Clay Walker
Encyclopedia
Ernest Clayton "Clay" Walker Jr. (born August 19, 1969) is an American country music
artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single
"What's It to You
," which reached Number One on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts, as did its follow-up, 1994's "Live Until I Die
." Both singles were included on Walker's self-titled debut album, also released in 1993 via Giant Records. He stayed with the label until its 2001 closure, later recording for Warner Bros. Records
and RCA Records
before joining his current label, Asylum-Curb Records
, in 2007.
Walker has released a total of 11 albums, including a greatest hits
package and an album of Christmas music
. His first four studio albums all achieved platinum certification
in the United States, and his greatest hits collection and fifth studio album were each certified gold. In addition, he has charted 30 singles on the country charts, including four more Number One hits for a total of six: "Dreaming with My Eyes Open
," "If I Could Make a Living
," "This Woman and This Man
" and "Rumor Has It
." His most recent album, She Won't Be Lonely Long
, was released in mid-2010.
to Ernest and Danna Walker. The oldest of five children, Walker lived in Vidor
with his father, who gave him a guitar when he was nine years old. Walker began entering talent competitions at age fifteen. After leaving his shift as nighttime desk clerk at a Super 8 Motel in his teenage years, Walker stopped at a local radio station to deliver a tape of a song that he had written. Although the morning disc jockey
told him that the station's policies prohibited playing self-submitted tapes, he played Walker's song and said that it was "too good to pass up."
After graduating from Vidor High School in 1987, Walker began working at a Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
plant. At age nineteen, he also began touring as a musician in the state of Texas
, playing at various local clubs and eventually finding work as the house singer at a bar in Beaumont called the Neon Armadillo. In November 1992, Walker was discovered by James Stroud
, a record producer
who was also the president of Warner Music Group
subsidiary Giant Records. Walker signed to Giant late in the year.
debut album in 1993 under Stroud's production. Its first single
was "What's It to You
;" written by Robert Ellis Orrall
and Curtis Wright
, this song reached No. 1 on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts and number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Its followup "Live Until I Die
" (which Walker wrote), was released late in the year and became his second consecutive No. 1 in early 1994. After those two singles came the number 11 "Where Do I Fit in the Picture
", which was originally the B-side of "What's It to You." The album accounted for a third No. 1 hit in "Dreaming with My Eyes Open
", a song that was also featured on the soundtrack
to the 1994 film The Thing Called Love
. An additional cut from the album, "White Palace," charted at number 67 on the country charts without being released as a single.
Clay Walker was certified
platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
for shipments of one million copies. It peaked at number 8 on Top Country Albums, number 2 on Top Heatseekers
and number 52 on the Billboard 200
. Larry Powell of Allmusic gave the album a four-and-a-half star rating, saying that Walker had a "high-energy" voice reminiscent of Conway Twitty
. Walker also received two award nominations in 1994: Star of Tomorrow award from TNN
/Music City News and Top New Male Vocalist from the Academy of Country Music
.
was the title of Walker's second album, released in 1994. It produced two more No. 1 singles in the title track
(co-written by Alan Jackson
, Keith Stegall
and Roger Murrah
) and 1995's "This Woman and This Man
." This latter song spent two weeks at No. 1, accounting for his first multi-week No. 1 hit. After these two singles came the number 16 "My Heart Will Never Know
". If I Could Make a Living went platinum in May 1995, reaching number 2 on the country albums charts. Gordon Ely of the Richmond Times-Dispatch
gave a favorable review, saying that "Walker has broken loose from Nashville's most recent crop of carefully crafted cowboys." Walker also began touring in 1995 as a headlining act, in support of this album.
Late in 1995, Walker released his third studio album, titled Hypnotize the Moon
. Although none of its singles reached No. 1, Hypnotize the Moon produced two consecutive number 2 hits in "Who Needs You Baby
" (which Walker co-wrote) and the title track
, followed by the number 5 "Only on Days That End in 'Y'
" and number 18 "Bury the Shovel
". Hypnotize the Moon was certified platinum in 1996, making for Walker's third consecutive platinum album. This album received a four-star rating from Stephen Thomas Erlewine
, who said that it was his "most assured, cohesive album to date" and that he gave a "consistently excellent performance." Alanna Nash
of Entertainment Weekly
thought that Walker did not show a distinct musical personality, but considered the song selection strong and gave it a "B+." Richard McVey II of Country Standard Time
considered it a "throwback" in sound to Walker's debut, while USA Today
said that it lacked the "verve" of that album.
with a friend, when he began to experience numbness, facial spasms, and double vision. Magnetic resonance imaging
revealed that he had multiple sclerosis
(MS). Walker subsequently began changing his diet and treating the disease with a daily injection of Copaxone, sending his MS into an arrested state.
Also in early 1996, Nu Millennia Media released Self Portrait, which included five of Walker's songs in an interactive CD-ROM
format and 30 minutes of video footage. He then released his fourth album, 1997's Rumor Has It
, which he co-produced with Stroud. Its title track
, the first single, became his sixth and final No. 1 single that year. Other singles from the album included the number 18 "One, Two, I Love You
" and the Top 5 hits "Watch This
" and "Then What?
" at number 4 and number 2, respectively. The latter also reached number 65 on the Hot 100, making for his first entry on that chart since "What's It to You." As with his three previous studio albums, Rumor Has It was certified platinum. Larry Stephens of Country Standard Time gave this album a mostly-negative review, calling the songs "cookie-cutter" outside "I Need a Margarita". Thom Owens of Allmusic also thought that it was formulaic, but said that Walker was "able to make even mediocre material sound good", rating it three stars out of five.
's 1983 single "Holding Her and Loving You
". This rendition spent nine weeks on the charts and peaked at number 68. One month later, he debuted his sixteenth single, "Ordinary People
". Peaking at number 35, this was one of two new songs included on his Greatest Hits
album. That album's other new track, "You're Beginning to Get to Me
", made its debut in August 1998. It peaked at number 2 on the country charts and number 39 on the Hot 100 in January 1999, the same month in which Greatest Hits was certified gold. Also in 1998, Walker performed a sold-out show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
.
