Brett Walker (November 14, 1961 – July 8, 2013) was an American songwriter, musician, and record producer.
Walker was involved in music publishing on TV and film. As singer-songwriter, musician, and publisher Walker’s music was heard on over 300 network television shows, including One Life to Live, All My Children, The Young and the Restless, One Tree Hill, Felicity, CSI: Miami, Everwood, Malcolm in the Middle, Baywatch, and Sex and the City, National Lampoon’s Barely Legal.
Brett Walker was born in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. At the age of 21, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he worked as a songwriter and collaborated with a number of artists and songwriters, including Survivor, Nick Gilder, Jonathan Cain (Journey), Russ Ballard, Carl Dixon and Alias featuring Freddy Curci.
In 1991, Walker co-wrote the song “Waiting for Love” for the band Alias on EMI Capitol Records, and it went on to become Walker’s first top-10 international hit. The Alias CD earned platinum sales throughout the world, and the song “Waiting for Love” received a BMI Award for top radio airplay that year.
Walker’s first solo record, Nevertheless, released in 1994, launching his solo career in Europe. David Prater produced four songs from the CD, the rest was produced by Walker or co-written and produced by Jonathan Cain. The CD was released on Empire Records in Europe and Japan, and reached the top-40 national sales charts in Scandinavia. Nevertheless, was again released in 2012 on Dive Bomb Records.
Walker’s latest album, Straight Jacket Vacation, produced by Walker and Weston Hodges, released through AOR Heaven in August 2013.
Walker died at his home in Draper Utah on July 8, 2013, at the age of 51. He leaves behind his widow and three children from his previous marriage (divorced 2007).
Discography
Highlights From The Last Parade
MelodicRock Classics 2023
Tracks: Disc 1 (HIGHLIGHTS): Still A Dream Away (Demo Version), Branded, Bad Time For Goodbye (Alt Mix), Crossroads Motel (91-93 Demo), Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of, After The Tears Have Gone, American Dreamer (Rock Version), A Little Too Late, Fools Paradise, Catchin' On, Heaven Stops The Rain, Always A Place, Everything I Want To Do (Piano Ballad Version), Don't Turn Out The Lights (Guitar Mix), On The Train Again, Higher Ground (Revision) & Last Parade. Disc 2 (SPOTLIGHTS) (Previously Unreleased): Midnight Angel (Early Demo), Quicksand (Early Alt Mix), No Reasons Of The Heart (Alt Mix), Living On The Moon (Remix), It's A Good Thing (First Mix), Didn't Mean To Say Goodbye (91-93 Demo), Give A Little Love (91-93 Demo), Don't Mean Much (Demo), A Far Cry From Love (Slower), I Could Be Wrong (Alt. Version), Rain Dance (Alt Mix), Hard Dark Music (Instrumental), It Looks A Lot Like Rain (Instrumental), Don't Come Back Crying, Solo Piano (Freeform 2) & Last Parade (Early Demo).
Last Parade
MelodicRock Records 2018
Tracks: Disc One - The Early Demos (Quality Varies Throughout): Crossroads Motel (91-93 Demo), Don’t Say Goodnight (Early Demo), Better Than Goodbye (Early Demo), Big Electric City (91-93 Demo), Bad Time For Goodbye (Early Demo), Hard To Find An Easy Way (91-93 Demo), I’ll Be Seeing You Around (Early Demo), Take Me Home (Early Demo), No Sense In Falling (91-93 Demo), More Than A Memory (91-93 Demo), I’ll Never Be The Same (91-93 Demo), One Foot In Heaven (Early Demo), Never Gave Roses (Early Demo), She Don’t Live Here Anymore (91-93 Demo), Waiting For Love (Original Demo) & After The Tears Have Gone (Early Demo). Disc Two - Album Cuts - The Alt Mixes/Alt Versions: Hard To Find An Easy Way (Early Solo Version), It’s A Good Thing (Rock Mix), Bad Time For Goodbye (Alt Mix), American Dreamer (Rock Version), Rain Dance (Rock Mix), Everything I Want To Do (Piano Ballad Version), Bring Back The Night (Alt Mix), Long Way Down (Rock Mix), Can’t Stay Too Long (Alt Mix), Drown In Your Ocean (Edited Version), Give A Little (Alt Mix), Give Me Back Tomorrow (Solo Acoustic Version), Rain Dance (Acoustic AOR Version), Someday I’m Going To Be Famous (Original Demo), Take Me Home (Raw Demo), Better Than Goodbye (Rock Version) & Quicksand (Alt Mix). Disc Three - Person To Person - The Complete Original Recordings: Undercover Lover (Brian Jones/Brett Walker Vocals), Never Be The Same (Brian Jones/Brett Walker Vocals), Lecia, Careless Nights, Hard To Find An Easy Way, No Shortcut To Paradise, Far Cry From Love, Waiting For Love, I’ll Never Be The Same, No Sense In Falling (Extended), One Night