Search - Billy Walker :: Columbia Hits

A valuable collection

Jess | Coal Country, PA | 08/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With the recent loss of Billy Walker, Country Music lost an incredible stylist. Noone had a voice quite like Billy; just as smooth as his contemporaries such as Jim Reeves and Ray Price, but sadly, often overlooked. This selection of Columbia Hits includes some real Honky Tonk numbers, including "The Storm Within My Heart", "Down to My Last Cigarette", and of course "Charlies Shoes". There's also a few Western Story-numbers made popular by the likes of Marty Robbins; Billy's contributions are "Matamoras" and perhaps his most popular song "Cross the Brazos at Waco". But, Billy Walker is known best for his "Countrypolitan" style, which had a much more soft-Pop oriented sound. I am no big fan of the late Nashville Sound or the Countrypolitan-style, but Billy Walker maintained his perfect smooth delivery throughout his career, and for such, deserves the utmost respect. The sound and mixing on this KOCH Records 2005 release is great. The liner notes are a little thin, but they are present. This one deserves your money; it's a good compilation and surpasses any of the trash coming out of Nashville nowadays. B+"

Billy Walker "Classic."

Big Ian | uk | 12/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Billy Walker album is a must buy for anyone who loves old style country music. Billy has a superb voice, much in the mould of Marty Robbins.

Too me, this album is one of his best, with superb tracks throughout.

Highly recommended album for anyone who love classic country music.

Big Ian."

Excellent single-disc overview of an old country hitmaker

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 08/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Texas-born Billy Walker started recording in the late 1940s, but took several years before he made a dent in the charts. This disc collects his big hits for Columbia Records, including his biggest hit, "Charlie's Shoes," from 1961 and followups such as "Cross The Brazos At Waco," which was a western-themed tune, ala Marty Robbins. Walker was a poppy crooner very much in the Marty Robbins style; fans of rough-edged honkytonk will only find a few tunes here to get their toes a-tapping, although countrypolitan aficianados and Walker's oldtime fans will be cheered to see this classic material back in print again. (The other option is to pick up Bear Family's collosal 6-disc box set, which covers the same years, but this sampling is probably enough to satisfy most folks' curiousity...)"