Doug Johnson, who succeeded Stroud as Giant Records' president, produced Walker's 1999 album Live, Laugh, Love
. Regarding its production and promotion, the label's senior director of marketing Connie Baer said that she wanted to raise Walker's profile as an artist, as both she and Johnson thought that he did not have the same level of recognition as other artists with similar album sales and chart success. This album was led off by the number 16 country and number 74 pop hit "She's Always Right
", which was co-written by Lonestar
's then-lead singer Richie McDonald
. After this song came the title track
at number 11 country and number 65 pop. "The Chain of Love
", written by Rory Lee Feek
and Jonnie Barnett
, was the album's third and most successful single, reaching number 3 on the country charts and number 40 on the Hot 100. Both it and "Once in a Lifetime Love," the fourth single, first charted from unsolicited airplay received while "Live, Laugh, Love" was climbing the charts. "Once in a Lifetime Love
", upon its release, became his lowest-peaking single release, reaching number 50. The album also included a studio version of the Earl Thomas Conley cover.
Erlewine gave the album three stars on Allmusic, where he wrote that it "never really distinguishes itself from its predecessors" but "has its moments." Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time also thought that the album was inconsistent, saying that "She's Always Right," "The Chain of Love" and the Conley cover were its strongest tracks, but that the rest "treads no new ground." Deborah Evans Price of Billboard was more favorable, saying that it showed the energy of his live shows, and that he "cut loose" with soul
singing on "This Time Love."
In late 2000, Walker recorded two tracks on Believe: A Christmas Collection
, a multi-artist Christmas music
album released by Giant. These two tracks — a cover version of Elvis Presley
's "Blue Christmas
" and the original song "Cowboy Christmas" — both made appearances on the country charts, reaching number 51 and number 70, respectively.
. "Say No More
" peaked at number 33 on the country charts, and the album's only other single, the Jerry Kilgore
co-write "If You Ever Feel Like Lovin' Me Again
", reached number 27. This latter song was promoted by Giant's parent company, Warner Bros. Records
Nashville, as Giant had closed in late 2001. Walker co-produced the album with veteran producers Byron Gallimore
and Blake Mevis, and session guitarist Brent Mason
. The album also included a song that Walker wrote in high school, and a cover of Ritchie Valens
' "La Bamba
." Maria Konicki Dinoia of Allmusic rated it three stars, with her review saying that "the sensitivity on this album is so expressive that it makes you want to run right out and hug the one you love." Country Standard Time critic Mike Clark considered it a transition to a more country pop
-oriented sound, describing the album as being "full of bad lyrics and overwrought production clichés."
In 2002, Walker wrote and recorded a song for the National Football League
's newest expansion team at the time, the Houston Texans
. Titled "Football Time in Houston," the song was used as the team's official fight song
during its inaugural season. In an interview with CMT, he said that he donated the song to the city of Houston, and that he sings "The Star-Spangled Banner
" at the team's opening game every season.
Although he had left Warner Bros. for RCA Records
' Nashville division in May 2002, Warner Bros. released a Christmas music album entitled Christmas in September of the same year. It included a cover of José Feliciano
's "Feliz Navidad
," which Walker took to number 49 on the country charts in January 2003.
", debuted in April 2003. The song spent twenty-seven weeks on the country charts and peaked at number 9, making for his first top ten entry since "The Chain of Love" three years previous. This was the first single from his only RCA album, also titled A Few Questions
. Its second single, the Chely Wright
co-write "I Can't Sleep
," also peaked at number 9 in early 2004. The third and final single was the number 31 "Jesus Was a Country Boy
", which Walker wrote with Rivers Rutherford
. A Few Questions accounted for his second-highest peak on the country albums charts, reaching number 3.
Erlewine rated this album two-and-a-half stars out of five on Allmusic. He considered the album more country pop-oriented than Walker's work for Giant, saying that this change in sound made it not "feel like a Clay Walker album." Dan McIntosh gave a mostly-negative review for Country Standard Time, where he wrote that "even his passionate singing cannot rise above this album's predictable lyrics and lame arrangements."
-Curb division of Curb Records
. His first single for the label, "'Fore She Was Mama
," reached a peak of number 21 in March 2007. It was included on his album Fall, which was produced by Keith Stegall. The album's title cut, "Fall," was written by Clay Mills
along with former Mercury Records
artist Shane Minor
and former Exile
member Sonny LeMaire. Fo It was the second single release from Fall, going to number 5 on the country charts and number 55 on the Hot 100. The album's third and final single was "She Likes It in the Morning
", with a number 43 country peak. Fall also included a duet with Freddy Fender
, the first duet of Walker's career, on a cover of Fender's debut single "Before the Next Teardrop Falls
." Walker and Fender recorded this duet in early 2006; Fender died of lung cancer
in October of the same year.
Erlewine gave a three-and-a-half star rating, saying that Stegall's production gave it a more traditional sound in comparison to A Few Questions, and that, despite having some "sappy" songs, it was his "most enjoyable collection in some time." The 9513 reviewer Brady Vercher rated it three stars out of five, praising Walker's vocal performance but saying that the song selection "seemed to be lacking in everything but fluff." Country Standard Time reviewer Jeffrey B. Remz wrote that Walker showed "a very pleasant country voice with a good sense of emotion" and that the production was more country-sounding than most mainstream acts, but said that it had several "generic" songs.
," was given an official release date of December 2009, although it had already entered the country charts in late November. In advance of his ninth album, Walker released an extended play
titled She Won't Be Lonely Long. The album, also titled She Won't Be Lonely Long
, was released on June 8, 2010. It includes a cover of Alabama
's 1980 single "Feels So Right
" with a backing vocal from Alabama's lead singer, Randy Owen
. Allmusic reviewer Thom Jurek praised the album for its "straight-up, mainstream contemporary country" sound but said that it did not reflect a change in sound from Fall.
"She Won't Be Lonely Long" peaked at number 4 on the country charts in mid-2010. The album's second single, "Where Do I Go from You
", was released to radio on August 2, 2010, and "Jesse James" followed in late 2011.
hat, sturdy cowpoke face, and very tight jeans" seemed to be from a "Country Music Handbook for Success," but also said that he "ignores the danger of being dismissed as just another hunk in a hat." Walker has been compared to Mark Chesnutt
and Tracy Byrd, both of whom are also Beaumont, Texas natives who began their careers shortly before Walker did. Of the comparison among the three, Rick Koster wrote in the book Texas Music that Walker's success came more quickly than that of Chesnutt or Byrd. Kurt Wolff and Orla Duane, authors of Country Music: The Rough Guide, said that he "had loads of youthful energy, a golden Texas twang, and, of course, plenty of boyish good looks." They also called his music "relatively tame" but said that "his Texas bar-room roots remain clearly visible in his voice and songs." Regarding Walker's onstage persona, former Warner Bros. executive Bill Mayne told Billboard magazine in 1997 that Walker has "maintained a low profile" but that he "really touches people and connects."
Walker described his voice to CMT as "raspy [and] rugged." He cites George Jones
(also a Beaumont native) as a primary influence, as well as James Taylor
and Bob Seger
; he has also said that, because he grew up in a largely African-American neighborhood, his singing style was influenced by rhythm and blues
music. In addition, he said that after his diagnosis, he realized that "you need to love your family" and said that, because he considered his songs positive in nature, he felt that he could connect to younger listeners.
named Lori Jane Lampson. They had two daughters: MaClay DaLayne, born on January 14, 1996, and Skylor ClayAnne, born on May 14, 1999. The couple divorced in 2003. He married model Jessica Craig on September 28, 2007 and had two more children with her: a son named William Clayton, born August 5, 2008 and a daughter named Mary Elizabeth, born December 27, 2009.
Walker has participated in several forms of charity to help raise awareness of MS, including his own non-profit charity, Band Against MS, which he founded in 2003. In 2008, he received a Humanitarian Award for his charitable efforts in relations to MS and participated in a charity golf tournament benefiting his organization.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"What's It to You
What's It to You
"What's It To You" is the debut single of American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, it was also Walker's first Number One single...
," which reached Number One on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts, as did its follow-up, 1994's "Live Until I Die
Live Until I Die
"Live Until I Die" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in October 1993 as the second single from his self-titled debut album. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.-Background:Walker...
." Both singles were included on Walker's self-titled debut album, also released in 1993 via Giant Records. He stayed with the label until its 2001 closure, later recording for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
before joining his current label, Asylum-Curb Records
Curb Records
Curb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963...
, in 2007.
Walker has released a total of 11 albums, including a greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
package and an album of Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
. His first four studio albums all achieved platinum certification
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in the United States, and his greatest hits collection and fifth studio album were each certified gold. In addition, he has charted 30 singles on the country charts, including four more Number One hits for a total of six: "Dreaming with My Eyes Open
Dreaming with My Eyes Open
"Dreaming With My Eyes Open" is the title of a song written by Tony Arata and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in May 1994 as the fourth and final single from his self-titled debut album, and was featured in the soundtrack to the film The Thing Called Love...
," "If I Could Make a Living
If I Could Make a Living (song)
"If I Could Make a Living" is the title of a country music song written by Alan Jackson, Keith Stegall, and Roger Murrah. It was recorded by Clay Walker as the title track to his 1994 studio album of the same name. Released in late 1994 as Walker's fifth chart entry, the song became his fourth...
," "This Woman and This Man
This Woman and This Man
"This Woman And This Man" is the title of a song recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in January 1995 as the second single from his 1994 album, If I Could Make a Living...
" and "Rumor Has It
Rumor Has It (Clay Walker song)
"Rumor Has It" is a single co-written and recorded by country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was the first single released from his album of the same name.-Background:...
." His most recent album, She Won't Be Lonely Long
She Won't Be Lonely Long
She Won't Be Lonely Long is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Clay Walker, and was released on June 8, 2010, via Curb Records. It is Walker's first studio album since 2007's Fall.-Background:...
, was released in mid-2010.
Biography
Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. was born on August 19, 1969 in Beaumont, TexasBeaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
to Ernest and Danna Walker. The oldest of five children, Walker lived in Vidor
Vidor, Texas
Vidor is a city in western Orange County, Texas, United States. A city of Southeast Texas, it lies at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Farm to Market Road 105, six miles east of Beaumont. The town is mainly a bedroom community for the nearby refining complexes in Beaumont and Port Arthur and...
with his father, who gave him a guitar when he was nine years old. Walker began entering talent competitions at age fifteen. After leaving his shift as nighttime desk clerk at a Super 8 Motel in his teenage years, Walker stopped at a local radio station to deliver a tape of a song that he had written. Although the morning disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
told him that the station's policies prohibited playing self-submitted tapes, he played Walker's song and said that it was "too good to pass up."
After graduating from Vidor High School in 1987, Walker began working at a Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
plant. At age nineteen, he also began touring as a musician in the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, playing at various local clubs and eventually finding work as the house singer at a bar in Beaumont called the Neon Armadillo. In November 1992, Walker was discovered by James Stroud
James Stroud
James Stroud is an American musician and record producer who works in pop, rock, and country music. In the 1990s he was the president of Giant Records and held several credits as a session drummer...
, a record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who was also the president of Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
subsidiary Giant Records. Walker signed to Giant late in the year.
Musical career
Walker released his self-titledClay Walker (album)
-Critical reception:Geoffrey Hines of The Washington Post wrote, "The impressive debut album by Clint Black mastermind James Stroud, reveals a young man still casting about for his own style but nonetheless bringing a handsome, personal tenor and a sure rhythmic instinct to every song he tries...
debut album in 1993 under Stroud's production. Its first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
was "What's It to You
What's It to You
"What's It To You" is the debut single of American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, it was also Walker's first Number One single...
;" written by Robert Ellis Orrall
Robert Ellis Orrall
Robert Ellis Orrall is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Signed to RCA Records in 1980, Orrall debuted that year with the album "Fixation". His first Top 40 single was "I Couldn't Say No", a duet with Carlene Carter...
and Curtis Wright
Curtis Wright
Curtis Blaine Wright is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1989 with the single "She's Got a Man on her Mind" on a branch of MCA Records, before recording a solo album in 1992 on Liberty Records...
, this song reached No. 1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts and number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Its followup "Live Until I Die
Live Until I Die
"Live Until I Die" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in October 1993 as the second single from his self-titled debut album. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.-Background:Walker...
