It was a great honor to be able to celebrate Hank Williams’ 100th Birthday! I’ve been listening to Hank since I was very, very small it was probably like my lullaby when I was a baby. Special, special thanks to Kazuya Takahashi for inviting me to do this show with him.
ハンクウィリアムズの生誕100周年記念の昨日、高橋和也Presents Hank Williams 生誕100周年記念Tribute Liveに出演させて頂きました。 子供の頃からずっと聴いているハンクの名曲を和也くんが歌い、私は2部でご一緒させて頂きました！
会場は35年程お世話になっている原宿クロコダイル、カントリーのイベント、ロックのイベントと数々のライヴに参加させて頂いています。 昨年は4月にROCK AID FOR SHIMEを企画し、和也くんにはとても、とてもお世話になり、昨日のライヴの会場、ミュージシャン達、色々深い思いがありました。
New video uploaded on YouTube!! Was filmed back in 1997 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. A sacred tune “Where could I go but to The Lord” from a Jimmie Tokita’s Concert.
Twas another fun night! After the show, Kazuaki, Seiji and myself sat around to look at some old Japanese Country Music magazines Seiji’s father has kept. It was totally interesting!!
朝長先生、片山誠史くん、清水くん、そしてタラちゃんことKeiko Walker ＆ The Hot Street Bandのギターリスト、小野塚範夫と行ってきまいた～♪ 今夜出演のバンドも懐かしいメンバーでDave Kuboi ＆The Longhornsにいたアメちゃん（雨宮直己）マキちゃん（石川マキ）そして高野さんという私が小学生～中学生から知っているみんな。
Another new project is about to start!! I am starting a new “Music & Talk” event starting May! My very 1st guest will be my good friend Eiichiro Shirai. This will be a monthly project which will be held on the second Tuesday of each month at Stagecoach. I will have guests each month and there will be a discussion followed by a mini gig.
New video upload! It’s been a year since my singing partner SHIME passed away. This was filmed back in 2008 from our gig. The song, “The Angels Rejoiced Last Night” was SHIME’s favorite tune. Whenever BROKEN ASHES (SHIME & Keiko Walker) performed we started off our show with this song. In our Reissue album, I picked this song to be published for SHIME.
Years and Years ago, when I was a child, my uncle, James Walker was an actor and a Country singer in Japan. I grew up listening to him sing country which led me to dream of becoming a country singer. When I became a professional singer, my uncle had already moved to the US, so we never had the chance to perform together. Since this year, 2023 is my 40th Anniversary year as a performer, I asked my uncle if he could join me in my shows. This will be the very first time to be on stage together!!! What a thrill♪
Just heard about the passing of Mr. Makoto Ayukawa of Sheena ＆ The Rokkets. His wife, the lead singer Ms. Sheena passed away in 2015. I had the pleasure of meeting Ayukawa san several years ago and connected on Facebook. As I recall seeing posts on Facebook of him performing until recently, this was a shock to me.
My first live this year on the 15th was a lot of fun! Thank you to all that came to see us! My next show at Stagecoach will be on February 26th! February is my Birthday Month so it’s going to be a special one!
For the last two days, when I started up my computer and scrolled my Twitter timeline, I was really sad to read the news about the loss of three famous people in a row. I personally don’t know them but it’s really sad they had to leave this world so fast.
First it was Mr. Jeff Beck. I knew his name since when I was small but in the year 2000 when he released his album “You Had It Coming”, I was thrilled! I love this album. In the past ten years or so, I’ve been singing “Rollin’ and Tumblin’ on my shows and it’s always fun.
昨日はまずジェフ・ベックの訃報。。。 子供の頃から名前はもちろん知っていたしギターも耳にしていた。 でも2000年にリリースされた「You Had It Coming」を聴いた時、素晴らしいな～と思いました。 ここ10年くらいは”Rollin’ and Tumblin'”をジェフベックのヴァージョンでステージで取り上げています。
And yesterday after knowing about Jeff Beck, another news popped in. It was about the passing of Tatjana Patitz, she was one of the Super Models in the ’80s~’90s. I remember reading Vogue, Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, all the fashion magazines and she was one the top models on the covers along with my favorite models, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford! She was only 56…too young to go.
I still remember this issue very well from 1992. Tatjana is the one in the middle.
And then again today, the shocking news about Lisa Marie Presley. Elvis Presley’s only daughter. She was only 54. I just saw the movie “Elvis” and saw Lisa in a photo with Austin Butler who played Elvis.
