1. Donald Ray Walser was an American country music singer.
12 Facts About Don Walser
1. 2.
Don Walser started his first band, The Panhandle Playboys, at age 16, and shared bills with another aspiring Texas singer, Buddy Holly.
3.
From 1959 to 1961 Don Walser had a group called The Texas Plainsmen and a weekly radio program.
4.
Don Walser wrote popular original songs such as "Rolling Stone from Texas", which received a four-star review in 1964 from Billboard magazine.
5.
Don Walser kept alive old 1940s and 1950s tunes by country music pioneers such as Bob Wills and Eddy Arnold, and made them his own in a style that blended elements of honky tonk and Western swing.
6.
Don Walser was known for his extraordinary yodeling style in the tradition of Slim Whitman and Jimmie Rodgers.
7.
Don Walser put together his Pure Texas Band and developed a strong local following.
8.
In 1990, Don Walser was "discovered" by musician and talent scout TJ McFarland.
9.
In September 2003, Don Walser retired from live performances due to health issues.
10.
Three years later, Don Walser died due to complications from diabetes on September 20,2006, six days after his 72nd birthday.
11.
Don Walser was voted "Best Performing Country Band" at the Austin Music Awards, was voted top country band of the year by the Austin Chronicle in 1996, and received an Association for Independent Music "Indie" Award in 1997.
12.
Don Walser received recognition in mainstream country, and played the Grand Ole Opry on October 30,1999, and again in 2001.