" (which Walker wrote), was released late in the year and became his second consecutive No. 1 in early 1994. After those two singles came the number 11 "Where Do I Fit in the Picture
Where Do I Fit in the Picture
"Where Do I Fit in the Picture" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in February 1994 as the third single from his self-titled debut album. It peaked at #11 in the United States and reached #6 in Canada.-Critical reception:Logan...
", which was originally the B-side of "What's It to You." The album accounted for a third No. 1 hit in "Dreaming with My Eyes Open
Dreaming with My Eyes Open
"Dreaming With My Eyes Open" is the title of a song written by Tony Arata and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in May 1994 as the fourth and final single from his self-titled debut album, and was featured in the soundtrack to the film The Thing Called Love...
", a song that was also featured on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the 1994 film The Thing Called Love
The Thing Called Love
The Thing Called Love is an American comedy-drama film released in 1993. It was directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The film's tagline is: "Stand by your dream."...
. An additional cut from the album, "White Palace," charted at number 67 on the country charts without being released as a single.
Clay Walker was certified
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for shipments of one million copies. It peaked at number 8 on Top Country Albums, number 2 on Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
and number 52 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Larry Powell of Allmusic gave the album a four-and-a-half star rating, saying that Walker had a "high-energy" voice reminiscent of Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
. Walker also received two award nominations in 1994: Star of Tomorrow award from TNN
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
/Music City News and Top New Male Vocalist from the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
.
1994–96: If I Could Make a Living and Hypnotize the Moon
If I Could Make a LivingIf I Could Make a Living
-Critical reception:Chris Rimlinger of Rocky Mountain News gave the album a B+ rating and wrote "This sophomore project, while not quite as satisfying as his first one, reinforces his credibility as an up-and-coming major player. Walker has written and chosen material that treat old themes in new...
was the title of Walker's second album, released in 1994. It produced two more No. 1 singles in the title track
If I Could Make a Living (song)
"If I Could Make a Living" is the title of a country music song written by Alan Jackson, Keith Stegall, and Roger Murrah. It was recorded by Clay Walker as the title track to his 1994 studio album of the same name. Released in late 1994 as Walker's fifth chart entry, the song became his fourth...
(co-written by Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...
, Keith Stegall
Keith Stegall
Robert Keith Stegall is an American country music recording artist and record producer. Active since 1980, Stegall has recorded two-major label studio albums: 1985's Keith Stegall and 1996's Passages...
and Roger Murrah
Roger Murrah
Roger Murrah is a songwriter and music publisher who has written hits for artists including Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, Al Jarreau, and Alabama....
) and 1995's "This Woman and This Man
This Woman and This Man
"This Woman And This Man" is the title of a song recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in January 1995 as the second single from his 1994 album, If I Could Make a Living...
." This latter song spent two weeks at No. 1, accounting for his first multi-week No. 1 hit. After these two singles came the number 16 "My Heart Will Never Know
My Heart Will Never Know
"My Heart Will Never Know" is the title of a song song written by Steve Dorff and Billy Kirsch, and recorded by American country music artist Clay Walker. It was released in May 1995 as the third single from his 1994 album If I Could Make a Living...
". If I Could Make a Living went platinum in May 1995, reaching number 2 on the country albums charts. Gordon Ely of the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Richmond Times-Dispatch is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond the capital of Virginia, United States, and is commonly considered the "newspaper of record" for events occurring in much of the state...
gave a favorable review, saying that "Walker has broken loose from Nashville's most recent crop of carefully crafted cowboys." Walker also began touring in 1995 as a headlining act, in support of this album.
Late in 1995, Walker released his third studio album, titled Hypnotize the Moon
Hypnotize the Moon
-Critical reception:The editors at Billboard wrote in their review of the album "Walker is a big-voiced Texas singer with smart song selection and a minimalist honky-tonk production. He sounds unassuming until you realize that's what he's all about. He gets in your yard without ever getting in your...
. Although none of its singles reached No. 1, Hypnotize the Moon produced two consecutive number 2 hits in "Who Needs You Baby
Who Needs You Baby
"Who Needs You Baby" is a song co-written and recorded by country music artist Clay Walker. It is the lead-off single to his 1995 album Hypnotize the Moon. It peaked at #2 in both the United States and Canada.-Reception:...
" (which Walker co-wrote) and the title track
Hypnotize the Moon (song)
"Hypnotize the Moon" is a song written by Steve Dorff and Eric Kaz, and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. Released in January 1996 as the second single from Walker's CD, Hypnotize the Moon, it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.-Reception:Larry...
, followed by the number 5 "Only on Days That End in 'Y'
Only on Days That End in "Y"
"Only on Days That End in "Y"" is the title of a song written by Richard Fagan and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released May 27, 1996 as the third single from his 1995 album, Hypnotize the Moon...
" and number 18 "Bury the Shovel
Bury the Shovel
"Bury the Shovel is the title of a country music song written by Chris Arms and Chuck Jones. It was recorded by American singer Clay Walker on his 1995 album Hypnotize the Moon and released as the album's fourth and final single....
". Hypnotize the Moon was certified platinum in 1996, making for Walker's third consecutive platinum album. This album received a four-star rating from Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
, who said that it was his "most assured, cohesive album to date" and that he gave a "consistently excellent performance." Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer.Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books...
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
thought that Walker did not show a distinct musical personality, but considered the song selection strong and gave it a "B+." Richard McVey II of Country Standard Time
Country Standard Time
Country Standard Time is a website dedicated to country music and related genres such as Bluegrass and Rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1992 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a print magazine, which was first published only in New England but went...
considered it a "throwback" in sound to Walker's debut, while USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
said that it lacked the "verve" of that album.
1996–97: Rumor Has It
Having just completed the tracks for his fourth album in 1996, Walker was playing basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
with a friend, when he began to experience numbness, facial spasms, and double vision. Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
revealed that he had multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
(MS). Walker subsequently began changing his diet and treating the disease with a daily injection of Copaxone, sending his MS into an arrested state.
Also in early 1996, Nu Millennia Media released Self Portrait, which included five of Walker's songs in an interactive CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
format and 30 minutes of video footage. He then released his fourth album, 1997's Rumor Has It
Rumor Has It (Clay Walker album)
-Critical reception:Mikel Toombs of The San Diego Union-Tribune gave the album a negative review writing, "An overactive arrangement and a mess of vocal mannerisms fail to hide the song's mundane nature. And Walker's singing also doesn't benefit "Country Boy and City Girl," a failed attempt at a...
