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Charles Levi Walker (November 2, 1926 – September 12, 2008)[1] was an American country musician. His biggest success was with the song, "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down".
Charlie Walker | |
|---|---|
 Walker in a promotional drawing, 1967 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charles Levi Walker |
| Born | November 2, 1926 Copeville, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | September 12, 2008 (aged 81) Hendersonville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1952–1979 |
He held membership in the Grand Ole Opry from 1967,[2] and was inducted into the Country Radio DJ Hall of Fame in 1981.[3]
He was born in Copeville, Texas, United States in 1926.[2] In 1943, Walker joined Bill Boyd's Cowboy Ramblers, and during World War II, he served as a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio Network.[2]
Walker worked as a disc jockey from 1951 until 1961 at KMAC and then from 1961 up to 1963 at KENS in San Antonio, Texas, before signing with Decca Records.[2] His first hit, "Only You, Only You" was co-written with Jack Newman and reached No. 9 on the country chart in January 1956.[2] Walker later signed with Columbia Records and reached No. 2 with a Harlan Howard song, "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down".[2] His other hits include "Who Will Buy the Wine", "Wild as a Wildcat", "Don't Squeeze My Sharmon", and "I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dogfight."[2] Many of his records featured harmony vocals by Ray Price. His more popular recordings were of honky-tonk numbers, such as "Close All the Honky Tonks", and "Honky Tonk Women".[2] Walker played a minor role in the 1985 Patsy Cline biographical film, Sweet Dreams.[3]
Walker died of colon cancer in September 2008, at the age of 81 in Hendersonville, Tennessee.[3][4]
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Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Greatest Hits | Columbia | |
| 1965 | Close All the Honky Tonks | Epic | |
| 1966 | Born to Lose | ||
| Wine, Women and Walker | |||
| 1967 | Don't Squeeze My Sharmon | 16 | |
| 1968 | Greatest Hits | ||
| Country Style | Vocalion | ||
| 1969 | He Is My Everything | Epic | |
| Recorded Live in Dallas, Texas | |||
| 1971 | Honky Tonkin' | ||
| 1972 | I Don't Mind Goin' Under | RCA Victor | |
| 1973 | Break Out the Bottle / Bring On the Music | ||
| 1978 | Golden Hits | Plantation | |
| 1979 | Texas Gold |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1952 | "I'm Looking for Another You" | singles only | ||
| "Flaming Jewels" | ||||
| "Out of My Arms" | ||||
| 1953 | "Flock of Memories" | |||
| "Stay Away from My Heart" | ||||
| 1954 | "Tell Her Lies and Feed Her Candy" | |||
| "When You Know You Have Lost" | ||||
| 1955 | "Chocolate Song" | |||
| 1956 | "Only You, Only You" | 9 | ||
| "Stand Still" | ||||
| 1957 | "Cheaters Never Win" | |||
| "Dancing Mexican Girl" | ||||
| "Take My Hand" | ||||
| 1958 | "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down" | 2 | Greatest Hits | |
| 1959 | "I'll Catch You When You Fall" | 16 | ||
| "When My Conscience Hurts the Most" | 22 | |||
| 1960 | "Who Will Buy the Wine" | 11 | ||
| 1961 | "Facing the Wall" | 25 | ||
| "Right Back at Your Door" | ||||
| "Louisiana Belle" | singles only | |||
| 1962 | "Life Goes On (I Wonder Why)" | |||
| "One in Every Crowd" | ||||
| 1963 | "That's Where Katie Waits" | |||
| 1964 | "Close All the Honky Tonks" | 17 | Close All the Honky Tonks | |
| 1965 | "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down" | |||
| "Wild as a Wildcat" | 8 | single only | ||
| 1966 | "He's a Jolly Good Fellow" | 39 | Wine, Women and Walker | |
| "The Man in the Little White Suit" | 37 | |||
| "Little Old Wine Drinker" | ||||
| "Daddy's Coming Home (Next Week)" | 56 | singles only | ||
| "I'm Gonna Hang Up My Gloves" | 65 | |||
| 1967 | "The Town That Never Sleeps" | 38 | ||
| "Don't Squeeze My Sharmon" | 8 | Don't Squeeze My Sharmon | ||
| "I Wouldn't Take Her to a Dogfight" | 33 | |||
| 1968 | "Truck Drivin' Cat with Nine Wives" | 54 | singles only | |
| "San Diego" | 31 | 28 | ||
| 1969 | "Honky-Tonk Season" | 52 | Recorded Live in Dallas, Texas | |
| "Moffett, Oklahoma" | 44 | |||
| 1970 | "Honky Tonk Women" | 56 | Honky Tonkin' | |
| "Let's Go Fishin' Boys (The Girls Are Bitin')" | 52 | |||
| "God Save the Queen (Of the Honky Tonks)" | ||||
| 1971 | "My Baby Used to Be That Way" | 71 | ||
| "Wild Women" | single only | |||
| 1972 | "I Don't Mind Goin' Under (If It'll Get Me Over You)" | 74 | I Don't Mind Goin' Under | |
| 1973 | "Soft Lips and Hard Liquor" | 65 | 81 | Break Out the Bottle / Bring On the Music |
| "Gonna Drink Milwaukee Dry" | ||||
| 1974 | "Wanting My Women Again" | singles only | ||
| "Odds and Ends (Bits and Pieces)" | 66 | |||
| 1975 | "Say You're Gone" | |||
| 1977 | "Deep Water" | |||
| "I've Had a Beautiful Time" | ||||
| 1978 | "T for Texas" | |||
| "Red Skies Over Georgia" | ||||
| "My Shoes Keep Walkin' Back to You" | ||||
| 1979 | "Don't Sing a Song About Texas" | Texas Gold | ||
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