Bill Walker

William Alfred Walker (April 28, 1927 – May 26, 2022) was an Australian-born American composer and conductor. Career Born in Sydney, Australia, he attended the NSW State Conservatorium of Music before moving to South Africa. In 1959, he began working at RCA Records in Johannesburg, South Africa. One of Walker's tasks was to arrange, conduct and record cover versions of songs that were popular in America. While there, he worked with many country stars who were touring Africa, including Jim Reeves. Reeves also filmed the movie Kimberley Jim in South Africa, for which Walker wrote the score. Reeves offered Walker the post of musical director on a new television series he was set to host. Walker moved to the United States and arrived in Nashville, TN just in time to learn that Reeves had died in a plane crash. Walker decided to stay in the U. S. and apply for citizenship. Once settled in Nashville, he connected with Chet Atkins, who was working with artist Eddy Arnold. Atkins asked Walker to do orchestral arrangements for Arnold's album My World, which contained the No. 1 single "Make The World Go Away". That record became Walker's first gold. Walker also arranged orchestra scores for concerts and television appearances.