Gary Walker (born Gary Leeds; March 9, 1942) is an American

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

, who was the

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

and

vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

with both

the Standells The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and are said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and ...

and

the Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers were an American pop group formed in Los Angeles in 1964 by John Walker (musician), John Walker (real name John Maus) and Scott Walker (singer), Scott Walker (real name Noel Scott Engel), with Gary Walker (musician), Gary Wal ...

Career

The Standells

Born Gary Leeds, his professional career started in 1962 when he was recruited to join

The Standells The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and are said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and ...

. He toured with the group from 1962 to 1964. For a period of time in 1964, he toured with

P. J. Proby P. J. Proby (born James Marcus Smith; November 6, 1938) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Proby recorded the singles " Hold Me", " Somewhere", and " Maria". In 2008, EMI released the greatest hits album '' Best of the EMI Years 19 ...

The Walker Brothers

In 1964, Gary met John Walker and Scott Walker (real name Scott Engel). The two persuaded Gary to join their band

The Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers were an American pop group formed in Los Angeles in 1964 by John Walker (musician), John Walker (real name John Maus) and Scott Walker (singer), Scott Walker (real name Noel Scott Engel), with Gary Walker (musician), Gary Wal ...

, and take the stagename “Gary Walker” (something all three members did as they were not related). He has been credited as the catalyst in bringing the unrelated Walker Brothers to the UK in 1965 where, for a couple of years, they enjoyed commercial success. The Walker Brothers are best remembered for their 1966 hit single, a cover of

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

’s "

The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore) "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was originally released as a single credited to Frankie Valli as a solo artist in 1965 on the Smash label, but was more successful when recorded by the Walk ...

". He had two minor UK

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

s while still a member of the group in 1966. After a UK tour in April 1967, which also featured

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and musician. He has sold more than 100 million records and has more than two billion st ...

, and Engelbert Humperdinck, followed by a tour of Japan in 1968, the group officially disbanded. Late in 1974, Walker, Engel and Leeds agreed to reform The Walker Brothers. In 1975, they released the album '' No Regrets''. The title track went to no. 7 on the British charts. The second incarnation of the band split in 1978. In the following years, two reunion performances occurred, in 1982 and 1991.

Gary Walker and the Rain

In 1967 he founded Gary Walker and the Rain, which consisted of

Joey Molland Joseph Charles Molland II (21 June 1947 – 1 March 2025) was an English songwriter and rock guitarist whose recording career spanned five decades. He was best known as a member of Badfinger, the most successful of the acts he performed with. Mo ...

(later of the band

Badfinger Badfinger were a Welsh rock music, rock band formed in Swansea in 1961. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (musician), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recognised for th ...

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

and vocals); Charles "Paul" Crane (lead vocals, guitar); and John Lawson (

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

). They released four singles between 1968 and 1969. Their debut album, ''Album No.1'', was published in 1968.

Solo

As a solo artist, Leeds released his debut single, " You Don't Love Me"/"Get It Right", in February 1966. He released two singles in May 1966 and 1968. His fourth and last single was a cover of

The Easybeats The Easybeats were an Australian Rock music, rock band which formed in Sydney in late 1964. They are best known for their 1966 hit single "Friday on My Mind", which is regarded as the first Australian rock song to achieve international success ...

’ 1968 song " Hello, How Are You", (B-side: “Fran”) which was released in March 1975 and was produced by Allan Clarke, former frontman for

The Hollies The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Singer Allan Clarke and ...

Later career

Gary and Walker Brother, John Walker, published their own joint autobiography, ''The Walker Brothers: No Regrets—Our Story,'' in 2009. Walker still remains active in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Personal life

As of 2019, owing to the death of Scott Walker, Gary is now the last surviving member of The Walker Brothers.

Bands

(1962-1964) *

(1964-1968, 1971, 1975-1978, 1982, 1991) * Solo (1966-present) * Gary Walker and The Rain (1968-1969)

Discography

The Walker Brothers

Albums

* '' Take It Easy with the Walker Brothers'' (1965) * '' Introducing The Walker Brothers'' (1965) (1st US album) * ''

Portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...

'' (1966) * ''

The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was originally released as a single credited to Frankie Valli as a solo artist in 1965 on the Smash label, but was more successful when recorded by the Walk ...

'' (1966) (2nd US album) * ''

Images An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be displayed through other media, including a project ...

'' (1967) * '' No Regrets'' (1975) * '' Lines'' (1976) * '' Nite Flights'' (1978)

Solo

Singles

*" ''You Don't Love Me''" (T Raye)/"''Get It Right''" (J Stewart) –

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

202036 – Feb 1966 ( Produced by Scott Walker & John Stewart) UK #26 in February 1966 *"''Twinkie-Lee''" (J Bright)/"''She Makes Me Feel Better''" (J Stewart) – CBS 202081 – May 1966 (Produced by Scott Walker & John Stewart) UK #26 in May 1966 *"'' Hello, How Are You''" (

Vanda ''Vanda'', abbreviated in the horticultural trade as ''V.,'' is a genus in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. There are 90 species, and the genus is commonly cultivated for the marketplace. This genus and its allies are considered to be among the ...

Young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one's age is low, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an America ...

)/"''Fran''" (Gary Leeds) –

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

UP 34742 – March 1975 (Produced by Allan Clarke from

) *"''Cutie Morning Moon''" (Scott Walker/Masaharu Honjo)/"''Gary’s Theme''" (Masaharu Honjo) –

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

FS 1041 - 1968 (Notes:

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

only released

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

recorded with The Carnabeats, produced by Scott Walker who also played

)

Gary Walker and the Rain

Singles

*"''Spooky''" (Middlebrooks/Shapiro)/"''I Can't Stand To Lose You''" (Gary Walker/Paul Crane) - Polydor 56237/Japan: Philips SFL 1150 – January 1968 (Produced by Scott Walker) *"''Come In You’ll Get Pneumonia''" (

)/"''Francis''" (Leeds/Molland/Crane/Lawson) - Philips BF 1740 - 1969 *"''The View''" (G Leeds/J Molland)/"''Thoughts Of An Old Man''" (G Leeds/J Molland) – Japan only: Philips SFL 1174 - 1968 *"''Magazine Woman''" (J Molland)/"''Take A Look''" (J Molland) – Japan only: Philips SFL 1740 – 1968

Albums

*''Album No. 1'' – Japan only: Philips SFX 7133 - 1968

Bibliography

* ''The Walker Brothers: No Regrets—Our Story'' (2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Gary 1942 births Living people Musicians from Glendale, California American rock drummers American expatriates in the United Kingdom 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians The Walker Brothers members The Standells members Drummers from California