Jason Walker (musician)

Jason Walker
Birth nameJason Peter Walker
Born1969 (age 54–55)
New Zealand
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)Musician, writer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1988–present
LabelsLaughing Outlaw, Lost Highway/Universal
Websitejasonwalker.com.au

Jason Peter Walker (born 1969) is a New Zealand-Australian country musician and writer.[1] His third album, Ceiling Sun Letters was nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Country Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2010.

As a writer Walker has published two biographies, Gram Parsons: God's Own Singer (2002) and Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth (2009).

Biography

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Born in New Zealand in 1969,[2] Jason Walker moved to Sydney, Australia at age 18.[3] In 1997 he joined Golden Rough on guitar alongside Brian Crouch on piano, David Orwell on vocals and guitar, Helen Meany on bass guitar and vocals, and Martin McDonald on drums.[3][4] That group had started two years earlier as a covers band, playing Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson and Gram Parsons material.[4] In 1998 they released their debut album of originals, Twin Firs.[4]

Walker's debut studio album, Stranger to Someone, was issued via Laughing Outlaw Records in October 2001.[5][6] Delusions of Adequacy's Geoff Parks compared him with Ryan Adams and opined that Walker was "out there on the edges, pushing harder, moving quicker than Adams, who has now become a mainstream media darling."[5] Parks noticed "[Walker's] maturity and songwriting finesse shine through... But it’s on the cover versions featured here that you can hear [his] soul stretching out... [on] this country-fried, cosmic rock album."[5]

As a writer Walker published a biography of Parsons, God's Own Singer, in 2002.[7] He had started the project in 1996 and told Bill Beaver and Steve Wilcock of Triste magazine that "it completely dominated my life. Everything I did hinged upon the availability of working computers and printers so I could work on it whenever I wanted. I even started working on it during my day job, which was really taking the piss. I almost got fired."[7]

Walker released his second studio album, Ashes & Wine in November 2003, providing lead vocals and lead guitar, with a backing band, the Last Drinks, consisting of Brian Crouch on keyboards, Dave Keys on bass guitar, Andrew Lay on drums and Worth Wagers on rhythm guitar.

His second biography was of Billy Thorpe: Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth and released in 2009.

Walker's third studio album, Ceiling Sun Letters was released in May 2010. It was nominated for Best Country Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2010.[8]

Walker's fourth studio album, All-Night Ghost Town, was released on 5 August 2016 and included the single "Borrowed Tunes".[9]

Discography

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Albums

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List of album with selected details
Title Album details
Stranger to Someone
  • Released: October 2001[10][11]
  • Label: Laughing Outlaw (LORCD-024)
  • Formats: CD
Ashes & Wine
(by Jason Walker and the Last Drinks)
  • Released: 10 November 2003[12][13]
  • Label: Laughing Outlaw (LORCD-072)
  • Formats: CD
Ceiling Sun Letters
  • Released: 15 May 2010[14]
  • Label: Laughing Outlaw (LORCD-111)
  • Formats: CD, Digital download
All-Night Ghost Town

Awards and nominations

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ARIA Music Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2010 Ceiling Sun Letters Best Country Album Nominated [16]

Bibliography

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  • Walker, Jason P (2011) [2002]. Gram Parsons: God's Own Singer (2nd ed.). London: Soundcheck. ISBN 978-0-9566420-3-5.
  • Walker, Jason P (2009). Billy Thorpe's Time on Earth. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74175-823-8.

References

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  1. ^ Jansen, Robert (18 July 2010). "Jason Walker – Ceiling Sun Letters (2010 LP)". AU Review.
  2. ^ "Jason Walker interview". Triste. October 2003. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Artists :: Jason Walker". Australian Music Online. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  4. ^ a b c DaRonco, Mike. "Golden Rough | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Parks, Geoff (25 March 2002). "Jason Walker – Stranger to Someone". Delusions of Adequacy. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ Walker, Jason (2001). "Stranger to someone". Laughing Outlaw Records. Retrieved 26 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ a b Beaver, Bill; Wilcock, Steve. "Jason Walker talks to Triste about God's Own Singer – his Gram Parsons biography". Triste (5). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  8. ^ "ARIA Award nominations 2010". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press (AAP). 29 September 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Stars - single". Apple Music. September 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  10. ^ Lee, Stewart (12 May 2002). "On record – Music – Pop". The Sunday Times.
  11. ^ Mengel, Noel (23 November 2001). "Finding his voice". The Courier-Mail.
  12. ^ "Jason Walker Ashes & Wine Audio-CD". cede. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  13. ^ Mengel, Noel (27 March 2004). "Jason Walker and the Last Drinks". The Courier-Mail.
  14. ^ "Ceiling Sun Letters". Apple Music. May 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  15. ^ "All-Night Ghost Town". Apple Music. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  16. ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards Best Country Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 9 April 2022.
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