Biography

Scott Walker is the stage name of the American singer-songwriter Noel Scott Engel (born 9 January 1943 in Hamilton, Ohio). He was named after his father. Walker resides in London, England.

Originally championed by Eddie Fisher in the late 1950s, Scott appeared several times under his real name on Fisher's TV series as a teen idol type in the vein of Fabian or Frankie Avalon.

Walker was among the first to adopt the electric bass guitar, mastering it to a proficiency to win regular session work in Los Angeles studios while still in his teens.

The Walker Brothers era

After playing in many bands he eventually joined with John Maus and Gary Leeds to form The Walker Brothers in Los Angeles in 1964. Leeds had recently toured the UK with P.J. Proby and was the catalyst to their relocation to London.

The Walker Brothers arrived in London in early 1965 and attained worldwide popularity with pop ballads. In early 1966 their popularity and fan base is said to have exceeded The Beatles in the UK and Europe. As lead singer, Scott attained pop star status.

Finding suitable material was always a problem. The Walkers' 60s sound mixes Phil Spector's "wall of sound" techniques with symphonic orchestrations featuring Britain's top musicians and arrangers. Scott Walker claimed authorship of this sound in recent interviews.

Artistic differences and the stresses stemming from overwhelming pop stardom led to the break-up of The Walker Brothers in 1967, although they reunited briefly for a tour of Japan the following year. On their return to the UK Scott produced a solo album for the tour's musical director and guitarist Terry Smith. The Walker Brothers' last two singles, "Stay With Me Baby" and "Walking In The Rain", struck fans and critics alike as retro, dated choices, harking back to earlier pop. Their failure to reach the top ten provided Scott with the necessary trigger for the split. It is noteworthy then that producer Johnny Franz and John Walker were keen to release the upbeat "Everything Under the Sun" as the single from Images, but Scott Walker "put his foot down", he later confessed, and scored another miss.

Scott Walker's Emerging Solo Work

Scott Walker began a solo career in a style clearly glimpsed in Images, the Walker Brothers' last album. To this he added risqué recordings of Jacques Brel songs, ably translated by Mort Shuman.

Walker's own original songs of this period are influenced by Brel. Walker explored European musical roots while expressing his own American experience. He was also reaching a new maturity as a recording artist.

Scott threw himself into intense study of contemporary and classical music, which included a sojourn in Quarr Abbey, a monastery on the Isle of Wight, to study Gregorian chant. His own songs gradually course into Lieder and classical musical modes.

Scott Walker's early solo career was successful in Britain; his first three albums sold in large numbers. There were also early indications that this concentrated attention was not conducive to his emotional well being. He became reclusive and somewhat distanced from his audience. During this time, he combined his earlier teen appeal with a darker, more idiosyncratic approach hinted at in songs like Orpheus on the Images album. Walker drove a fine line between classic ballads, his own compositions and Brel covers, all delivered inimitably.

At the peak of his fame in 1969, he had his own British TV series, Scott, featuring solo Walker performances of ballads, big band standards and introductions of his own and Brel compositions. In recent interviews he admitted that a self-indulgent complacency crept into his choice of material and his reliance on slow tempos by his third album.

The early 70's saw Walker revert to cover versions of popular film tunes and a serious flirtation with the country and western scene. Walker regards these as his lost years as an artist, but they yielded four albums. However, these albums featured no original material whatsoever.

Walker Brothers Reunite

Perhaps for mutual protection, the Walker Brothers "who never were", as one writer had famously described them, reunited in 1975 to produce three albums. Their first single, No Regrets, from the album of the same title climbed to No. 7 on the British charts.

However, follow up singles, Lines, and others from the second album failed to chart. Walker regards Lines as the best single the Walkers released.

With the imminent demise of their record label the Walkers collaborated on an album of original material that was in stark contrast to the country flavoured tunes of the first two albums. Personal issues intervened for John and they split once more, a move he says he now regrets.

Return to Solo Works

Known for being private and reclusive, Walker's recording activity has been sporadic since the late 1970s. He has released just three albums since 1980.

Walker is a continuing influence on other artists, in particular Marc Almond, Billy MacKenzie of the Associates, David Sylvian, the Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon, and cult performer Glyn Styler. In 2000 he curated the London South Bank Centre's annual summer live music festival, Meltdown, which has a tradition of celebrity curators. He did not perform at Meltdown himself, but wrote the music for The Richard Alston Dance Project item Thimblerigging.

In October 2003 Walker was given an award for his contribution to music by the British music magazine Q. This was presented by Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, and Scott received a standing ovation at the presentation. This award has been presented only twice before, the first time to Phil Spector, and the second to Brian Eno. The release of a retrospective box set, 5 Easy Pieces, comprising five themed discs spanning Walker's work with The Walker Brothers, his solo career (including film soundtrack work), and the two pieces composed for Ute Lemper, followed soon after.

In June of 2006 MOJO Magazine and Radio honoured Scott Walker with The MOJO Icon Award: "Voted for by MOJO readers and Mojo4music users, the recipient of this award has enjoyed a spectacular career on a global scale". It was presented by Phil Alexander.

A documentary film, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, was completed in 2006 by New York film director Stephen Kijak (Cinemania and Never Met Picasso). Interviews were recorded with David Bowie (executive producer of the film), Radiohead, Sting, Gavin Friday and many musicians associated with Walker over the years.