, which he co-produced with Stroud. Its title track
Rumor Has It (Clay Walker song)
"Rumor Has It" is a single co-written and recorded by country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was the first single released from his album of the same name.-Background:...
, the first single, became his sixth and final No. 1 single that year. Other singles from the album included the number 18 "One, Two, I Love You
One, Two, I Love You
"One, Two, I Love You" is the title of a song written by Ed Hill and Bucky Jones. It was recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker on his 1997 album Rumor Has It and released as the album's second single....
" and the Top 5 hits "Watch This
Watch This
"Watch This" is the title of a country music song written by Ron Harbin, Aaron Barker and Anthony L. Smith. It was recorded by American singer Clay Walker on his 1997 album Rumor Has It, from which it was released as a single late that year....
" and "Then What?
Then What?
"Then What?" is a single by American country music artist Clay Walker that reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart...
" at number 4 and number 2, respectively. The latter also reached number 65 on the Hot 100, making for his first entry on that chart since "What's It to You." As with his three previous studio albums, Rumor Has It was certified platinum. Larry Stephens of Country Standard Time gave this album a mostly-negative review, calling the songs "cookie-cutter" outside "I Need a Margarita". Thom Owens of Allmusic also thought that it was formulaic, but said that Walker was "able to make even mediocre material sound good", rating it three stars out of five.
1998–2000: Greatest Hits and Live, Laugh, Love
In April 1998, Walker charted with a live rendition of Earl Thomas ConleyEarl Thomas Conley
Earl Thomas Conley is an American country music singer-songwriter. Between 1980 and 2003, he recorded ten studio albums, including seven for the RCA Records label. In the 1980s and into the 1990s, Conley also charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which...
's 1983 single "Holding Her and Loving You
Holding Her and Loving You
"Holding Her and Loving You" is the title of a song written by Walt Aldridge and Tom Brasfield and recorded by American country music artist Earl Thomas Conley. It was released in August 1983 as the second single from the album, "Don't Make It Easy for Me". The song was Earl Thomas Conley's fourth...
". This rendition spent nine weeks on the charts and peaked at number 68. One month later, he debuted his sixteenth single, "Ordinary People
Ordinary People (Clay Walker song)
"Ordinary People is the title of a country music song written by Ed Hill and Craig Wiseman. It was recorded by American singer Clay Walker on his 1998 Greatest Hits album and released as the album's first single....
". Peaking at number 35, this was one of two new songs included on his Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Clay Walker album)
-Critical reception:Kris Teo of Sunday Mail wrote "The material will never be confused with thinking man's country since it punches all the predictable thematic buttons...
album. That album's other new track, "You're Beginning to Get to Me
You're Beginning to Get to Me
"You're Beginning To Get To Me" is a single by American country music singer Clay Walker. Released as the second single from his CD, Greatest Hits, it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart....
", made its debut in August 1998. It peaked at number 2 on the country charts and number 39 on the Hot 100 in January 1999, the same month in which Greatest Hits was certified gold. Also in 1998, Walker performed a sold-out show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, also called RodeoHouston, is the world's largest live entertainment and livestock exhibition. It also includes the richest regular-season rodeo event. It has been held at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, since 2003...
.
Doug Johnson, who succeeded Stroud as Giant Records' president, produced Walker's 1999 album Live, Laugh, Love
Live, Laugh, Love
-Critical reception:Paul Verna of Billboard wrote "Clay Walker is quietly establishing himself as one of today's leading men in country. He has always had a strong live act, and that quality has been increasingly evident on his albums." Verna also listed "Holding Her and Loving You" and "If a Man...
. Regarding its production and promotion, the label's senior director of marketing Connie Baer said that she wanted to raise Walker's profile as an artist, as both she and Johnson thought that he did not have the same level of recognition as other artists with similar album sales and chart success. This album was led off by the number 16 country and number 74 pop hit "She's Always Right
She's Always Right
"She's Always Right" is a song written by Richie McDonald, Phil Barnhart, Ed Hill and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 1999 as the first single to his album Live, Laugh, Love...
", which was co-written by Lonestar
Lonestar
Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald , Michael Britt , Keech Rainwater , Dean Sams , and Michael Hill . McDonald left the band in November 2007 for a solo career before returning in 2011...
's then-lead singer Richie McDonald
Richie McDonald
Richard Vance "Richie" McDonald is an American country music artist. From 1992 until his departure in 2007, he was the lead singer of the group Lonestar, which recorded seven studio albums on BNA Records during his tenure as lead vocalist. McDonald co-wrote several of the band's singles, and sang...
. After this song came the title track
Live, Laugh, Love (song)
"Live, Laugh, Love" is a single by country singer Clay Walker. Released in August 1999 as the second single from his 1999 album of the same name, "Live, Laugh, Love" reached a peak of #11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts...
at number 11 country and number 65 pop. "The Chain of Love
The Chain of Love
"The Chain of Love" is the title of a song written by Rory Lee Feek and Jonnie Barnett, and recorded by country singer Clay Walker. It was released in January 2000 as the third single from his 1999 album Live, Laugh, Love, "The Chain of Love" reached a peak of #3 on the Billboard Hot Country...
", written by Rory Lee Feek
Rory Lee Feek
Rory Lee Feek is an American country music singer and songwriter. In his career, he has written singles for Clay Walker, Blake Shelton, Tracy Byrd and other artists. He and his wife, Joey Martin Feek, comprise the duo Joey + Rory, who placed third on the first season of the CMT talent show Can You...
and Jonnie Barnett
Jonnie Barnett
Jonathan Barnett Kaye , known professionally as Jonnie Barnett, was an American musician. In the 1970s, he performed as an opening act for several acts such as Tom Waits, Cheech and Chong, and Frank Zappa...
, was the album's third and most successful single, reaching number 3 on the country charts and number 40 on the Hot 100. Both it and "Once in a Lifetime Love," the fourth single, first charted from unsolicited airplay received while "Live, Laugh, Love" was climbing the charts. "Once in a Lifetime Love
Once in a Lifetime Love
"Once in a Lifetime Love" is the title of a song written by Jason M. Greene who co-wrote the single with and was recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released on May 9, 2000 as the fourth and final single to his album Live, Laugh, Love...
