Magnificent baritone voice best remembered for million selling power ballads

SCOTT Walker (1943-2019) American born, British based front man and lead singer of the sixties band The Walker Brothers, none of whom were related, was best remembered for million selling power ballads, Make It Easy On Yourself, The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore and many others, writes MICHAEL BROOKS. At the height of his fame he had it all, a magnificent baritone voice that stopped you in your tracks, the adulation, the looks, success, he was a heartthrob, yet there was something contradictory about the singer's image, he craved solitude and became known as a recluse.

Following the break up of the band in 1967, he embarked on a solo career which led to a TV series, he released the successful Scott 1,2 and 3 albums which led to hit singles, Joanna, Lights Of Cincinatti, then began his dark period. One album consisted entirely of songs by the Belgian singer Jacques Brel who was a major influence on Scott; this provided more hits with Jackie and Mathilde, slightly controversial songs, which led to the BBC terminating his contract. Scott 4 was released under his real name Noel Scott Engel; it fared badly. Despite writing all the songs it failed to chart and later became deleted. Consoling himself with alcohol he slipped into a deep depression. He later referred to this period as his 'lost years'. In 1984, signed by Virgin records, he recorded the LP Climate Of Heart, which contained a dark and discomforting selection of songs featuring symphonic orchestrations that were described as dissonant and avant-garde. It was reputedly Virgin's lowest selling album of all time and distanced his fans even further. Scott left the music business for many years. There was the occasional release, usually a song from a film soundtrack. His voice remained powerful, almost operatic but sadly he chose to walk away to record the uncompromising music he believed in, whatever the cost. The albums that followed were all commercial failures, pop audiences struggled to keep pace with Scott's increasingly experimental approaches and became distant.

Ironically, his last ballad was a superb recording of Bob Dylan's I Threw It All Away, and showed his voice had lost none of the dramatic passion that had made him famous. He could have been singing about his own musical life. It will move you to tears.