Away, No Fire Without You (Keyboard Mix), Outta Site, Eye For Love, More Than A Memory, Undercover Lover (Live), Waiting For Your Love (Live) & Burning In The 3rd Degree (Live). Disc Four - The Unreleased AOR Vaults - Part One The AOR Anthems: Still A Dream Away (Demo Version), Branded, Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of, Don’t Turn Out The Lights (Brett Vocals; Guitar Mix), After The Tears Have Gone, I’ll Be Seeing You Around, A Far Cry From Love (Faster Version), Higher Ground, Who’s Gonna Be In Tears, So Close And Yet So Far Away, Heaven Stops The Rain, In This Crazy World, Still A World Away, One Foot In Heaven, On The Train Again, Countless & Last Parade. Disc Five - The Unreleased AOR Vaults - Part Two More Anthems & Guest Spots: Always A Place, A Little Too Late, Fools Paradise, Heaven Only Knows, Wrong Side Of Love, Not About To Give In, All I Need Tonight (Guitar Mix), Take Me To The River (Heavy Version), No Reasons Of The Heart, Silver And Gold, Bring You To Life, Hard To Leave (Demo; Carl Dixon Vocal), Don’t Turn Out The Lights (Demo; Carl Dixon Vocal), She’s A Touch Like You (Carl Dixon Vocal), A Taste Of Love (Demo; Carl Dixon Vocal), More Than A Memory (Carl Dixon Vocal), One Good Reason (Carl Dixon Vocal) & Don’t Turn Out The Lights (Michelle Rohl Vocal). Disc Six - Midwestern Moods - The Unreleased Midwestern Vaults: Steady Love On Shaky Ground, I Know You’re Still Around, The World, Hit The Dream, Believe Me, Never Too Late, Good Enough (from Rock For Japan Comp), Hard To Break, Catchin’ On (from SJV Sessions), Alright By Me (from SJV Sessions), Rights To Yesterday (from SJV Sessions), Living On The Moon, Wherever, Photographic Life, Shine, Stranger In Town & Feels Like Forever.
Musicians to the Last Parade albums: Brett Walker and others.
Straight Jacket Vacation
AOR Heaven 2013
Tracks: Reaching for the Stars, What About You, Better Than Goodbye, Streetlights Burning, I'll Bet It Hurts, More Than I, Good Enough, Waiting for Love, I'm Gonna Fly, So Happy I'm Cryin', Unlucky at Love & Someday I'm Gonna Be Famous.
Musicians on the Straight Jacket Vacation album: Brett Walker and others.
Nevertheless "Reissue"
Divebomb Records 2012
Tracks: Hard To Find A Easy Way, Lecia, Everything I Want To Do, Take Me Home, Never Gave Roses, Quicksand, Didn´t Mean To Say Goodbye, Bring Back The Night, No Fire Without You, Bad Time For Goodbye, More Than A Memory, Give A Little Love & Midnight Angel (2012 Mix).
Musicians on the Nevertheless album: Brett Walker and others.
Best Out of Three
Walker Music Group 2011
Tracks: Lecia, Hard To Find An Easy Way, No Fire Without You, Take Me To The River, Drown In Your Ocean, Yesterday Has Gone, Rain Dance, Look A Little Closer, Rain In My Heart, No One Left To Blame, Walking In My Sleep, It´s Coming Back To Me & In The Mean Time (Previously Unreleased).
Musicians on the Best Out Of Three album: Brett Walker, Tommy ”Mugs” Cain, Jonathan Cain, David Prater, Buddy Allen, Moon Calhoun, Brian Jones, Brad Zapper, Ricky Phillips, Marty Rifkin, Manon Robertshaw, Pat Leon, John Purdell, Timothy Drury, Mark Camp, Steven Walker and others.
Spirit Junky
NL Distribution 2008
Tracks: Give Me Back Tomorrow, Something So Real, Until We Live Again, Round And Round, Sorry Just Ain't Enough, Hallelujah, Calalia, Waking Up The Dream, If You Only Knew, Livin' In Maybe Land, Southern Blue Sky, Rights To Yesterday, Remind Me, I'm The Best & Spirit Junky.
Musicians on the Spirit Junky album: Brett Walker and others.
Lift Off
MTM Records 1999
Tracks: Rain In My Heart, Not About To Give In, Everybody Loves To Win, No One Left To Blame, You Were Meant To Fly, Long Way Down, Far Cry, Don´t Mean Much, Walking In My Sleep, It Looks A Lot Like Rain, Fooled Again, It´s Coming Back To Me & Travelin´ Blues.
Musicians on the Lift Up album: Brett Walker and others.
Brett Walker And The Railbirds
Westcoast Records 1996
Tracks: Look A Little Closer, Can't Stay Too Long, Tell Me Why, What's Still Left, Drown In Your Ocean, Rain Dance, It's A Good Thing, Yesterday Has Gone, Everything I Want, I Could Be Wrong, Take Me To The River & American Dreamer.
Musicians on the Brett Walker And The Railbirds album: Brett Walker and others.
Nevertheless
Empire Records 1994
Tracks: Hard To Find A Easy Way, Lecia, Everything I Want To Do, Take Me Home, Never Gave Roses, Quicksand, Didn´t Mean To Say Goodbye, Bring Back The Night, No Fire Without You, Bad Time For Goodbye, More Than A Memory & Give A Little Love.
Musicians on the Nevertheless album: Brett Walker and others.