Django Walker
Walker in 2014
Walker in 2014
Background information
Birth nameDjango Cody Walker
Born (1981-08-28) August 28, 1981
Occupation(s)singer-songwriter
Years active1997–present

Django Walker (born August 28, 1981[1]) is a Texas Country singer-songwriter and the frontman for the Django Walker Band.[2]

Biography

Named after Belgian guitarist Django Reinhardt,[1] Walker is the son of country music artist Jerry Jeff Walker and Susan Walker.[2] He began learning to play guitar at age 15.[2] After graduating from Austin High School in 1999,[3] he attended the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts from 1999 to 2001, but did not graduate.[1] He has said the experience made him "a better musician", but also says he learned much more traveling out on the road.[4]

Career

When he was 16, Walker wrote his first song, "The Road You Choose", and performed it on stage at his father's shows.[2] His father recorded it on his 1999 CD, Gypsy Songman,[5] and Django later released his own recording of it.

His band's debut CD, Down the Road, produced by Lloyd Maines,[2] was released in 2002.[1] Walker released the CD on a label he formed himself, Lazy Kid Music.[4] He recorded the CD in five days, and wrote all but one of the songs himself.[4] One of those songs, "Texas on my Mind", was previously recorded by Pat Green,[2] and reached number 1 on the Texas Music Chart.[6] Walker had written the song while a student at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.[7][8] Dad's 1999 album "Gypsy Songman" contains the autobiographical father to son tune "Little Man".

Walker's second CD, Six Trips Around the World,[2][9] was released in 2006. It was produced by Mark Bryan of Hootie and the Blowfish, and recorded at Bryan's home in South Carolina.[8][10]

Musical style

Walker has cited several different influences for his musical style, including popular rock artists The Beatles, Bob Dylan,[11] The Allman Brothers, Tom Petty, Neil Young,[3] as well as country artists Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson,[2] Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen,[3] Guy Clark,[9] and Townes Van Zandt.[11] Reviewers have described his style as "unique country",[11] "country/rocker",[3] and "classic rock with undertones of good old Southern comfort".[2]

Personal

Walker attended Austin High School in Austin, Texas, graduating in 1999.[3] He played on the varsity basketball team,[12] and, while studying in England, played semi-professional basketball.[7][8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hill, Jack W. (August 2, 2004). "Django Walker comes Down the Road to LR club". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ball, Laura A. (March 7, 2006). "Don't call 'em country". Vail Daily. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Darnell, Meredith (June 3, 2003). "City preparing for crowd of 30,000". The Baytown Sun.
  4. 1 2 3 Lee, David J. (June 7, 2002). "Son of Jerry Jeff Walker, Django, opening for Green". The Odessa American. p. 7E.
  5. Riemenschneider, Chris (October 1, 1999). "The Beat: Street Soundz". Austin American-Statesman. p. 14 (XL Ent).
  6. Goodspeed, John (March 1, 2002). "Songwriters' rule: Nothing sells like truth". San Antonio Express-News.
  7. 1 2 Hinojosa, Cassandra (June 4, 2004). "Django Walker kicks off music series – Jerry Jeff Walker's son wants to be respected for his music". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. p. E4.
  8. 1 2 3 "Django djamming on new CD". Wichita Falls Times Record News. January 2, 2006. p. G1.
  9. 1 2 Tarradell, Mario (March 2, 2006). "Like father, like son". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  10. Finan, Kristan (June 1, 2005). "Taking country rock by storm". Houston Chronicle. p. 4 (Preview section).
  11. 1 2 3 Perry, Andrea (June 2, 2002). "Son of Texas music legend to appear at Tivoli". The Daily Ardmoreite.
  12. Hoppes, Lynn. "Django Walker proud of Texas Longhorns anthem". ESPN. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  • "www.djangowalker.com". Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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