", upon its release, became his lowest-peaking single release, reaching number 50. The album also included a studio version of the Earl Thomas Conley cover.
Erlewine gave the album three stars on Allmusic, where he wrote that it "never really distinguishes itself from its predecessors" but "has its moments." Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time also thought that the album was inconsistent, saying that "She's Always Right," "The Chain of Love" and the Conley cover were its strongest tracks, but that the rest "treads no new ground." Deborah Evans Price of Billboard was more favorable, saying that it showed the energy of his live shows, and that he "cut loose" with soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singing on "This Time Love."
In late 2000, Walker recorded two tracks on Believe: A Christmas Collection
Believe: A Christmas Collection
-Critical reception:Editors at The Cincinnati Post wrote "You might not be able to pick Clay Walker out of a lineup of second-tier country singers, but don't overlook this CD. Producer Jim Ed Norman paid careful attention to instrumentation, expertly meshing oboe, harp and everything else at his...
, a multi-artist Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
album released by Giant. These two tracks — a cover version of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's "Blue Christmas
Blue Christmas
"Blue Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson. The heart-broken tale of unrequited love during the holidays had long been considered a Christmas staple of country music, having been recorded first by Doye O'Dell in 1948 and popularised by Ernest Tubb the next year...
" and the original song "Cowboy Christmas" — both made appearances on the country charts, reaching number 51 and number 70, respectively.
2001–02: Say No More and Christmas
Walker released his twenty-third single, "Say No More," for Giant in early 2001. It was the first single release from his sixth studio album, also titled Say No MoreSay No More (Clay Walker album)
-Critical reception:Michael Paoletta and Ray Waddell of Billboard gave the album a positve review writng "Say No More is a sonically adventurous album on which Walker offers more pop tendencies than usual, without sacrificing his country pedigree...
. "Say No More
Say No More (Clay Walker song)
"Say No More" is the title of a song written by George Teren and Tom Shapiro and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in February 2001 as the title track and first single to his album Say No More...
" peaked at number 33 on the country charts, and the album's only other single, the Jerry Kilgore
Jerry Kilgore (singer)
Jerry Kilgore is an American country music artist. He has recorded two studio albums: 1999's Love Trip on the Virgin Records label, and 2007's Loaded & Empty on his personal Nic-Nic-Neer label. The former album produced three chart singles on the Billboard country music charts, including a Top 40...
co-write "If You Ever Feel Like Lovin' Me Again
If You Ever Feel Like Lovin' Me Again
"If You Ever Feel Like Lovin' Me Again" is the title of a song written by Jeff Stevens, Steve Bogard, and Jerry Kilgore and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in June 2001 as the second and finale single to his album Say No More...
", reached number 27. This latter song was promoted by Giant's parent company, Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
Nashville, as Giant had closed in late 2001. Walker co-produced the album with veteran producers Byron Gallimore
Byron Gallimore
Byron Gallimore is an American record producer known for his work in the field of country music. He has worked with artists such as Sugarland, Lee Ann Womack, Jo Dee Messina, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, whose 1999 album Breathe won him the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.-Biography:Byron...
and Blake Mevis, and session guitarist Brent Mason
Brent Mason
Brent Mason is an American session guitarist and occasional songwriter. He is known primarily for his work in the field of country music. In addition to releasing two instrumental studio albums, he holds several credits as a songwriter...
. The album also included a song that Walker wrote in high school, and a cover of Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
' "La Bamba
La Bamba (song)
"La Bamba" is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a top 40 hit in the U.S. charts and one of early rock and roll's best-known songs...
." Maria Konicki Dinoia of Allmusic rated it three stars, with her review saying that "the sensitivity on this album is so expressive that it makes you want to run right out and hug the one you love." Country Standard Time critic Mike Clark considered it a transition to a more country pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
-oriented sound, describing the album as being "full of bad lyrics and overwrought production clichés."
In 2002, Walker wrote and recorded a song for the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's newest expansion team at the time, the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Titled "Football Time in Houston," the song was used as the team's official fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
during its inaugural season. In an interview with CMT, he said that he donated the song to the city of Houston, and that he sings "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
" at the team's opening game every season.
Although he had left Warner Bros. for RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
' Nashville division in May 2002, Warner Bros. released a Christmas music album entitled Christmas in September of the same year. It included a cover of José Feliciano
José Feliciano
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
's "Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad (song)
"Feliz Navidad" is a Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. With its simple Spanish chorus "Feliz Navidad" is a Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. With its simple Spanish chorus "Feliz Navidad" is a...
," which Walker took to number 49 on the country charts in January 2003.
2003–04: A Few Questions
Walker's first single release for RCA, "A Few QuestionsA Few Questions (song)
"A Few Questions" is a song written by Ray Scott, Phillip Moore, and Adam Wheeler, and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in April 2003 as the lead-off single and title track to his 2003 album, A Few Questions...
", debuted in April 2003. The song spent twenty-seven weeks on the country charts and peaked at number 9, making for his first top ten entry since "The Chain of Love" three years previous. This was the first single from his only RCA album, also titled A Few Questions
A Few Questions
-Critical reception:Ralph Novak of People Magazine gave the album 2 and a half stars and wrote "The singer ponders a bit too much for his own good."...
. Its second single, the Chely Wright
Chely Wright
Richell Rene "Chely" Wright is an American country music artist and, starting in 2010, gay rights activist. On the strength of her debut album in 1994, the Academy of Country Music named her Top New Female Vocalist in 1995. Wright's first Top 40 country hit came in 1997 with "Shut Up and Drive"...
co-write "I Can't Sleep
I Can't Sleep (song)
"I Can't Sleep" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in January 2004 as the second single from his 2003 album, A Few Questions, it peaked at #9 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, and features Chely Wright on background...
," also peaked at number 9 in early 2004. The third and final single was the number 31 "Jesus Was a Country Boy
Jesus Was a Country Boy
"Jesus Was a Country Boy" is a song written by Rivers Rutherford and Clay Walker and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 2004 as the third and final single to his album A Few Questions...
