The Walker Brothers were an American pop group formed in Los Angeles in 1964 by John Walker (real name John Maus) and Scott Walker (real name Noel Scott Engel), with Gary Walker (real name Gary Leeds) joining shortly after. They adopted the 'Walker Brothers' name as a show business touch even though they were unrelated.[1] After moving to Britain in 1965, they had several Top 10 albums and singles there, including the No. 1 hits "Make It Easy on Yourself" and "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)", both of which also made the US Top 20 and Canadian Top 2. Between them was the UK No. 3 hit "My Ship is Coming In". They provided a unique counterpoint to the British Invasion, a period when the popularity of British bands such as The Beatles dominated the U.S. charts, by achieving much more success in the UK than in their home country.[2]
The trio split up in 1968, with all three members pursuing solo projects to varying degrees of success. They eventually reunited in 1975 and scored a final Top 10 UK hit with "No Regrets". After releasing the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful album Nite Flights in 1978, the group again disbanded. John Walker remained active in the music business and toured as a solo act until his death in 2011. Scott Walker resumed his solo career and gained recognition as an avant-garde artist; he died in 2019, leaving Gary Walker as the last surviving member.
History
Formation
The Walker Brothers Trio was formed in Los Angeles in 1964 by John Walker (lead vocals, guitar), Scott Engel (bass, harmony vocals), and Al "Tiny" Schneider (drums). Before then, John Walker—who had already been using that name professionally for several years—had performed and recorded several unsuccessful singles with his sister as a duo, John and Judy, and Engel had been bass player with instrumental band The Routers. Walker and Engel, with two other musicians, had also toured the Midwest in 1963 as The Surfaris, though the group included none of the musicians who played on the Surfaris' records. Dropping the word Trio, the Walker Brothers were signed by Mercury Records, recorded a single, "Pretty Girls Everywhere", and became a leading attraction at Gazzari'sClub in Hollywood. They also appeared on the Shindig! TV show, developed by Jack Good, and then on a weekly TV show, Ninth Street A Go Go.[3]
Late in 1964, they met drummer Gary Leeds, previously of The Standells (Late 1962–1964). He had recently toured the UK with singer P.J. Proby.[1][4] Leeds – along with Gazzari's club regular Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones[5] – persuaded them that the band's rock and roll and blues style would go down well in "swinging London," where Proby had already succeeded. Before leaving, they recorded their second single, "Love Her", overseen by Nick Venet and arranger Jack Nitzsche, with Scott, now Scott Walker, taking the lead vocal part for the first time—previously John had been the lead vocalist. With his distinct baritone, Scott became the group's de facto frontman, and the trio shifted their focus from upbeat R&B to pop ballads that better suited his vocals. They also appeared in a film, Beach Ball, and sent demo recordings to record labels in the United Kingdom.
With Leeds, now Gary Walker, the band's drummer, and with financial backing from his stepfather, the Walker Brothers traveled to the UK in February 1965 for an exploratory visit.[3]
Success in the UK
The group in 1965
When they landed in England, record producer Johnny Franz was keen to sign them up. In a short time, the group had secured a recording contract with Philips Records, an affiliate of Mercury, and had played several venues around the UK. Along with the group's relocation came a change in image, abandoning matching suits and pompadours in favour of the mop top haircuts and casual attire typical of British pop stars. Their first single, "Pretty Girls Everywhere," had little success,[4] but radio stations picked up on the follow-up "Love Her" with Scott's baritone vocals, and it made the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1965.[6] The song had originally been recorded by The Everly Brothers and released as the B-side to their single "The Girl Who Sang The Blues" in 1963.[7]
Philips then recorded and released the group's version of "Make It Easy on Yourself," a Burt Bacharach and Hal David ballad previously recorded by Jerry Butler. It was sung by Scott, arranged by Ivor Raymonde and produced by Johnny Franz, with a full orchestra augmented by session musicians.[7] Session musicians on the record included Alan Parker and Big Jim Sullivan.
By August 1965, "Make It Easy on Yourself" had entered the UK Top 10, eventually reaching the top of the record chart.[6] Later in the year, it also reached No. 16 in the US Billboard Hot 100.[4] The track sold 250,000 copies in the UK, and over one million copies globally, achieving gold disc status.[1]
The No. 3 UK hit "My Ship Is Coming In", originally recorded in 1965 by soul singer Jimmy Radcliffe, followed. Then in March 1966, the Walker Brothers hit No. 1 for the second time in six months with "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore."[6] Their popularity in the UK – particularly that of Scott – reached a new high, especially among teenage girls, and their fan club in that country was said to have been larger than The Beatles at one point in 1966. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" also made the US Top 20, but ultimately the group would remain far more popular in the UK than in their home country.[4]
As time went on, Scott took a more prominent role in their song choices and arrangements, but with diminishing commercial success. They also had to leave the UK for six months in 1967 because of work permit problems. As pop music moved on, the Walker Brothers began to sound dated. By early 1967, the pressures of stardom, internal tensions and 'artistic differences' began to weaken the group. After a UK tour in April 1967, which also featured Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, and Engelbert Humperdinck, the group officially disbanded, though they temporarily reformed for a tour of Japan in 1968.
Reunion in the 1970s
All three continued to release solo records, with Scott being by far the most successful and creating a large cult following.[6] Late in 1974, Scott, John and Gary agreed to reform as the Walker Brothers. In 1975, they released the album No Regrets. The title track was released as a single and rose to No. 7 on the UK chart in early 1976. The follow up album Lines (1976) was less commercially successful. In 1978 the band released their last album Nite Flights, made up entirely of original songs (the first four by Scott, the middle two by Gary and the final four by John), with the avant-garde style of Scott's tracks on the album laying the stylistic groundwork for his subsequent solo work. Nite Flights earned positive reviews, particularly for Scott's tracks, but failed to make any commercial impact. The Walker Brothers then undertook some cabaret performances, although Scott was becoming increasingly reluctant to sing live; the group's contract with GTO Records ended and, according to John Walker, the group "just drifted apart" at the end of 1978.[3]
John Walker later went on to customize guitars and establish his own recording studio in California, and resumed touring in 2004. Gary Walker remains active in England. Scott Walker continued to record sporadically, with his music moving further towards the avant-garde, and engage in cultural works, e.g. curating the Meltdown Festival. John and Gary Walker published their own joint autobiography, The Walker Brothers: No Regrets — Our Story in 2009 (Scott chose not to participate). John died at his Los Angeles home on May 7, 2011; Scott died in London on 22 March 2019, leaving Gary as the last surviving Walker brother.
