Walker got his start as a hair metal artist. You might remember his band SouthGang, who released a couple of albums in the early '90s. That band imploded, but he rebounded with Marvelous 3, who had a minor hit with the power pop single “Freak Of The Week” in 1999. He eventually got into producing and has worked on numerous hit albums and singles.
My favorite part of Drinking With Strangers is the early days, from his youth in Georgia to when SouthGang was in their heydey. There are some interesting stories and anecdotes, and Walker is very honest about the mistakes he made, both personally and on the business side of the band. The Sunset Strip in the late '80s was a competitive place for bands, and SouthGang came in just before grunge became popular and destroyed the hair metal genre.
Walker is a very versatile musician who was able to go from hair metal to more of a rock/power pop based sound with Marvelous 3 and the diverse styles of his solo material. That's also why he was able to transition into producing pop music, which is where he really entered the upper echelon of the music industry. His is a true rags to riches story, going from a poor kid in Georgia to riding in a private jet with Britney Spears. He's also managed to keep a good perspective on things, and learned from his mistakes.
I've never met Butch Walker, but he seems like a guy you'd want to sit down and have a beer with. That's how the book reads, a casual conversation with Walker telling some very interesting stories. His life could easily be an episode of Behind The Music. He had the early success, failed, came back, failed again, then became a successful producer and solo artist. He has also had some major setbacks, including losing his home to a fire that destroyed pretty much everything he owned. But Walker is resilient, which is evident throughout Drinking With Strangers, a very entertaining and highly recommended book.
(published November 2011 by William Morrow)
