Clay Walker

Clay Walker
Earnest Clayton Walker, Jr. (born August 19, 1969 in Beaumont, Texas) fell in love with music at age 9. After leaving his shift as night-shift desk clerk at a Super 8 Motel one morning when he was only 16, Walker stopped at a local radio station to deliver a tape of a song he had written himself. Although it was against the station's policy to play the song, as Walker drove away he heard his song play on the air for the first time. After graduating from Vidor High School in 1987, he pursued a full-time music career.

After several years playing in various Texas honky-tonks, Walker became the house singer at the Neon Armadillo Bar in Beaumont. It was there that he was discovered by producer James Stroud, who helped Walker get a contract with Giant Records. Clay has two daughters with his ex-wife Lori. In November, 2006, Clay proposed to model Jessica Craig in Texas. The couple is planning to wed in New Orleans on September 28, 2007.

1996 saw discouraging news. Clay Walker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Walker, however, didn't care. He was going to make music and perform concerts no matter what happened to him. Although doctors originally told him he had only a few years to live, Walker's MS is now manageable. To spur research into the disease, he formed the Band Against Multiple Sclerosis organization.

Walker's debut album, the self-titled Clay Walker, was released in 1993. It contained the #1 hit singles What's It to You, Live Until I Die and Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open. In 1994, Walker's second album, If I Could Make a Living, was released. It contained the #1 hit title track, as well as top-ten hit This Woman and This Man and minor hit My Heart Will Never Know. Walker's third album, Hypnotize the Moon, was released in 1995. It contained the #2 hit Who Needs You Baby, as well as the top 5 title track, another top 10 hit and minor hits as well. 1997 witnessed the release of Walker's fourth album, Rumor Has It. The hits on this album included the # 1 title track, the top 5 hits and a lesser hit called One, Two, I Love You. In 1998, Walker's Greatest Hits was released, featuring all of his hit singles, plus two new hit songs, You're Beginning to Get to Me, and Ordinary People.

Walker's last Giant Records album, Live, Laugh, Love came in 1999. It included the #3 hit, plus the #11 title track as well as the #16 and a remake of the Earl Thomas Conley hit Holding Her and Loving You. Walker then recorded an album for Warner Brothers, sister label of Giant Records. Say No More was released in 2001. It was the least successful of his albums, only reaching Gold status.

In 2002, Walker wrote and recorded a song for the NFL's newest expansion team, the Houston Texans. Football Time in Houston was used as the team's official fight song during the team's inaugural season. In 2003, the franchise chose to go for a different song but gained extreme negative response from the fans. Shortly thereafter, Walker's song returned and is still the team's fight song today. Walker makes frequent appearances at Texans games and traditionally sings at the team's home-opener each season.

Walker's RCA debut, A Few Questions, came in 2003. It included the top-ten title track, plus another top-ten, I Can't Sleep. Walker is one of a select few artists to have one of his songs included in Billboard's year-end Top 10 Country Songs list for 5 consecutive years. His albums have sold a combined 8 million copies, and he has had 6 number-one singles and 15 Top 10 singles. His new album on Asylum-Curb, titled Fall, released April 17, 2007 and features his Top 25 single 'Fore She Was Mama, as well as his current single, which is the album's title track.

Walker recently competed at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in the cutting competition with his horse, and placed seventh. He is also an avid golfer, and regularly competes in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. In 2005, his team won the tournament. Walker donated his share of the winnings to Band Against MS.