Real name: Ernest Earl Walker

Effective period / Period of releases: 1953 - 1965

Born Ernest Earl Walker in Mason County, WV on Dec. 18, 1915 (but went by Jimmy Walker). Not only did he record the first version of the country standard "Detour" in 1945, but to date he is the only man who ever replaced Roy Acuff on the Grand Ole Opry. He also recorded numerous other western swing-honky tonk numbers (usually as Jimmy Walker and His Western Stars), appeared as a regular on Midwestern Hayride, WWVA Jamboree and Louisiana Hayride, and appeared in several motion pictures.