Scott Walker (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Scott Walker
Walker on Dutch TV, 1968
Background information
Birth name	Noel Scott Engel
Born	(1943-01-09)January 9, 1943 Hamilton, Ohio, U.S.
Died	March 22, 2019(2019-03-22) (aged 76) London, England
Genres	Pop rock avant-garde experimental
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter record producer multi-instrumentalist
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards
Years active	1958–2019
Labels	Philips/Fontana Columbia Drag City Virgin 4AD
Associated acts	The Walker Brothers Pulp Sunn O))) Bat for Lashes

Noel Scott Engel (born January 9, 1943 – died March 22, 2019), known as Scott Walker, was an American-British singer, songwriter, and music producer. He lived in England for most of his life. Walker was famous for his strong, emotional voice and his unique musical journey. He started as a popular teen idol in the 1960s and later became an experimental musician in the 21st century.

Scott Walker found most of his success in the United Kingdom. His first four solo albums were very popular there, reaching the top ten charts. He moved to the UK in 1965 and became a British citizen in 1970.

He first became famous in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of a pop music group called The Walker Brothers. After that, he started his solo career in 1967 with an album simply called Scott. His music style became more challenging and experimental on later albums like Scott 3 and Scott 4 (both from 1969).

When his solo album sales slowed down, he rejoined The Walker Brothers in the mid-1970s. From the mid-1980s, Walker restarted his solo career, moving towards a very experimental style. One newspaper, The Guardian, said it was like a famous pop singer changing into a modern classical composer. Walker's music from the 1960s was highly respected by underground music fans in the 1980s and gained a special following.

Walker continued to make music until 2018. When he passed away, the BBC called him "one of the most mysterious and important figures in rock history."

Life and Music Career

Early Years and Musical Beginnings

Noel Scott Engel was born on January 9, 1943, in Hamilton, Ohio, USA. His mother was from Canada, and his father managed oil companies. His father's job meant the family moved a lot, living in different states like Ohio, Texas, Colorado, and New York.

In 1959, Scott and his mother settled in California. As a child in the mid-1950s, Scott was interested in music and acting. He appeared in two Broadway musicals, Pipe Dream and Plain and Fancy. A famous singer and TV host, Eddie Fisher, helped him, and Scott appeared on Fisher's TV show many times. He even released some songs, like "Misery," which briefly made him a teen idol.

When he arrived in Los Angeles, Scott's musical tastes changed. He became interested in modern jazz music and was a fan of European movies and the Beat poets. While studying art and exploring his interests, Scott became good enough at playing bass guitar to get jobs playing music for other artists as a teenager.

In 1961, he met guitarist and singer John Maus, who used the stage name John Walker. They formed a band called Judy and the Gents. Later, they toured with other musicians as the Surfaris. In early 1964, Engel and John Walker started working together as The Walker Brothers. Later that year, they teamed up with drummer Gary Leeds, whose father helped pay for the trio's first trip to the UK.

The Walker Brothers: 1964–1967

As a group, The Walker Brothers looked very stylish and handsome. John Maus suggested that each member use "Walker" as their stage name. Scott continued to use this name for the rest of his career, except for a short time when he used his birth name, Scott Engel, for his fifth solo album, Scott 4.

At first, John was the main lead singer and guitarist, with Gary on drums and Scott playing bass and singing harmony. By early 1965, the group had appeared on TV shows and made some recordings. However, their real success was still to come, and it happened overseas.

The Walker Brothers in 1965, with Scott in the middle

Gary Leeds had recently toured the United Kingdom as a session drummer. He convinced John and Scott to try their luck in the British pop music scene. The Walker Brothers arrived in London in early 1965. Their first song, "Pretty Girls Everywhere" (with John as lead singer), entered the charts but wasn't a big hit. Their next song, "Love Her"—with Scott's deeper voice in the lead—was a much bigger hit, and he became the group's frontman.

The Walker Brothers' next release, "Make It Easy on Yourself", a ballad by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, went to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1965. After another hit with "My Ship Is Coming In" (No. 3 UK), their second No. 1 song, "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More", reached the top in early 1966. Soon after, their fan club became even larger than The Beatles' official fan club. This showed how popular The Walker Brothers, especially Scott, had become.

Finding good songs was always a challenge for the group. The Walker Brothers' sound in the 1960s mixed the "wall of sound" technique with orchestral music. They worked with top British musicians and arrangers. Scott also helped produce the band's records during this time. By 1967, John Walker's musical influence on the group had decreased, which caused some tension with Scott.

At the same time, Scott found being in the group difficult. He felt a lot of pressure to find songs and organize recording sessions. Everyone relied on him, and it became too much. Artistic differences and the stress of being huge pop stars led to The Walker Brothers breaking up in 1967. They did reunite briefly for a tour of Japan in 1968.

Solo Career: 1967–1974

For his solo career, Walker left behind The Walker Brothers' style and continued with the more unique sound he had started to explore. This led to continued success at first. Walker's first four solo albums, Scott (1967), Scott 2 (1968), Scott 3 (1969), and Scott: Scott Walker Sings Songs from his TV Series (1969), all sold very well. Scott 2 even reached the top of the British charts.

During this time, Walker combined his earlier teen appeal with a darker, more personal style. While his singing voice remained similar to The Walker Brothers, he now mixed classic ballads, Broadway hits, and his own songs. Walker's original songs from this period were influenced by European musicians like Jacques Brel. He explored European music while expressing his own American experiences and growing as an artist.

Walker also continued to grow as a producer. In 1968, he produced a song with the Japanese rock group The Carnabeats. He also produced a solo album for The Walker Brothers' musical director, Terry Smith, and an album for jazz musician Ray Warleigh.

Being famous and constantly in the spotlight was difficult for Walker's emotional well-being. He became more private and distant from his fans. In 1968, he deeply studied modern and classical music. He even spent time at Quarr Abbey, a Catholic monastery on the Isle of Wight, to study Gregorian chant.

At the height of his fame in 1969, Walker had his own BBC TV show called Scott. It featured him performing ballads, big band songs, Brel songs, and his own compositions. Recordings of the show are very rare, but audio from it was released in 2019. Walker later said that by his third solo album, he might have become too comfortable with his song choices. His fourth solo album, Scott: Scott Walker Sings Songs from his TV Series, showed the challenges he faced in balancing his own creative work with the demands of the music business. Despite the TV show not being a success, the album that went with it was a commercial hit, reaching the top 10 in the UK. This was Walker's last album to do so.

After leaving his manager, Walker released his fifth solo album, Scott 4, in 1969. This was his first album made entirely of his own songs. The album was removed from sale soon after. Some people think that Walker's decision to release Scott 4 under his birth name, Scott Engel, contributed to its low sales. All later versions of the album have been released under his stage name. The Guardian newspaper noted that while it's now seen as one of his best albums, it didn't sell well at the time. The world wasn't ready for a pop singer whose inspirations included films by Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman and novels by Franz Kafka and Albert Camus.

Walker then entered a period he called an "artistic decline." For five years, he made records just to fulfill his contract. His next album, 'Til the Band Comes In (1970), had a clear split. One side featured his original songs, while the other side was almost entirely cover versions of other artists' songs. Later albums saw Walker focusing on cover versions of popular movie songs and even trying out country music. The Moviegoer (1972), Any Day Now (1973), Stretch (1973), and We Had It All (1974) had no original songs at all.

In a 2006 documentary, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, Walker described these as his "lost years" for creativity.

The Walker Brothers Reunite: 1975–1978

By the mid-1970s, Walker's career was at a low point. He reunited with John Maus and Gary Leeds to bring back The Walker Brothers in 1975. Their first comeback song, "No Regrets", reached number 7 in the UK charts. However, the album it came from only reached number 49. The next album, Lines, and its songs did not chart well.

As their record label was closing, The Walker Brothers worked on an album of new, original songs. This was very different from the country-style music of their earlier 1970s albums. The album, Nite Flights, was released in 1978. Each of the Brothers wrote and sang their own songs. Scott wrote the first four songs, John wrote the last four, and Gary wrote the two in the middle. Scott's four songs—"Nite Flights", "The Electrician", "Shut Out", and "Fat Mama Kick"—were his first original songs since 'Til the Band Comes In. They marked his first steps away from the easy-listening sound he had used since Scott 4 didn't sell well. The very dark and unsettling sound of Scott's songs, especially "The Electrician", hinted at the direction his future solo work would take.

