Frank Buckley Walker

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For the voice actor, see Frank Welker.
Frank Buckley Walker
RCA Victor Records
  • Co-founder of MGM Records
    • RelativesJim Vienneau (nephew)

    Francis Buckley Walker (October 24, 1889 – October 15, 1963) was an American talent agent and author from the New York City area. Some of his talent discoveries included country music singer Hank Williams, blues singer Bessie Smith and banjoist Samantha Bumgarner.

    He is known for running the Johnson City sessions from 1928 to 1929, which launched the careers of various artists including Charlie Bowman and Clarence Ashley. In 1923, Walker became the head of A&R for Columbia Records and RCA Victor. His career as a talent agent lasted for over 40 years until his death in 1963.

    Early life

    Frank Walker was born on a farm in rural Fly Summit,

    consumption when Frank was only six.[2] He disliked working on the farm as a child apparently because of the long hours of work and the hard labor. He left home when he was 18 and took up a job in a bank in Albany
    . Eventually he became assistant manager and stayed in Albany for five years.

    Career

    In 1913, Frank Walker was offered a

    Big Band Musicians like Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins
    .

    Later years

    In the mid-1940s, he went into retirement as he was well off having a high paying job most his life. However, it was short lasting, as he decided to come out of retirement in 1946 to help found MGM Records with others who were seeking his help and experience. Through this company, he signed and became close friends with country singer Hank Williams, one of his greatest musical discoveries for which he is known. Hank once mentioned to him that their names sounded alike, so they would probably get along "just fine". As a result of his close relationship with him, Frank was crushed when he heard about his death in 1953. On that day, he wrote a letter as a tribute to him later known as "The Last Letter", which was later read over the radio by Mississippi disc jockey Jimmy Swan. He and Hank would usually exchange charismatic letters between each other so this was Frank's way of paying tribute. In 1956, he got to meet Richard Nixon, the vice president to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the future 37th President of the United States.

    Personal life

    On September 9, 1919, Walker married Laura Margaret Boyne (1894–1990) in New York City. She was originally from Philmont, New York. They had three children named John Robert Walker (1922–2021), Joan Marie Walker (1926–2020) and Jean Mary Walker (1928–2020). After her husband's death in 1963, Laura Walker moved to Maryland, where she was near her son John and his family. She died at a nursing home in Crofton, Maryland, in 1990 at the age of 95. She was buried in Glen Haven Cemetery in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

    Death

    On October 15, 1963, nine days before turning 74, Walker died of a heart attack at his home, 4301 Westmoreland Avenue, in Little Neck, New York. On November 2, 1963, Billboard Magazine printed an article including his tribute to Hank Williams in his memory.[9] He was buried in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.

    Legacy

    Upon his death, Walker was survived by his three children and ten grandchildren. Jim Vienneau, the son of his sister-in-law, is also a music producer and his uncle Frank was his mentor. He is best known for producing the Conway Twitty song, "It's Only Make Believe".[10]

    In 2015, Walker was portrayed by actor Joe Knezevich in the HBO film Bessie, a biographical film about blues singer Bessie Smith. Later in 2015, he was portrayed by Rob Boltin in another biographic film about Hank Williams called I Saw the Light.

    In 2017, Walker was featured in the award-winning documentary series

    American Epic.[11] Directed by Bernard MacMahon, the films featured restored audio recordings of Frank Walker explaining how he found and recorded some of the first country, blues and Cajun musicians in the 1920s.[12]

    He was honored in 2020 with a posthumous Grammy Trustees Award for his work as a record executive with award being accepted by his son John, who was 98 at the time.[13]

    References

    1. ISBN 9780199920839
      .
    2. ^ Mary Walker Fogarty (1990). The Walker Family Genealogy.
    3. ^ "johnsonsdepot.com" (PDF). Johnson's Depot. 1962. pp. 1–21. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
    4. ^ "Frank Walker: A & R Man For Columbia". Your Company. 2008. p. 1. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
    5. ISSN 0028-792X
      . Retrieved May 7, 2019.
    6. ^ "Robert Redford film includes Cajun pioneers". The Advertiser. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
    7. ^ "Johnson City Sessions". Johnson City Press. February 13, 2012. p. 1. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
    8. ISBN 9781613740217
      . Retrieved November 3, 2014.
    9. ^ "Frank Walker, Columbia Records". Billboard Magazine. November 2, 1963.
    10. ^ "JIM VIENNEAU". www.rockabilly.nl.
    11. ^ "BBC – Arena: American Epic – Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
    12. ^ "American Epic: Preview | Video | American Epic | PBS". American Epic. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
    13. ^ "Iggy Pop, Public Enemy & More to Receive 2020 Lifetime Achievement Awards From the Recording Academy". Billboard.
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