Scott Walker (singer)

Scott Walker (born Noel Scott Engel, January 9, 1943 – March 22, 2019) was an American-born British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. He was known for his distinctive baritone voice and an uncompromising artistic approach that evolved from mainstream pop stardom in the 1960s to highly experimental and avant-garde work later in his career.

Walker began his career as a teen idol under his birth name, performing primarily cover versions of pop songs. He gained international fame in the 1960s as the frontman of The Walker Brothers, a pop trio that achieved significant success in the United Kingdom.

After The Walker Brothers disbanded (initially in 1967, then reuniting sporadically in the 1970s), Walker embarked on a solo career, releasing a series of critically acclaimed albums throughout the late 1960s. These albums, Scott (1967), Scott 2 (1968), Scott 3 (1969), and Scott 4 (1969), established him as a sophisticated interpreter of Jacques Brel songs, as well as a writer of original material characterized by its orchestral arrangements and introspective lyrics.

In the 1970s, Walker's output became more sporadic and his work moved towards a more mainstream pop sound. However, in the late 1970s, he began to explore more experimental and challenging musical territories.

From the 1980s onwards, Walker's work became increasingly avant-garde and challenging. Albums such as Climate of Hunter (1984), Tilt (1995), The Drift (2006), and Bish Bosch (2012) showcased his experimentation with unconventional instrumentation, dissonant harmonies, and cryptic, often disturbing lyrics. He also composed scores for films, including Leos Carax's Pola X (1999) and Brady Corbet's The Childhood of a Leader (2015) and Vox Lux (2018).

Walker's work had a profound influence on many artists, including David Bowie, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, and Jarvis Cocker of Pulp. He is considered one of the most innovative and influential figures in contemporary music. His later work pushed the boundaries of popular music and cemented his reputation as a singular and uncompromising artistic visionary.