Before he got his recording contract, Bradley Walker had already performed on the Grand Ole Opry, appeared on national television and sung at some of America’s leading bluegrass festivals. One listen to Highway of Dreams, his stunning Rounder Records debut, explains why: Bradley Walker is simply one of the greatest young country singers alive. He belongs to a tradition that includes such outstanding stylists as Vern Gosdin, Merle Haggard, Mel Street, Gene Watson, George Jones, Lefty Frizzell, and Keith Whitley, all of whom he cites as influences. “He really is one amazing singer,†says producer Carl Jackson, who has worked with everyone from Emmylou Harris to Glen Campbell. The GrammyTM award-winning Jackson’s resume includes sessions with Ricky Skaggs, Jim & Jesse, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill and many other greats. But he reserves extra praise for this new stylist. “Bradley is a special person, as well as a talent,†Jackson continues.
The fact that Bradley Walker drove alone from his hometown of Athens, Alabama to Nashville to record Highway of Dreams is itself a wonder. He was born with Muscular Dystrophy, and has been in a wheelchair his entire life. But this young man is as fiercely independent as he is musically gifted. He built his own home in Alabama, designing it for maximum mobility and comfort. He is also completely at ease in his customized van, and has been working a day job ever since his high-school graduation, in addition to singing and traveling to festivals regularly. “My whole outlook on life is that if you’re able to get out and work, then do it,†says Walker. “My family has always been very encouraging, wanting me to follow my dreams and go after it, but with a realistic side, too.†Since 2002, Walker has worked at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in northern Alabama. He is a material analyst there, supporting warehouse inventory and purchasing. But music is never far from his thoughts. He was honored in September 2005 when Bluegrass Unlimited magazine published a Bradley Walker feature story, headlining him as “The Next Great Voice of Bluegrass Music.†The Nashville Scene once hailed him as “the best singer in bluegrass today not yet signed to a record deal.†That would soon change.
At the release of Highway of Dreams, Bradley headlined his own concert at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. One year later, after concerts around the country and rave reviews from the likes of USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and more, the International Bluegrass Music Association named him 2007's Male Vocalist of the Year. “I guess the caliber of people I am working with is just starting to hit me,†Walker reflects. “I had no idea that anything like this record deal would ever come along, and being able to work with Carl Jackson is a huge honor. I feel very blessed to have made so many friends through bluegrass music.â€
