllMusic.
- ↑ Dauphin, Chuck (October 25, 2016). "Bradley Walker Reflects on His Surprise Top 10 Country Album & Singing at Joey Feek's Funeral". Billboard.
- ↑ "Bradley Walker Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
- ↑ "Bradley Walker Chart History - Top Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
- ↑ "Bradley Walker Chart History - Top Christian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
- ↑ "Bradley Walker Chart History - Top Christian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
- ↑ "Highway Of Dreams". Amazon.
- ↑ "Call Me Old-Fashioned Bradley Walker". Amazon.
- ↑ Bjorke, Matt (November 6, 2016). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: November 7, 2016". Roughstock.