そして今日はエルビスプレスリーの一人娘、Lisa Marie Presleyの訃報。 ついこの前エルビスの映画を観たばかり、彼女が主演のAustin Butlerと写真に写っていたのを見たばかりでした。 Tatjanaに続き、同年代の訃報はかなりド～ンと重いものを感じます。
Got this photo from our friend and my former band member and a writer, Mr. Byrd Shirai. This was a photo I’ve never seen before. Brings back lots of memories of that night at my live!! I even had my classmates that visited from the states there to see my show for the first time.
昨年終りに長年の友人で、元Keiko Walker & The Hot Street Bandのメンバーでもあり、 私達のアルバムのライナーノーツを書いてくれているライターの白井英一郎が、送ってくれた写真
My first gig this year would be at Stagecoach Chigasaki on January 15th Sunday. It will be with Kazuaki Furuhashi and Yukito! Looking forward to see you all !
It’s always so much fun to sing Emmylou! We did a new set of songs from our Vol. I live. Songs I used to sing when I was younger and songs we’ve never done before. Still haven’t covered half of her albums so this series hopefully continues(^_-)-☆
Received these beautiful flowers! The Christmas scent spread around the room as soon as I opened the box. Their from my favorite florist Gente! Thank you so much!
November’s been a tough month for me with my asthma and a family member being hospitalized. Oh, and the flat tire and all But hopefully, December turns out to be a better one with some Christmas Spirit
Was going through my old case and found this! SHIME gave me his pick probably in the early years of Broken Ashes ( Shime & Keiko Walker) I’ve been using it so the print is fading
I’ve been humming “Songbird” all day long today. Not the one I sing on stage but Christie’s. Another incredibly sad news popped in on Instagram when I logged in today. My favorite artist Stevie Nicks posted earlier today.
Christine McVie, a member of Fleetwood Mac passed away on November 30th at the age of seventy-nine. It’s hard to lose a band member you’ve been together with for a long, long time. Stevie and Christie’s been together in Fleetwood Mac since 1975, that means they’ve worked together for 47 years!! Earlier this year, I lost my very special friend and singing partner for almost 40 years. It still breaks my heart to try to sing the songs we used to sing together.
Christine McVie’s “Songbird” was a song SHIME, my musical partner in BROKEN ASHES loved and, he wanted me to record it in our album back in 1999. As a result, we didn’t because we were already planning to record “I Don’t Wanna Know” from the same album “Songbird” was in. The fabulous Fleetwood Mac album, “Rumours” (1977). But I remember recording a demo of the song.
I was still a kid when this album was released but even back then, I was familiar with the hits on the two albums, “Fleetwood Mac” and “Rumours”. But back in the ’80s when I started my career as a musician, I was always listening to the two albums all the time. And later in my career, I recorded “I Don’t Wanna Know” (BROKEN ASHES) with SHIME and “Rhiannon” on my “Both Sides Now” album.
Thank You!!! Received a beautiful Advent Calendar🎄 It’s from a confectionery shop “Cafe Ohzan” They’re not just delicious, they’re beautiful!! Can’t wait to start opening the tiny boxes everyday till Christmas.
Tried out the new Godiva & Georgia drink. I’m into the Coca-Cola app which gives you a free drink ticket when you get enough points. Today I got the Godiva Hot Chocolate drink. It was very good!! Actually, this tiny can costs 180yen (*_*) Luckily, I got it for free from using the Coca-Cola drink ticket!
Thanks Facebook for picking up this memory post! I remember flying to Kanazawa together and I was really panicking💦 I hate flying of course, I have claustrophobia…
I came across this old Calendar from Nashville which was an old Country Music venue in Ginza, Tokyo. I used to perform here after I started performing with my own band, Keiko Walker & The Hot Street Band.
Around 1993, Country Music was still more popular in Japan than now. We used to get a big crowd each stage, especially on Friday nights. There were still famous Country Artists from Japan performing back then. A lot of the performers that used to perform then have gone to heaven.
I scanned some photos from Nashville. I had the privilege of performing with Famous Artists like Connie Smith and The Louvin Brothers here at Nashville too.
When Nashville was still here, there were no SNS nor blogs so I never had the chance of writing about it nor leaving photos so I wanted to write about it and thank everyone who was a part of this era of Country Music in Japan.
Thank you everyone for your warm and kind words!!! Since the infusion treatment, it’s easier for me to breathe so I am feeling much better!
My longtime friend and the World’s Greatest Harmonica Player, Charlie McCoy gave me the permission to upload this beautiful Cowboy Tune we’ve been performing together over the past years when Charlie tours Japan.
I am so honored! I hope you all enjoy this.
