Jim Walker
Born1955 (age 68–69)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
GenresPunk rock, post-punk
Occupation(s)Drummer
Years active1977–1984

Jim Walker (born 1955) is a Canadian musician who was a founding director as well as the original drummer for the UK music group Public Image Ltd.[1]

Early life and education

James Donat Walker was born in Edmonton, Alberta. He first trained as a jazz drummer at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he was taught by Alan Dawson and Joe Hunt.[2]

Career

In 1977, along with Malcolm Hasman and Chris Arnett he formed the Vancouver area punk band the Furies, the first punk rock band in Western Canada.[3] The band broke up after a few months, and Walker moved to London later that year. In early May 1978, after answering an ad placed in Melody Maker,[4] he auditioned for and became a founding member of Public Image Ltd., with John Lydon, Keith Levene, and John Wardle (Jah Wobble).[5][6]

Dissatisfied with the band's direction, he left PiL as a player in February 1979, and as a director in January 1980. After PiL, he played for a few lesser known local London bands, including The Pack and The Straps,[7][8] before forming the Human Condition in 1981 with Jah Wobble and Dave "Animal" Maltby.[9] The Human Condition were together for just over a year, playing to mixed reviews, before disbanding in 1982.[citation needed]

In 1984, he left London for New York, and after playing that year left the music industry.[10] Walker was interviewed for the 2017 documentary film, The Public Image is Rotten.[11]

References

  1. ^ "PiL: The Public Image Is Rotten (Songs From the Heart) review – how John Lydon bulldozed pop". The Guardian, Chal Ravens, 19 Jul 2018
  2. ^ "Jim Walker". Allmusic, Biography by Eugene Chadbourne
  3. ^ "The Furies". Bloodied but Unbowed, Scott Beadle and Les Wiseman | January 22, 2010
  4. ^ "Record Bin: How Public Image Ltd escaped the shadow of its punk lineage on “Metal Box”". Nooga Today, May 16, 2017.
  5. ^ Steve Taylor (September 27, 2006). The A to X of Alternative Music. A&C Black. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-8264-8217-4.
  6. ^ Kenneth L. Shonk, Jr.; Daniel Robert McClure (August 17, 2017). Historical Theory and Methods through Popular Music, 1970–2000: "Those are the New Saints". Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 161. ISBN 978-1-137-57072-7.
  7. ^ "John Werner on the Furies, the Pack, Theatre of Hate, and the Vancouver–U.K. punk migration". Georgia Straight, by Allan MacInnis, January 15, 2019
  8. ^ Ian Glasper (May 1, 2014). Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984. PM Press. p. 308. ISBN 978-1-60486-989-7.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Simon Reynolds (August 10, 2010). Totally Wired: Postpunk Interviews and Overviews. Soft Skull Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-59376-394-7.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "John Lydon resurrects his 'folk band'". The Globe and Mail, May 7, 2010, Joshua Ostroff
  11. ^ "The Public Image Is Rotten". Chicago Reader, j. R. Jones.

External links

Public Image Ltd
Authority control databases: Artists
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