Biography:

Charles Levi Walker (November 2, 1926 – September 12, 2008)^[1] was an American country musician. His biggest success was with the song, “Pick Me Up on Your Way Down“.

He held membership in the Grand Ole Opry from 1967,^[2] and was inducted into the Country Radio DJ Hall of Fame in 1981.^[3]

Career

He was born in Copeville, Texas, United States in 1926.^[2] In 1943, Walker joined Bill Boyd‘s Cowboy Ramblers, and during World War II, he served as a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio Network.^[2]

Walker worked as a disc jockey in from 1951 until 1961 at KMAC and then from 1961 up to 1963 at KENS in San Antonio, Texas, before signing with Decca Records.^[2] His first hit, “Only You, Only You” was co-written with Jack Newman and reached No. 9 on the country chart in January 1956.^[2] Walker later signed with Columbia Records and reached No. 2 with a Harlan Howard song, “Pick Me Up on Your Way Down“.^[2] His other hits include “Who Will Buy the Wine”, “Wild as a Wildcat”, “Don’t Squeeze My Sharmon”, and “I Wouldn’t Take Her To A Dogfight.”^[2] Many of his records featured harmony vocals by Ray Price. His more popular recordings were of honky-tonk numbers, such as “Close All the Honky Tonks”, and “Honky Tonk Women“.^[2] Walker played a minor role in the 1985 Patsy Cline biographical film, Sweet Dreams.^[3]

Walker died of colon cancer in September 2008, at the age of 81 in Hendersonville, Tennessee.^[3][4]

Credits: