Butch Walker | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Walker performing in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Bradley Glenn Walker (1969-11-14)November 14, 1969 (age 56) Rome, Georgia, U.S.[1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels |
|
| Member of | Train |
| Formerly of |
|
| Website | butchwalker |
| Signature | |
 | |
Bradley Glenn Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is the current lead guitarist forTrain since 2025. He was lead guitarist for theglam metal band,SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s. From 1997 to 2001, he became the lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band,Marvelous 3.
Walker grew up inCartersville, Georgia, working as a guitarist and performer in several rock bands during the 1980s, including Bad Boys and Byte the Bullet. In 1988, Byte the Bullet moved to Los Angeles, and within a year, was signed toVirgin Records. The band then changed its name toSouthGang and released two albums,Tainted Angel in 1991 andGroup Therapy in 1992. SouthGang was one of the first bands to tour China in the early 1990s.[10] Following modifications to their record contract, they disbanded, but remained on good terms.[11]
After SouthGang disbanded, Walker formed a new band with former SouthGang members Jayce Fincher and Mitch "Slug" McLee (also known asDoug Mitchell), along with keyboardist Bradford Rogers, calling themselves "Floyd's Funk Revival" after Walker's birthplace,Floyd County, Georgia.[11] Walker shared lead vocals in the band with Fincher's wife, Chrystina Lloree. They released one full-length album,Creamy, containing thirteen original tracks.
The band then shortened their name to The Floyds. Subsequently, they released one self-titled album on the Deep South label, which contained ten original tracks and two bonus tracks. Bonus tracks included a cover ofDuran Duran's "Rio", and a live rendition of theShasta soda jingle from the late seventies.
In 1997 Walker, Fincher, and McLee scaled back to a trio and adopted apower pop sound with Walker handling lead vocals. Calling themselvesMarvelous 3, they released the albumMath and Other Problems in 1997. They followed this in 1999 withHey! Album and had a minor hit with the song "Freak of the Week". The next year, they released their final album,ReadySexGo, which failed to continue the momentum created by the prior releases. The band disbanded in 2001. Their final concert took place on August 3, 2001, at Atlanta'sCentennial Olympic Park.[12]
On April 25, 2023, Walker announced on Atlanta's 99X that the band was getting back together for a new album, a re-release of "Hey Album," and a show on October 27, 2023, at the Tabernacle in Atlanta.[13] The new album, titledIV was released on October 13, 2023.
Beginning in June 2025, Walker replaced Train's guitarist Taylor Locke beginning with the 2025 Europe tour and the 2025 North American summer tour. On November 10, 2025 along with the announcement of Train's 2026 North American summer tour, it was announced that Walker joined Train as a permanent member. Walker has previously produced albums and co-wrote songs with Train.
Walker's solo career began with the release of his albumsLeft of Self-Centered in 2002,Letters in 2004 andThe Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites in 2006. In 2005 he played over 200 live shows across both the U.S. and Japan, and he released his first DVD,Live at Budokan. Walker was featured as a headlining artist on the inaugural Hotel Cafe tour, supporting independent artists from the Los Angeles venue of the same name.[14]
In 2008, Walker released the live albumLeavin' the Game on Luckie Street. He then collaborated with Michael Chislett ofThe Academy Is... and Darren Dodd of The Let's Go Out Tonites under the name 1969, releasing a full-length debut album titledMaya on April 1, 2008.[15]
His fourth album,Sycamore Meadows, was released on November 11, with the first single being "The Weight of Her". A music video was released for the song "Ships in a Bottle", featuring Walker walking on the grounds of his home on Sycamore Meadows Drive in Southern California after it was destroyed by thewildfires of November 2007. BothMaya andSycamore Meadows were released on limited runs of vinyl.
Walker played a series of sold-out acoustic live shows beginning in the fall of 2009, accompanied at various times byPink, actorJeremy Piven,Jim Bianco, theChapin Sisters, Gregory Macdonald ofSloan (band) and more. Out of the shows came a cover ofTaylor Swift's single "You Belong with Me" onbanjolin, which was later recorded as a video and audio version in his studio. Swift blogged about the video and then invited Walker to appear with her at the winter 2010Grammy Awards.[16]
Walker began working on his next album in 2009, and ultimately releasedI Liked It Better When You Had No Heart on February 23, 2010, under the band name Butch Walker & the Black Widows. Recording sessions were held at Ruby-Red Productions inSanta Monica, California. Walker's support of the record included touring with Train beginning in March 2010, a headlining tour of the US, and opening for P!nk in Europe on her Stadium Festival Tour.
On August 30, 2011, Walker released his second album with the Black Widows, titledThe Spade.[17][18] On October 25, 2011, Walker released his first book, an autobiography entitledDrinking with Strangers: Music Lessons from a Teenage Bullet Belt.[19] In late 2012, Walker was featured on the showLive from Daryl's House onMTV Live (then Palladia).
Following the release of two EPs in 2013 and 2014, Walker released his seventh full-length album,Afraid of Ghosts, on February 3, 2015. The album was produced byRyan Adams.
In June 2016 it was announced that Walker's upcoming album would be titledStay Gold. It was released on August 26, 2016, onDangerbird Records in the United States[20] and onLojinx in Europe.[21] The album is once again self-produced by Walker, with the songs "Stay Gold", "East Coast Girl" and "Descending" (featuringAshley Monroe) issued before the album's release.