Even though critics praised Nite Flights (especially Scott's songs), its sales were poor. The tour that followed focused on their old hits and ballads, ignoring the new songs. The Walker Brothers lost interest, especially with Scott's growing dislike for singing live. By the end of 1978, without a record deal, the group separated again. Scott Walker then spent three years out of the public eye, releasing no new music.

A New Solo Sound: 1981–1995

In 1981, interest in Scott Walker's music grew again thanks to a collection of his songs called Fire Escape in the Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker. This album, chosen by musician Julian Cope, reached number 14 on the UK Independent Chart. Because of this renewed interest, Walker signed with Virgin Records.

In 1984, Walker released his first solo album in ten years, Climate of Hunter. This album continued the complex and unsettling style Walker had started on Nite Flights. While it had some elements of 1980s rock music, it was fragmented and dream-like. Many of its eight songs didn't have clear titles or easy melodies. Only Walker's deep voice connected it to his earlier work. Like Nite Flights, Climate of Hunter received critical praise but sold poorly. Plans for a tour were made but never happened. A second album for Virgin was rumored but was stopped after early recording sessions. Soon after, Walker was dropped by the label.

Walker spent the late 1980s away from music. He only made a brief appearance in a 1987 TV commercial to stay in the public eye. He didn't return to public attention until the early 1990s when his solo and Walker Brothers work was re-evaluated by critics. During this time, Walker's first four studio albums were released on CD for the first time. A collection album, No Regrets – The Best of Scott Walker and The Walker Brothers 1965–1976, reached number 4 on the UK Albums Chart. Walker's own return to music was slow and careful. In 1992, he co-wrote and performed the song "Man From Reno" for a movie soundtrack. After signing with Fontana Records, he started working on a new album. Meanwhile, David Bowie covered Scott's song "Nite Flights" on his album Black Tie White Noise.

Tilt was released in 1995. It further developed the musical ideas from Climate of Hunter. It was described as a mix of rock and modern classical music. This album was even more experimental than the last, showing Walker as a full-fledged modern composer. Although Walker was backed by a full orchestra again, this time he also used unsettling percussion and industrial sounds. While the first song, "Farmer in the City," was melodic, the rest of the album was harsh and very experimental.

Later Work and Collaborations: 1996–2019

In 1996, Walker recorded the Bob Dylan song "I Threw It All Away" for a film soundtrack. In 1998, he returned to more traditional ballads by recording the song "Only Myself to Blame" for a Bond film soundtrack. He also wrote and produced the music for the film Pola X, which was released as an album. In 1999, he wrote and produced two songs for singer Ute Lemper's album Punishing Kiss.

In 2000, Walker organized the Meltdown music festival in London. He didn't perform himself but wrote music for a dance project. The next year, he produced Pulp's 2001 album We Love Life.

In October 2003, Q magazine gave Scott Walker an award for his contributions to music. This award had only been given twice before. A collection of five themed discs covering Walker's work with The Walker Brothers, his solo career, and his film music, called 5 Easy Pieces, was released soon after. The independent record label 4AD signed Walker in early 2004.

On May 8, 2006, Scott Walker released The Drift, his first new album in 11 years. Critics highly praised the album.

The Drift continued the surreal, unsettling, and abstract style of Climate of Hunter and Tilt. It featured sharp contrasts between loud and quiet parts. The instruments were similar to Tilt, using rock instruments and a large orchestra. However, the album also included strange sound effects, like the cry of a donkey or a percussionist punching raw meat. In interviews, Walker seemed more comfortable with media attention and expressed a desire to release albums more often.

In June 2006, Mojo magazine honored Scott Walker with the MOJO Icon Award. This award is given to artists who have had a spectacular career globally.

A documentary film about him, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, was finished in 2006. It included interviews with David Bowie (who was an executive producer for the film), Radiohead, Sting, and many musicians who worked with Walker. The film premiered at the 50th London Film Festival. A documentary about Walker with footage from the film was shown on BBC1 in May 2007.

