John Walker of seminal sixties group The Walker Brothers has died aged 67 in California. The BBC reports that he died over the weekend after a battle with liver cancer.
The Walker Brothers, who found more fame in the UK than in their native US, were an unrelated trio comprised of John Maus, Gary Leeds and of course Scott Engel, otherwise known as the imperious talent that is Scott Walker. They adopted ‘The Walker Brothers’ as a moniker in 1964 and went on to have hits such as The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Any More) and Make It Easy On Yourself.
The band enjoyed significant success throughout the sixties and seventies.
A statement on the official John Walker website read, “He was a beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather, friend, and artiste.”
Meanwhile, Gary Walker is quoted as saying, “John was the founder member of the group and lead singer in the early days. He was also a fantastic guitarist which a lot of people didn’t realise.
“He was a compassionate song-writer and a gentleman with lots of style.
“The three of us had the most incredible adventure together, all the time not realising that we were part of pop history in the making. His music will live on, and therefore so will John.”
In tribute here is a nice little something from their heyday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8H9o4r4NkI
