On this day (March 23) in 2006, Cindy Walker died at the Parkview Regional Hospital in Mexia, Texas, at the age of 88. She left behind a massive collection of timeless songs. Dozens of A-list artists from multiple genres and generations recorded her songs. Merle Haggard, Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, and Willie Nelson are among the long list of stars.
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According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, of which Walker was a charter member, Bing Crosby recorded her first hit single. She was in Los Angeles with her father when she demanded he stop outside Crosby’s office building so she could pitch a song to him. When she went inside, she spoke to his brother, Larry Crosby, and played “Lone Star Trail” for him. The next day, she sang it for Bing, who recorded it. It went to No. 23 on the Hot 100 in 1941.
Walker wrote top 10 hits in each decade from the 1940s through the 1980s. Her songs were recorded by a diverse group of artists because she had the ability to write in a variety of styles. For instance, she wrote one of Roy Orbison’s biggest hits and a song that Bob Wills transformed into a standard with his Texas Playboys.
Her skill as a writer earned her slots in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.
Cindy Walker Wrote Timeless Hits
Over the course of her career, Cindy Walker wrote hundreds of songs. Dozens of those became pop and country hits. Below is a list of highlights from her deep catalog.
- “Bubbles in My Beer”–Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys (No. 4)
- “Cherokee Maiden”–Merle Haggard (No. 1)
- “Distant Drums”–Jim Reeves (No. 1)
- “Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)”–Roy Orbison (No. 4)
- “I Don’t Care”–Ricky Skaggs (No. 1)
- “Sugar Moon”–Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys (No. 1)
- “Warm Red Wine”–Ernest Tubb (No. 8)
- “You Don’t Know Me”–Mickey Gilley (No. 1)
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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