Scott Walker (1943-2019)

Scott Walker (1943-2019)

Scott Walker, born Noel Scott Engel, was an American-born British singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. Walker was known for his distinctive baritone voice and an unorthodox career path which took him from 1960s teen pop icon to 21st-century avant-garde musician. Walker's success was largely in the United Kingdom, where his first three solo albums reached the top ten. He lived in the UK from 1965 and became a UK citizen in 1970.

Rising to fame in the mid-1960s as frontman of the pop music trio the Walker Brothers, he began a solo career with 1967's Scott, moving toward an increasingly challenging style on late-1960s baroque pop albums such as Scott 3 and Scott 4 (both 1969). After his solo work did not sell well, he reunited with the Walker Brothers in the mid-1970s. From the mid-1980s onward, Walker revived his solo career while moving in an increasingly avant-garde direction; of this period in his career, The Guardian said "imagine Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen".

Walker continued to record and release music until 2018, and was last signed to the label 4AD. He was described by the BBC upon his death as "one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in rock history".

Achievements:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Walker_discography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walker_Brothers_discography

Many artists have expressed their admiration for Walker or cited him as an influence, including David Bowie, Alex Turner, Marc Almond, Goldfrapp, Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, Julian Cope (who compiled the Fire Escape in the Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker compilation in 1981), Jarvis Cocker, Antony Hegarty, Thom Yorke and Radiohead, Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, and Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth (particularly expressed in their joint project Storm Corrosion), 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.

As a record producer and guest performer, he worked with a number of artists and bands, including Pulp, Ute Lemper, Sunn O))) and Bat for Lashes.

Walker continued to record and release music until 2018, and was last signed to the label 4AD. He was described by the BBC upon his death as "one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in rock history".