Troy Walker (born Richard Walker; 1938) is an American singer known for his live stage performances which included comedy, impersonations, and banter. "He struts onto a nightclub floor," reported the '' L.A. Weekly'' in 1999, "A painstakingly coifed roaring fireball of conflict and artistry in 6-inch heels and an ostrich boa." The paper also called him "the world's first and only professional transgender country singer." ''Billboard'' described him as a "wild rocker" with "swinging vocals" in the same review.

Early life

Walker was born Richard Walker in Chicago, Illinois in 1938. His family life was unstable and he was sent to a boys' school in Arizona at a young age. He later attended the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

and was discovered by bandleader

Skitch Henderson Lyle Russel "Skitch" Henderson (January 27, 1918 – November 1, 2005) was an American pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname "Skitch" came from his ability to "re-sketch" a song in a different key. Bing Crosby suggested that he sho ...

while serving in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Career

Walker moved to Los Angeles in 1958 and sang pop, country, and rock ‘n roll songs at nightclubs, including a stint with partner

Timi Yuro Rosemary Victoria Yuro (August 4, 1941 – March 30, 2004), known professionally as Timi Yuro, was an American singer. Sometimes called "the little girl with the big voice", she is considered to be one of the first blue-eyed soul stylists of t ...

. The openly gay Walker felt he could be freer about his personal life in Hollywood. He released his first album ''Troy Walker Live'' in 1962 on Life Records. Walker believes his inclusion of the song " Happiness is a Thing Called Joe" caused DJs to send the record back to the label. "They wouldn't play music by a man singing to a man" he told

KXLU KXLU (88.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting out of Loyola Marymount University in southwest Los Angeles, California. It was first on the air in 1957, and in 2007, celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is a non-commercial college radio statio ...

interviewer Chris Wilson in 2010. Walker was a regular performer at nightclubs on the

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California, United States. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western bord ...

, including the Interlude and

Gene Norman Gene Norman (born January 30, 1922) was a nightclub owner, music promoter, record label owner, radio disc jockey, and television host. He purchased the The Crescendo in 1954 in West Hollywood where he booked jazz artists including Ella Fitzgeral ...

's Crescendo with his band, led by a pre-

Captain & Tennille Captain & Tennille were an American recording duo whose primary success occurred in the 1970s. The husband-and-wife team were "Captain" Daryl Dragon (1942–2019) and Toni Tennille (born 1940). They have five albums certified gold or platinum a ...

Daryl Dragon Daryl Frank Dragon (August 27, 1942 – January 2, 2019) was an American musician known as Captain from the pop musical duo Captain & Tennille with his wife, Toni Tennille. Early life Born into a musical family, Dragon was the son of Elo ...

and featuring percussionist Spider Webb. He was also the opening act for performers including

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

, and

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Louella Parsons Louella Rose Oettinger, (August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) known by the pen name Louella Parsons, was an American gossip columnist and a screenwriter. At her peak, her columns were read by 20 million people in 700 newspapers worldwide. She ...

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann; January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American singer and actress. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theatre, musical theater,Obituary ''Variety Obitua ...

and

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

attended Walker's shows.

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

hired him to perform at a private party on his ranch. Walker enjoyed a 17-year stint at the famed country and western nightclub The Palomino Club in North Hollywood where he performed with

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...

. The ''Valley News'' reported in 1970 that Walker "looked as out of place as Lord Fauntleroy at a boxing arena" when he performed at a country music club. While in the Air Force, Walker traveled the world performing for the troops. Starting in the 1970s his song "Marijuana Munchies" became a regular on the

Dr. Demento Barret Eugene Hansen (born April 2, 1941), known professionally as Dr. Demento, is an American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograp ...

radio show. Walker is the subject of the documentary film, directed by

Christina Linhardt Christina Linhardt is a German-American singer, actor, and director, best known for her roles in the production of the film ''Guantanamo Circus'', and as the former fiancée of Prince Daniel of Saxony. Linhardt produced, directed, and wrote ''Gu ...

, ''TROY, The Original Lady Boy'', which premiered in 2019 as part of the Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival.

Discography

Walker released two live albums and several singles throughout the 1960s and 1970s. *''Troy Walker – Live'' (1962; Life Series) *''Gazzari's Presents Troy Walker From Hollywood'' *"Summertime"/" Midnight in Moscow" (1962) *"She's All Right"/"I'm Getting Hip" (Trans World) *"It's Not the End of My World" / "Marijuana Munchies" (EMI Golden Wing) *"It Isn't Really Love"/"No Regrets" (HiFi Records) *"Country Soul Rock and Roll" / "My Friend is Gone" (MCI Golden Wing Records)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Troy American LGBTQ musicians GNP Records artists Nightclub performers 20th-century American singers Living people 1938 births Singers from Los Angeles Singers from Arizona University of Arizona alumni United States Air Force airmen American transgender musicians