This was filmed in Tokyo in 2007 at “Charlie McCoy Live in Tokyo”
長年の友人でもあり、Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Simon & Garfunkel や Bob Dylanなどのレコーディングや共演をしてきた世界のハーモニカプレイヤー、チャーリーマッコイより許可を頂き、Upload致しました。
This year from time to time, I have come to recollect my past. Where did Keiko Walker come from? Where, when, and how did my musical career start?
In the Spring, on his birthday, I started googling my grandfather who was an actor in Japan and found articles and photos of my uncle (my mother’s older brother) who also was an actor in Japan. He’s been in so many films. There were photos and blogs written about him which I found on Twitter and was thrilled to see photos I’ve never seen in the past. He was also a Country Music Singer before he moved to the States for good.
This was when I was about 10 years old that my uncle, James Walker was performing at Country Venues in Japan and even started a Country Music venue himself in Yokohama. This is where my mother and I would go and listen to live bands every now and then where I get to meet wonderful musicians and famous Country Artists.
After my Uncle left for the States for good, and couple of years later, along with my mother I went to hear bands playing at a venue in Motomachi (Yokohama) called Bonanza where I would meet musicians again after several years. And this is when my career as a Country Musician myself would begin. I was asked to join the band called “Texas Company”.
Recently, Seiji Katayama, Country singer and the owner of Stagecoach in Chigasaki gave me this poster he found of My Uncle and his Live Venue “GRASSHOPPER”. He found it at the older Stagecoach when they were moving. His father was in my uncle’s band as a Bass Player back then. How interesting where we all connect from generation to generation.
I have been uploading old videos on my YouTube Channel since last year and this has also made me realize how so many wonderful people, I have connected over the last 39 years of my musical career, and I have learned to appreciate my exciting past as a country artist. I have also realized how short life could be for some of us and that we have to appreciate every moment.
My dream right now is to plan a concert with my Uncle Jimmy for we’ve never been on stage together.
The Poster of my uncle’s venue in Yokohama back in the 70’s Seiji gave me in July this year! 片山誠史くんがくれた伯父の経営していたライヴハウスの大きなポスター。 昨日写真をBlogにUploadしたばかりですが、ジミーさんの名前が！ ジミー時田＆ジェームズ・ウォーカーショーというのがありますね❣ 観たいな～～～！
Some photos of my uncle, James Walker from Movies he appeared in which I found on Twitter! Twitterで伯父を検索して出てきた映画時代の写真たちです。 1枚目は映画「少年ジェット」に出演した時の物だそうです！ 2枚目は以前もBlogで書きましたが五月みとりさんとの映画だそうです。 載せてくださっている方々、ありがとうございます❤
This is a photo of my Grandfather, Hugh James Walker from his collection of Artist photos when he was in the movies. They do look alike (^_-)-☆ こちらは以前もBlogに載せていますが、祖父、ヒュー・ウォーカーの映画時代のブロマイドです！ こうして並べて見るとおじいちゃまと伯父、やっぱり似ていますね(^^♪
Going down Memory Lane I guess my future career as a Country Music Singer started when I was 10. Fond memories of my still most favorite Singer Jimmie Tokita. And my beautiful Mama
New YouTube upload❣ 来週11月12日、石田新太郎 & The Citylitesのライブにゲスト出演させて頂くのですが、その前に少しCitylitesと私の接点などをお話したいなと思い、美也ちゃんにコラボ動画撮らない？とお誘いして、前半、後半にわけて配信しました！ 場所は茅ヶ崎Stage Coachをお借りしました。 片山誠史くんも一瞬登場するよ😉
October 31st、 Halloween🎃でもありますが、40年の仲間、西海孝の還暦ライブでした❢
還暦ね〜✨
びっくりするよね。 周りがどんどん還暦になっていくのにいちいち驚いているこの頃です😂
①西海家の長男、モモがこんなに大人になっているんだもんね… ②こんな頃もあったね！Keiko Walker & The Hot Street Bandの頃。 ③どんどん40年前、出会った頃のSHIMEにそっくりになってくるRay！ ④出演者で集合写真！こちらの写真はBack In Townのをお借りしました。
ミュージシャンのKai Petiteです！
！先生のご挨拶にもありましたが、35年くらいになります。
ありがとうございます！
YouTube番組公開
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
SOLD OUT
SHIMEの大学時代の仲間に会うと泣いてしまう…
親子だったなんて〜
“Keiko Walker’s Music Box”
#1
（笑）
はい、マイメロちゃんのケースに”Fits just right”なのでstockしていますよ
のひとつに可愛いマスクストラップ〜
ディスクを取り出したのだが圧縮されたデータが開けない
揺れたなぁ
のメンテ待っている間、元町をフラッ〜っと
を買って帰りました。
皆様、お待ちしております