Hackamores

Websites:  No
Origin: Calumet, Québec, 🇨🇦
Biography:

After The Birch Mountain Boys disbanded in 1961, Walker became part of The CJCH Countrymen. The group was assembled via audition by CJCH for their program which was "...the first cross-country television show of country music ever to originate in Halifax" titled "The CJCH Countrymen Jamboree". The CJCH Countrymen consisted of Walker (lead vocal and rhythm guitar), Beck (bass), Mullen (fiddle and banjo), Chuck Lohnes (steel guitar) and Ross Broughm (lead guitar). During this time, The Countrymen were the house band for the aforementioned TV show while also performing on the road with notable performers such as Mac Wiseman, Doc Williams and The Border Riders, Marg Osborne and Tommy Common. Later, Beck then Walker reunited with Williams and Cromwell, who had already relocated to the Gaspe area as part of Beck's latest iteration of "The Maritime Playboys" who performed on weekly TV show for CHAU in Carleton, Quebec. In 1963, Walker transitioned to Montreal where he eventually joined Dougal Trineer's band "The Hackamores" mostly appearing as a rhythm guitarist and harmony singer, along with Paul Menard on fiddle, June Davey supplying bass and vocals and Trineer as lead guitarist and singer. The group backed "...many of the country records out of Montreal" at the time, in addition to playing at several venues in the Montreal and Toronto areas such as the Blue Angel, The Wagon Wheel and The Monteray Club where The Hackamores were considered the main attraction for a time.

Four of Walker's singles charted above the top 50 in RPM Magazine's weekly ranking of Country music songs between 1965 and 1971. Cadillacin' Around, written by Will Odo and recorded with The Hackamores, plateaued at No. 2 and gained him "national popularity" before winning the RPM Gold Leaf Award (later known as the Juno Awards) for "Most Promising Male Country Singer" in 1965. Due to these successes, by 1966 he was receiving "much recognition as an up and coming country singer". Peaking at No. 35 in 1970 was Crazy Tricks, written by Merv Smith and produced by Dick Damron and recorded in Edmonton. During this time in Alberta, Walker continued to have popularity in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. In 1971, two of Walker's recordings reached the top 50 starting with the self-penned Canadian Country Music Man which featured Marie Babin (vocals) and "first call" studio lead guitarist Mickey McGivern, reaching as high as No. 22. Later that year, Parliament Hill, written by Ben Kerr and produced by Trineer, peaked at No. 18 on RPM Weekly's Country song listing.