", which Walker wrote with Rivers Rutherford
Rivers Rutherford
Rivers Rutherford is an American country music songwriter. Active since the mid-1990s as a songwriter, he has penned several Number One country hits, including "Ain't Nothing 'bout You" by Brooks & Dunn, which was the Number One country song of 2001 according to Billboard...
. A Few Questions accounted for his second-highest peak on the country albums charts, reaching number 3.
Erlewine rated this album two-and-a-half stars out of five on Allmusic. He considered the album more country pop-oriented than Walker's work for Giant, saying that this change in sound made it not "feel like a Clay Walker album." Dan McIntosh gave a mostly-negative review for Country Standard Time, where he wrote that "even his passionate singing cannot rise above this album's predictable lyrics and lame arrangements."
2005–08: Fall
Walker was signed his third record deal in July 2005, this time with the AsylumAsylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell...
-Curb division of Curb Records
Curb Records
Curb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963...
. His first single for the label, "'Fore She Was Mama
'Fore She Was Mama
"Fore She Was Mama" is a song written by Casey Beathard and Phil O'Donnell and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 2006 as the first single to his album Fall. It peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks in 2007...
," reached a peak of number 21 in March 2007. It was included on his album Fall, which was produced by Keith Stegall. The album's title cut, "Fall," was written by Clay Mills
Clay Mills
Clayton Bernard "Clay" Mills is an American songwriter. His credits include the #1 hits "Beautiful Mess" by Diamond Rio and "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" by Darius Rucker, which won Mills an award from ASCAP. Other country music artists who have charted with his singles include Andy Griggs...
along with former Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
artist Shane Minor
Shane Minor
Shane Allen Minor is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 1999, Minor released his self-titled album that year, and it produced three hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts...
and former Exile
Exile (American band)
Exile, originally known as The Exiles, is an American band founded in Richmond, Kentucky by J.P. Pennington. They started by playing local clubs which led to touring with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars opening shows and providing backup for major rock artists of the period.Their name was shortened...
member Sonny LeMaire. Fo It was the second single release from Fall, going to number 5 on the country charts and number 55 on the Hot 100. The album's third and final single was "She Likes It in the Morning
She Likes It in the Morning
"She Likes It in the Morning is the title of a country music song written by Clay Walker and M. Jason Greene. It was recorded by American singer Clay Walker on his 2007 album Fall album and released as the album's third and final single....
", with a number 43 country peak. Fall also included a duet with Freddy Fender
Freddy Fender
Freddy Fender , born Baldemar Garza Huerta in San Benito, Texas, United States, was a Mexican-American Tejano, country and rock and roll musician, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados...
, the first duet of Walker's career, on a cover of Fender's debut single "Before the Next Teardrop Falls
Before the Next Teardrop Falls (song)
"Before the Next Teardrop Falls" is an American country and pop song written by Vivian Keith and Ben Peters, and most famously recorded by Freddy Fender.-Song history:...
." Walker and Fender recorded this duet in early 2006; Fender died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in October of the same year.
Erlewine gave a three-and-a-half star rating, saying that Stegall's production gave it a more traditional sound in comparison to A Few Questions, and that, despite having some "sappy" songs, it was his "most enjoyable collection in some time." The 9513 reviewer Brady Vercher rated it three stars out of five, praising Walker's vocal performance but saying that the song selection "seemed to be lacking in everything but fluff." Country Standard Time reviewer Jeffrey B. Remz wrote that Walker showed "a very pleasant country voice with a good sense of emotion" and that the production was more country-sounding than most mainstream acts, but said that it had several "generic" songs.
2009–present: She Won't Be Lonely Long
Walker's second album for Asylum-Curb was first announced in June 2009. Its first single, "She Won't Be Lonely LongShe Won't Be Lonely Long (song)
"She Won't Be Lonely Long" is the title of a country music song written by Galen Griffin, Doug Johnson, and Phil O'Donnell, and recorded by American country music artist Clay Walker. It is the first single from his ninth studio album, also titled She Won't Be Lonely Long...
," was given an official release date of December 2009, although it had already entered the country charts in late November. In advance of his ninth album, Walker released an extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
titled She Won't Be Lonely Long. The album, also titled She Won't Be Lonely Long
She Won't Be Lonely Long
She Won't Be Lonely Long is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Clay Walker, and was released on June 8, 2010, via Curb Records. It is Walker's first studio album since 2007's Fall.-Background:...
, was released on June 8, 2010. It includes a cover of Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
's 1980 single "Feels So Right
Feels So Right (song)
"Feels So Right" is a song made famous by the country music band Alabama. Written by the group's lead singer, Randy Owen when he was only 18 years old, the song was released in 1981 as the title track to the band's second RCA Records album. It became the group's fourth straight No. 1 single "Feels...
" with a backing vocal from Alabama's lead singer, Randy Owen
Randy Owen
Randy Owen is an American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band which saw considerable mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Although Alabama only records new albums on occasion, Owen himself has maintained a career...
. Allmusic reviewer Thom Jurek praised the album for its "straight-up, mainstream contemporary country" sound but said that it did not reflect a change in sound from Fall.
"She Won't Be Lonely Long" peaked at number 4 on the country charts in mid-2010. The album's second single, "Where Do I Go from You
Where Do I Go from You
"Where Do I Go from You" is a song written by Don Cook, Clint Daniels, and Ryan Tyndell and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in August 2010 as the second single to his album She Won't Be Lonely Long...
", was released to radio on August 2, 2010, and "Jesse James" followed in late 2011.
Musical image and influences
In 1994, Bob Cannon of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Walker's image of a "ResistolResistol
Resistol Hats is a Garland, Texas, United States-based manufacturer of premium hats, many of which have been worn by or given to notable figures around the world. The company is best known as a maker of cowboy hats...
hat, sturdy cowpoke face, and very tight jeans" seemed to be from a "Country Music Handbook for Success," but also said that he "ignores the danger of being dismissed as just another hunk in a hat." Walker has been compared to Mark Chesnutt
Mark Chesnutt
Mark Nelson Chesnutt is an American country music singer. Chesnutt recorded and released his first album, Doing My Country Thing, in the late-1980s on private independent record label, Axbar Records, with the vinyl album version now a collector's item...
and Tracy Byrd, both of whom are also Beaumont, Texas natives who began their careers shortly before Walker did. Of the comparison among the three, Rick Koster wrote in the book Texas Music that Walker's success came more quickly than that of Chesnutt or Byrd. Kurt Wolff and Orla Duane, authors of Country Music: The Rough Guide, said that he "had loads of youthful energy, a golden Texas twang, and, of course, plenty of boyish good looks." They also called his music "relatively tame" but said that "his Texas bar-room roots remain clearly visible in his voice and songs." Regarding Walker's onstage persona, former Warner Bros. executive Bill Mayne told Billboard magazine in 1997 that Walker has "maintained a low profile" but that he "really touches people and connects."
Walker described his voice to CMT as "raspy [and] rugged." He cites George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
(also a Beaumont native) as a primary influence, as well as James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
and Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
; he has also said that, because he grew up in a largely African-American neighborhood, his singing style was influenced by rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music. In addition, he said that after his diagnosis, he realized that "you need to love your family" and said that, because he considered his songs positive in nature, he felt that he could connect to younger listeners.
Personal life
Before the release of his first single, Walker married a rodeo queenRodeo queen
A rodeo queen is a female representative and "face" of the sport of rodeo. She represents her rodeo, association, or region for a standard time of usually 12 months and is usually required to wear a cowboy hat, crown, and banner with her title on it. Being a rodeo queen requires skills in western...
named Lori Jane Lampson. They had two daughters: MaClay DaLayne, born on January 14, 1996, and Skylor ClayAnne, born on May 14, 1999. The couple divorced in 2003. He married model Jessica Craig on September 28, 2007 and had two more children with her: a son named William Clayton, born August 5, 2008 and a daughter named Mary Elizabeth, born December 27, 2009.
Walker has participated in several forms of charity to help raise awareness of MS, including his own non-profit charity, Band Against MS, which he founded in 2003. In 2008, he received a Humanitarian Award for his charitable efforts in relations to MS and participated in a charity golf tournament benefiting his organization.
Albums
- Clay WalkerClay Walker (album)-Critical reception:Geoffrey Hines of The Washington Post wrote, "The impressive debut album by Clint Black mastermind James Stroud, reveals a young man still casting about for his own style but nonetheless bringing a handsome, personal tenor and a sure rhythmic instinct to every song he tries...
(1993) - If I Could Make a LivingIf I Could Make a Living-Critical reception:Chris Rimlinger of Rocky Mountain News gave the album a B+ rating and wrote "This sophomore project, while not quite as satisfying as his first one, reinforces his credibility as an up-and-coming major player. Walker has written and chosen material that treat old themes in new...
(1994) - Hypnotize the MoonHypnotize the Moon-Critical reception:The editors at Billboard wrote in their review of the album "Walker is a big-voiced Texas singer with smart song selection and a minimalist honky-tonk production. He sounds unassuming until you realize that's what he's all about. He gets in your yard without ever getting in your...
(1995) - Rumor Has ItRumor Has It (Clay Walker album)-Critical reception:Mikel Toombs of The San Diego Union-Tribune gave the album a negative review writing, "An overactive arrangement and a mess of vocal mannerisms fail to hide the song's mundane nature. And Walker's singing also doesn't benefit "Country Boy and City Girl," a failed attempt at a...
(1997) - Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (Clay Walker album)-Critical reception:Kris Teo of Sunday Mail wrote "The material will never be confused with thinking man's country since it punches all the predictable thematic buttons...
(1998) - Live, Laugh, LoveLive, Laugh, Love-Critical reception:Paul Verna of Billboard wrote "Clay Walker is quietly establishing himself as one of today's leading men in country. He has always had a strong live act, and that quality has been increasingly evident on his albums." Verna also listed "Holding Her and Loving You" and "If a Man...
(1999) - Say No MoreSay No More (Clay Walker album)-Critical reception:Michael Paoletta and Ray Waddell of Billboard gave the album a positve review writng "Say No More is a sonically adventurous album on which Walker offers more pop tendencies than usual, without sacrificing his country pedigree...
(2001) - Christmas (2002)
- A Few QuestionsA Few Questions-Critical reception:Ralph Novak of People Magazine gave the album 2 and a half stars and wrote "The singer ponders a bit too much for his own good."...
(2003) - Fall (2007)
- She Won't Be Lonely LongShe Won't Be Lonely LongShe Won't Be Lonely Long is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Clay Walker, and was released on June 8, 2010, via Curb Records. It is Walker's first studio album since 2007's Fall.-Background:...
(2010)
Number-one singles
- "What's It to YouWhat's It to You"What's It To You" is the debut single of American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, it was also Walker's first Number One single...
" (1993) - "Live Until I DieLive Until I Die"Live Until I Die" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in October 1993 as the second single from his self-titled debut album. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.-Background:Walker...
" (1993–1994) - "Dreaming with My Eyes OpenDreaming with My Eyes Open"Dreaming With My Eyes Open" is the title of a song written by Tony Arata and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in May 1994 as the fourth and final single from his self-titled debut album, and was featured in the soundtrack to the film The Thing Called Love...
" (1994) - "If I Could Make a LivingIf I Could Make a Living (song)"If I Could Make a Living" is the title of a country music song written by Alan Jackson, Keith Stegall, and Roger Murrah. It was recorded by Clay Walker as the title track to his 1994 studio album of the same name. Released in late 1994 as Walker's fifth chart entry, the song became his fourth...
" (1994) - "This Woman and This ManThis Woman and This Man"This Woman And This Man" is the title of a song recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in January 1995 as the second single from his 1994 album, If I Could Make a Living...
" (1995) - "Rumor Has ItRumor Has It (Clay Walker song)"Rumor Has It" is a single co-written and recorded by country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was the first single released from his album of the same name.-Background:...
" (1997)
Awards
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Radio & Records Radio & Records Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and... |
Best New Male Artist | |
| 1994 | TNN/Music City News | Star of Tomorrow | |
| Academy of Country Music Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the... |
Top New Male Vocalist | ||
| American Music Awards American Music Awards -Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC... |
Favorite Country New Artist | ||
| 1995 | Country Song Roundup | Best New Male Vocalist |