Walker released "Darkness" as part of Plague Songs, an album of songs for the Margate Exodus project. This project retold the story of Moses and the Book of Exodus. Ten singer-songwriters were asked to write a song inspired by one of the ten biblical plagues. Walker's song was about "Darkness."

On September 24, 2007, Walker released And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? as a limited edition. This 24-minute instrumental piece was performed by the London Sinfonietta and used as music for a dance performance. From November 13 to 15, 2008, a show called Drifting and Tilting: The Songs of Scott Walker was staged in London. It featured eight of his songs, sung by different singers like Jarvis Cocker and Damon Albarn. Walker also worked with Bat for Lashes on the song "The Big Sleep" from her 2009 album Two Suns. He wrote music for a play in June 2011.

Walker's final solo album, Bish Bosch, was released on December 3, 2012, and received good reviews. In 2014, Walker worked with the experimental metal duo Sunn O))) on an album called Soused, released on October 21, 2014. A year later, Walker composed the music for Brady Corbet's film The Childhood of a Leader. In 2018, he wrote the music for Corbet's film Vox Lux, which also featured music by singer-songwriter Sia.

Collaborations

Scott Walker worked with many artists and bands as a producer and guest performer. These included Pulp, Ute Lemper, Sunn O))), and Bat for Lashes.

Death

Scott Walker passed away in London on March 22, 2019, at the age of 76. His record company, 4AD, announced his death three days later, stating that cancer was the cause. They called him "a unique and challenging giant at the forefront of British music." Many musicians, including Thom Yorke, Marc Almond, and Neil Hannon, shared their sadness and respect for him.

Artistry and Songwriting Style

Scott Walker started his career singing other people's songs. However, he developed his own songwriting skills by the time The Walker Brothers were popular and by his first solo album in 1967. In a 1984 interview, he mentioned that writing songs was difficult for him. He said he only wrote when he had to, for example, when under contract or to finish an album.

Walker's music in the late 1960s and 1970s was fairly traditional on the surface. It followed the melodic orchestral pop style used by singers like Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams. These were mainstream artists whose career path he was initially expected to follow. Key differences came from the more experimental music arrangements by his arrangers and Walker's own approach to lyrics. His lyrics were like "unsettling short stories" with a delicate orchestral background. As his solo career continued, Walker began to include political themes in his songs. One of the first was "The Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)" from Scott 4.

Walker's next artistic change as a songwriter happened when he left behind his traditional lyrical concerns and his connections to popular song. The New York Times described Walker's music as reaching a point where he "barely needs melody anymore." Instead, his music featured "whirring synthesizers, great orchestral blocks of sound, noises of unknown origin." Despite these big changes, Walker said he didn't see himself as a "composer" in the usual sense. He thought of himself as a songwriter, even if his songs weren't traditional.

Walker described his lyrical technique as putting together short pieces of text with images that sometimes seemed unrelated. He compared it to "a general, assembling troops on the battlefield." The magazine The Wire noted that the way lyrics were presented in the CD booklet for The Drift showed this technique. The roots of this style can be seen as early as the Scott Walker songs on Nite Flights.

Walker stated in the documentary film Scott Walker: 30 Century Man and in many interviews that throughout his entire career, he never listened to his own work after it was finished. This was either because he was exhausted from the project or because he was very critical of himself.

Legacy and Influence

In 2018, Walker published Sundog, a book of his selected song lyrics. The book was divided into sections covering different periods of his career. The introduction to the book was written by Irish novelist Eimear McBride.

Many artists have said they admire Walker or that he influenced their music. These include David Bowie, Alex Turner, Marc Almond, Bauhaus, Goldfrapp, Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, Julian Cope, Jarvis Cocker, Anohni, Thom Yorke and Radiohead, Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth, Tim Bowness of No-Man, Leonard Cohen, Efterklang, East India Youth, Kevin Hufnagel, Ihsahn, Russell Mills, Dennis Rea, John Baizley of Baroness, and Brian Eno.

Discography

Images for kids

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  Walker on Dutch TV, 1968

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  The Walker Brothers in 1965, with Scott in the middle

See also

In Spanish: Scott Walker (músico) para niños