Django Walker

Django Walker
Background information
Birth name Django Cody Walker
Born (1981-08-28) August 28, 1981
Occupation(s) singer-songwriter
Years active 1997–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 later 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]

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, and, while studying in England, played semi-professional basketball.[7][8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hill, Jack W. (2004-08-22). "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. (2006-03-07). "Don't call 'em country". Vail Daily. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Darnell, Meredith (2003-06-30). "City preparing for crowd of 30,000". The Baytown Sun.
  4. 1 2 3 Lee, David J. (2002-06-07). "Son of Jerry Jeff Walker, Django, opening for Green". The Odessa American. p. 7E.
  5. ↑ Riemenschneider, Chris (1999-10-14). "The Beat: Street Soundz". Austin American-Statesman. p. 14 (XL Ent).
  6. ↑ Goodspeed, John (2002-03-01). "Songwriters' rule: Nothing sells like truth". San Antonio Express-News.
  7. 1 2 Hinojosa, Cassandra (2004-06-04). "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. 2006-01-20. p. G1.
  9. 1 2 Tarradell, Mario (2006-03-28). "Like father, like son". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  10. ↑ Finan, Kristan (2005-06-16). "Taking country rock by storm". Houston Chronicle. p. 4 (Preview section).
  11. 1 2 3 Perry, Andrea (2002-06-28). "Son of Texas music legend to appear at Tivoli". The Daily Ardmoreite.
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