Matt Walker - Started at around 14 years old playing
at Selby Folk Club Started playing festivals Port Fairy Folk Festival
National Folk Festival Bridgetown Blues Festival, East Coast Blues
and Roots Festival, etc from age 16 or 17 Member of Hills-a-billy rock
band Wild Turkey in the early days.
Three of Matt's original compositions used in soundtrack of
Australian documentary, Angel of Collingwood
Recorded a version of original composition Welcome Me Home for Real
Australian Blues Vol. 1 compilation for Studio 52 Joined Broderick
Smith Band playing dobro, guitar and lap steel and toured extensively
around Australia, Played on and wrote music for Broderick Smith albums
My Shiralee 1994, Songster 1995, Crayon Angels 1996 Recorded Matt Walker
and Friends - Live at the Rainbow in 1995 - with Ashley Davies (drums),
Andrew Entsch (double bass) and Jerry Hale (fiddle, guitar)
Performed with band Mighty Servant led by Ashley Davies (drums) with
Andrew Entsch (bass). Recorded There's Life 1996 Recorded album I Listen
to the Night with Ashley Davies 1997 which resulted in being nominated
for two ARIA awards Best Australian Male Artist, Best Australian World
Music Recording Played support for overseas artists John Hammond
Junior, T-Model Ford, Bob Dylan/Patti Smith tour,
Nick Cave and the Bad
Seeds, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Cowboy Junkies, Cat Power, Gillian
Welch, etc.
Performed headline shows around Australia with Ashley Davies
Played South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas with Ashley
Davies. Also performed at the House of Blues in New Orleans and other
venues in LA, Nashville and San Francisco 1998
Played gigs in Germany and Holland with Ashley Davies 1999
Recorded Soul Witness with Ashley Davies drums, Chris Abrahams piano and
Ken Gormley bass which won an ARIA for Best Australian Blues and Roots
Album 2000. Played a national tour with this line-up
Formed electric trio The Necessary Few with Grant Cummerford (bass) and
Roger Bergodaz (drums) completed a 52 gig Australian tour and recorded
the album Navigational Skills 2003
Toured West Coast of US with Judah Bauers band Twenty Miles
Collaborated with Mick Harvey in writing the sound track for the film
Australian Rules which won an ARIA for Best Soundtrack 2003
Two original songs used in award winning Australian film Somersault
2004
Contributed an original track - I Won't See You Again - to the Barb
Waters album Rosa Duet. 2004
Composed and played original music for Australian short film Hunter
Finkelstein by Michael Weisler starring Tim Rogers in the lead role
2005
Reformed the duo with Ashley Davies and played gigs in France and
Holland in July/Aug, 2005 - the duo was invited to play the prestigious
Blues Passions festival in Cognac, France
On Sept 5, 2005 Matt and Ashley released a new self-titled album Matt
Walker and Ashley Davies - on Matts label Stovepipe Records
National Tour with Ashley to promote the new album - Oct/Nov 2005 During
2005 invited to join Salmon. Salmon is a high concept five guitar, two
drummer, no lead vocal, instrumental hard rock band led by Kim Salmon
During 2006 completed three Industry Sampler albums - all instrumental
and set up The 8 Track Shack recording studio 2007 saw the release
of Salmon's album - Rock Formations (vinyl and cd formats) on Spanish
label Bang Records Busy recording in the 8 Track Shack and producing
albums for Crystal Thomas and Liz Stringer
Performed as a duo with Ashley Davies at the inaugural Adelaide
International Guitar Festival
2008 Producing new album Unknown Country for
Broderick Smith
Liz Stringer's album, Pendulum, produced by Matt, released
Crystal Thomas & the Flowers of Evil, produced by Matt, released on
Stovepipe Records
Touring as part of Mia Dyson band including Joe Cocker Australian Tour
and West Coast Blues and Roots Festival
Played the second Adelaide International Guitar Festival (2008) with
Ashley Davies
2009 Played at Port Fairy Folk Festival as part of Broderick Smith
Band
Broderick Smith's album, Unknown Country - produced by Matt, released on
Liberation Music
Played as a duo with Ashley Davies at the Apollo Bay Music Festival