John Walker

John Walker (born John Joseph Maus, November 12, 1943, New York City, New York, USA; died: May 7, 2011, Los Angeles, California, USA) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the founder of the Walker Brothers, who had their greatest success in the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom.
From 1957 onwards, he worked as singer and guitarist with his sister, as the duo John and Judy. They recorded several singles for the Aladdin, Dore, Arvee and Eldo labels between 1958 and 1962. Walker released his first solo record, "What a Thrill", on the Almo label, with The Blossoms as backing singers.
He formed The Walker Brothers in 1964, with himself as lead vocalist and guitarist, Engel on bass and harmony vocals, and Al "Tiny" Schneider on drums. Walker and Engel were signed as a duo by Mercury Records, and recorded their first single, "Pretty Girls Everywhere" in Los Angeles. There they became a leading attraction at Gazzari's nightclub, and appeared on the Shindig! TV show developed by Jack Good, and then on a weekly TV show, Ninth Street A Go Go.
==Links To Peel==
John Walker's 1967 single 'Annabella' was played on the show of 01 July 1967 while it was part of Radio London's Fab Forty daytime playlist and as such, wasn't one of Peel's personal choices. It did well in the Radio London charts and was a minor hit in the UK national charts, but was the singer's only success as a solo artist. 
Peel isn't known to have played anything by John Walker apart from this track, but the Walker Brothers' hits "My Ship Is Coming In", "Another Tear Falls" and "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More" all featured in the KMEN British Pop Top Ten when Peel worked for the station in 1966, the last-named track spending three weeks at number one in the station's chart, which was compiled by JP (then John Ravencroft) himself. When Peel returned to the UK in 1967, the Walkers' popularity was beginning to fade after peaking in the previous year. Their final tour saw them sharing the bill with support acts including the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cat Stevens, and even if Peel did play the odd track by them on the Perfumed Garden ("Experience") they soon split up, with both Scott and John Walker issuing solo records, although only Scott built a lasting solo career. 
==Shows Played==
1967
*01 July 1967: Annabella (single) Philips BF 1593
==External Links==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
Category:Artists