.jpg)
On March 27, 2020, Walker premiered the first promo track for his upcoming album namedAmerican Love Story, which was set to be released on May 8. The song "Pretty Crazy" was released on social media and streaming services.[22]
On July 25, 2022, Walker released the music video for "Holy Water Hangover" off his upcoming tenth studio albumButch Walker as...Glenn. The album was released on August 26 of the same year.[23][non-primary source needed]
Walker has penned choruses for artists ranging fromFrank Turner[24][non-primary source needed] toFall Out Boy.[25] He has produced and composed multiplePink records and songs including "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" fromI'm Not Dead, "Bad Influence" fromFunhouse, and "Heartbreak Down" fromGreatest Hits... So Far!!![26]
In 2019 he co-producedGreen Day'sFather of All Motherfuckers, which debuted at number four on the USBillboard 200.[27]
Walker worked withWeezer on their albumsRaditude andPacific Daydream. Walker was mentioned working with the band during a radio interview with 99X. Walker co-wrote and produced several songs onRaditude, including the first single, "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To", which hit number two on the Modern Rock Chart.
In 2007, Walker provided guest vocals on Fall Out Boy's third recordInfinity on High, on the track,"You're Crashing, but You're No Wave", and co-produced the track "Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?" with singerPatrick Stump. He also made a brief cameo in the video for "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race". In 2012, Walker produced Fall Out Boy's fifth studio albumSave Rock and Roll, which debuted at number one on theU.S.Billboard 200, earning the band's second career number one.
In 2010, Walker also helped to write and producePanic! At The Disco's album,Vices & Virtues. Preceded by the lead single, "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", the album debuted at number seven on theBillboard 200 selling 56,000 copies within its first week. The album has sold 750,000 copies worldwide.
Walker also appears inThe Academy Is... videos for "Slow Down" and "We've Got a Big Mess on Our Hands" as well as the video for "So What" by Pink. He also co-wrote the songs "Breaking" and "Younglife", both of which are performed and co-written byAnberlin.
In January 2009, post-hardcore bandSaosin tapped Walker to produce their second album forCapitol Records.
In March 2009, the song "Open Happiness" debuted, a new business venture byCoca-Cola, written by Walker and featuringCee-Lo Green,Brendon Urie,Patrick Stump,Janelle Monáe andTravis McCoy. This song has a Cantonese cover version byJoey Yung on her new album, A Time For Us, and she is also filming advertisements for Coca-Cola in Chinese.
In 2012, Walker produced the song "Everything Has Changed", written and recorded byTaylor Swift andEd Sheeran for Swift's fourth studio album,Red. In 2021, Walker produced the re-recorded version of the song for Swift's second re-recorded album,Red (Taylor's Version).
In 2022, Walker produced the song "August is Falling" by pop-punk bandAugust is Falling, featured on the EPThe Simple Plan.
Other artists that Walker has co-written songs with includeSR-71,Avril Lavigne,Sevendust,Injected,The Donnas,Hot Hot Heat,American Hi-Fi,Default,Gob,Midtown,Puffy AmiYumi, Pink,Katy Perry,Pete Yorn,Quietdrive, Green Day,Adam Lambert,Rob Thomas ofMatchbox 20,Rayland Baxter,Kevin Griffin ofBetter Than Ezra,The Wallflowers,Jewel,The All-American Rejects, The Academy Is...,The Cab, Saosin,Never Shout Never, Weezer,New Politics, Fall Out Boy,The Struts,Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, August is Falling,Matt Nathanson, andElizabeth Cook.
Butch Walker is producingCourtney Love's forthcoming album. <[28]>
The documentaryOut of Focus premiered at theNashville Film Festival in April 2012. Directed by Shane Valdés and Peter Harding, it focuses on Butch Walker's life and music. Its first European showing was atOldenburg Filmfest, Germany in August 2012.[29]
In November 2007, Walker's home inMalibu was burnt down in awildfire. Walker had been renting the property fromFlea of theRed Hot Chili Peppers. He and his family lost all of their possessions, including the master recordings of every song he had ever recorded.[30] He titled his next albumSycamore Meadows after the street the house was on.
He currently lives inNashville, Tennessee, with his wife and son.
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [31] | US Heat [32] | JP [33] | ||||||||||
| 2002 | Left of Self-Centered | — | 12 | — | ||||||||
| 2004 | Letters | 171 | 10 | 137 | ||||||||
| 2006 | The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites | 140 | 2 | 294 | ||||||||
| 2008 | Sycamore Meadows | 173 | 7 | — | ||||||||
| 2010 | I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart | 125 | 1 | — | ||||||||
| 2011 | The Spade | 105 | 1 | — | ||||||||
| 2015 | Afraid of Ghosts | 104 | 1 | — | ||||||||
| 2016 | Stay Gold | 143 | 2 | — | ||||||||
| 2020 | American Love Story | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 2022 | Butch Walker as...Glenn | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" denotes albums that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
Category:Song recordings produced by Butch Walker ( 57 )
Rome, Georgia however is the city I was born in on November 14, 1969...
 | This article'suse ofexternal links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Pleaseimprove this article by removingexcessive orinappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate intofootnote references.(April 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |