Soul Strutter: Ronnie Walker

Ronnie Benjamin Walker was much loved over the years on UK soul scene and sadly passed away on 15 Jan 2019 and even more sadly not having been far more widely appreciated for his indisputed talent that he surely deserved. If you don't know much about his music then I have collated what I believe is a fairly comprehensive discography of his releases here (At last count there were 42 tracks here). I still have a few tracks from his Someday compilation to add that were not released on 45.

If you have not listened to Ronnie before then I recommend that you head straight to his release as Fletcher Walker III - Guess I'll Never Understand for a taster.

He also had a hand in writing mahy tracks of interest such as:

The Agent - Trouble / The Love I Hold,
Brown Sugar - The Game Is Over / I'm Going Through Changes Now,
Fat Larry's Band - Center City,
Cecil Parker - Really, Really Love You,
Carol Williams - Love Is You
(pinched by DJ Spiller (Feat Sophie Ellis-Bexter) - Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)a #1 Pop hit in UK Aug 2000 so let's hope he made a few quid out of that!),
Double Exposure - Just Can't Say Hello,
Montana - Maybe It's All In My Mind,
Loleatta Holloway - Something About The Way You Make Me Feel.

NOTE Discogs links him as writer of several tracks for The Exoutics but that is not correct that is Ron Walker (Ronald A Walker).

Ronnie Walker Discography

1967 - I'm Sayin' Goodbye / My Baby (Doesn't Love Me Anymore) [Bell 651]
1967 - Ain't It Funny / Really, Really Love You [Philips 40470]
1968 - You're The One / Thanks To You [Philips 40501]
1969 - It's A Good Feelin' / Precious [Nico 1000]
1969 - Everything Is Everything / Precious [Vent V-1005]
1970 - Guess I'll Never Understand (The Workings Of Your Mind) / Didn't We [Paramount PAA-0065] as Fletcher Walker III
1972 - In Search Of Love / Now There Is You [Gala P-5202]

1974 - Ronnie Walker [1974] - You've Got To Try Harder (Times Are Bad) / No One Else Will Do [Event EV 220]

1975 - Ronnie Walker [1975] - Magic's In The Air / Just Can't Say Hello (Once You've Said Goodbye) [Event EV 225]
2004 - Trouble / Why Did You [Impact I-101]
2009 - On And On / On And On (Inst) [Impact I-102]

2013 - Nothing's Gonna Change / Now There Is You [Impact I-103]

2018 - Can You Love A Poor Boy / Now I Cry [MD MD-101]

2019 - Authentics Ft Ronnie Walker ‎– Lord What's Happening / No One Will Ever Know [MD MD-104]

Ronnie Walker [1966] - I'm Sayin' Goodbye[Bell 651]

Sweet soul harmony

Ronnie Walker [1966] - My Baby (Doesn't Love Me Anymore) [Bell 651]

Ronnie Walker [1967] - Ain't It Funny [Philips 40470]

Sweet soul ballad.

Ronnie Walker [1967] - Really, Really Love You [Philips 40470]

Sweet and deep soul ballad.

Ronnie Walker [1968] - You're The One [Philips 40501]

Northern Soul

Ronnie Walker [1968] - Thanks To You [Philips 40501]

Mid-tempo sweet soul / Northern Soul.

Ronnie Walker [1969] - It's A Good Feelin' [Nico 1000]

Philly Northern Soul.

Ronnie Walker [1969] - Precious [Nico 1000]

Superb sweet soul / crossover.

Ronnie Walker [1969] - Everything Is Everything [Vent V-1005]

Crossover

Ronnie Walker [1969] - Precious [Vent V-1005]

Sound clip above.

NOTE This is NOT the Vent release but a previously unreleased version with no strings released on a compilations Philly Soul & Funk Vol. 3 in 2019 on Funkadelphia records.

Fletcher Walker III [1970] - Guess I'll Never Understand (The Workings Of Your Mind) [Paramount PAA-0065]

You need to be careful when buying this 45 as the promos sells much cheaper than issues as it only contains 'Didn't We' on both sides (mono/stereo) and not the the sweet soul side 'Guess I'll Never Understand' on the issue which sells for over £100.

The song was co-written by Walker with Vincent Montana Jr. member of MFSB and founder of Salsoul Orchestra and was known as 'The Godfather Of Disco'.

Fletcher Walker III [1970] - Didn't We [Paramount PAA-0065]

An uptempo take on the 'standard' written by Jim Webb, probably best know by Barbara Steisland's version. Webb also wrote such classics like By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Wichita Lineman and MacArthur Park etc., but of more interest to NS devotees he also wrote Shane Martin's I Need You.

Ronnie Walker [1972] - In Search Of Love [Gala P-5202]

Sweet soul ballad.

Ronnie Walker [1972] - Now There Is You [Gala P-5202]

Modern sweet soul dancer.

Ronnie Walker [1974] - You've Got To Try Harder (Times Are Bad) [Event EV 220]

70s Modern Northern Soul

Re-recorded with Ian Levine in 1998

Ronnie Walker [1974] - No One Else Will Do [Event EV 220]

Modern soul

Ronnie Walker [1975] - Magic's In The Air [Event EV 225]

The Vince Montana influence can be seen here as this is early / pre-disco with the big Philly production. This was covered in 1976 by Esther Phillips on her Capricorn Princess album and was released as a single not long after What A Difference A Day Makes.

Ronnie Walker [1975] - Just Can't Say Hello (Once You've Said Goodbye) [Event EV 225]

Modern Philly sweet soul.

That concludes all his 'original' 45 release, however, there were several later reissues and issues of previously unreleased tracks in UK.

Ronnie Walker [2004] - Trouble [Impact I-101]

This was played on NS scene by The Agents on Liberty Bell (now approaching 4 figures) and then it was dicovered that Ronnie Walker wrote it and had an unreleased cut of it.

Ronnie Walker [2004] - Why Did You [Impact I-101]

This one has a garage feel about it and I would never have guessed that this was Ronnie Walker.

Ronnie Walker [2009] - On And On (Inst) [Impact I-102]

Northern Soul

This was a previously unreleased track recorded in 1968. A limited number of copies (200) were pressed to sell when he visited UK on tour in December 2009.

Ronnie Walker / Impact Sound Orchestra [2009] - On And On (Inst) [Impact I-102]

Ronnie Walker [2011] - On And On EP [Funkadelphia]

Recorded in the basement of a shoe store on Castor Ave in Philly, Impact Sound Studios. Produced by the late Phil Gaber.

The 2 tracks above One And One vocal & Instrumental in adddition to these 3 tracks.

Touble

The Love I Hold

Precious (Instrumental)

Ronnie Walker [2013] - Nothing's Gonna Change [Impact I-103]

Ronnie Walker [2013] - Now There Is You [Impact I-103]

Ronnie Walker [2018] - Can You Love A Poor Boy [MD 101]

A Stevie Wonder and Ivy Joe Hunter song originally recorded by The Miracles on their Away We Go Go album in 1966. Gil Bernal also did a version on RCA Victor. Ronnie's version came to light on a Ronnie Walker compilation CD Someday released on Philly Archives in 2000. It was released on limited edition vinyl on Mark Anderson & Des Parkers MD label as their first release. Needless to say it sold out pretty quickly and now you'll have to take your chances on the resale market for a copy.

In their words:

"The topside was recorded in 1973, when Ronnie was approached by WDAS DJ Harvey Holiday who had the idea to get Ronnie to record a version of "Can You Love A Poor Boy" which never saw a release. The flip "Now I Cry" was recorded on 17th October 1967 at the same session where "You're The One" and "Thanks To You", but was not released ………………………...until now!!"

Ronnie Walker [2018] - Now I Cry [MD 101]

Norhern Soul.

Authentics Ft Ronnie Walker ‎[2019] - Lord What's Happening / No One Will Ever Know [MD MD-104]

From MD:

This is a special 45 in many ways, in 2017 Ronnie Walker told us about a project he was working on with a band in Manchester. We spoke about it and listened to the first recordings.

Roll forwards to January 2019, and the sad news of Ronnie’s passing and the band contacted us asking if we were interested in bringing the track to vinyl. Safe to say that we just had to listen to the final recordings that the Icon that was Ronnie Walker, had laid down.

The first side was a cover of the great 70s track by Kenny Smith – Lord what’s happening to your people. Backed with an original writing collaboration between Ronnie and 2 of the band – the almost prophetically titled “No one will ever know”.

Both are sublime soulful cuts -as you would expect from the sweet soul maestro, with the flip being a real outing into a deep soul ballad – that we feel speaks volumes about Ronnie and his deep and often overlooked depth of feeling and soul.

Do not miss out on as we are still only pressing 300 of these each.

Authentics Ft Ronnie Walker ‎[2019] - Lord What's Happening / No One Will Ever Know [MD MD-104]

No YT clip avaiable but sample available from MD website.

Ronnie Walker [2020] Ronnie Walker [Funkadelphia]

These 4 previously unreleased tracks have just been released on 28 Jan 2020 on Funkadelphia records and are available for only $1.99 for all 4 from Amazon (link on image above).

Guess I'll Never