Biography

Brian began his music career in 1980 by hopping a bus from Buffalo, New York, to New York City to attend Juilliard. NYC proved challenging for a student on a budget, so to make ends meet, Brian juggled small acting roles with piano gigs at Trude Heller's five nights a week. Between classes, he apprenticed under Grammy Award-winning producer Phil Ramone at A&R Recording. This early experience included work on the film "Arthur" alongside Burt Bacharach and assisting with the production of albums for Steely Dan, Stevie Nicks, and the Doobie Brothers.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree, Brian moved to Nashville to work at Capitol Records. His focus shifted to composing and producing for film and television, including his production work on the movie Teachers, for which he earned his first Audio Engineering Society certification, as well as work with artists such as 38 Special, Mel McDaniel, and Anne Murray. His studio work as a session musician earned him touring gigs with Cyndi Lauper, Diana Ross, and J.J. Cale. Outside the studio, he became a regular at Nashville venues like Tootsie's, The Second Fiddle, and Legends Corner, often performing with legends such as Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash--an experience he still looks back on with disbelief.

Brian also enlisted in the Army in 1980 with an 8-year commitment, split between reserve and active-duty tours. After completing basic and combat engineer school at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, he went to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for air assault training, then to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for airborne training, and finally back to Fort Leonard Wood as cadre to train the next cycle. He began the first part of his tour in the Reserves so he could move around the country while pursuing his education and career. During that time, he served in the Grenada conflict. When it came time for the active-duty portion of his tour, Brian was sent to Kelly Barracks in Darmstadt, Germany, to take part in Reforger 85. Brian's military career was cut short after he suffered a severe injury while serving with the UN peacekeeping force in Somalia, and he was discharged with full honors in 1985.

After his discharge from the Army, Brian stayed in Darmstadt for a while, and over the next 15-plus years he became an instrumental part of Europe's burgeoning country music scene. He began performing at military clubs throughout Germany. Then his career took off with the 1993 release of his debut album, "Made in the Shade," the formation of the critically acclaimed "Bakerfield" band, and subsequent USO tours with Dwight Yoakam, Joe Diffie, and the Bellamy Brothers, earning him American Country Music Association and German Country Music Association awards. Brian rounded out his time in Germany as a member of the popular "Westend" band, touring all over Europe, even into former communist nations.

Returning stateside in 2000, Brian and his family settled in the quiet suburbia of Camarillo, California, an hour from the Capitol Records studio in Hollywood along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway, where he began producing gold- and platinum-selling albums and scoring for film and television. Brian still performed, either embarking on a 16-city tour revisiting the "Bakersfield" era or joining the band "Savor," where he wowed audiences with his faithful reproduction of Carlos Santana. He even took a stab at screenwriting, co-authoring the screenplay for the movie "The Black Dawn." His soundtrack credits at Capitol Records Hollywood include films such as Requiem for a Dream, Best in Show, Donnie Darko, Real Women Have Curves, Lost in Translation, Napoleon Dynamite, Brokeback Mountain, and the documentary March of the Penguins.

As crime and population from LA crept up the Pacific Coast Highway and over the Thousand Oaks Hills into their idyllic paradise in Ventura County, Brian and his family fled the onslaught by moving to the Colorado Rocky Mountains in 2006. Brian continued producing award-winning albums and TV and film scores, and he continued performing with local up-and-coming bands, but it was here that he made the transformation from country to blues, scoring a whole new audience to entertain. While in Colorado, Brian hooked up with Marty Wallace and his "Toad House Band" and went on tour backing legendary blues and rock artists such as B.B. King, Robert Cray, The Black Crowes, and Robert Randolph & the Family Band.

By 2010, Brian's kids were grown and had moved on to pursue their dreams. Instead of ghosting around a huge, empty house, Brian took a break from his work and, together with his wife, Inge, put their house up for rent, bought a 40-foot luxury motorhome, and ran off to discover America. As they toured the southern states, they landed in Punta Gorda, Florida, around Christmas 2011. The weather was so wonderful that they decided to stick around for a while and, later that same year, got a house in the neighboring town of Port Charlotte. There, Brian hooked up with drummer Herschel Burden III, guitarist Gary Stanczik, and bassist Dennis Cory, and together they formed the southern rock band "Cracker-41." In no time, the band made a name for themselves up and down the West Florida coast as the top performers in the area. But a sudden heart attack landed Brian in the hospital, and his doctors advised him that the summer humidity was too much for his system and that he should leave the state.

Brian and his wife headed to the Pacific Northwest high-desert region. Brian had always preferred the Rocky Mountains to the ocean, so they toured Oregon, Washington, and Montana before finally buying a house in the little Wild West town of Challis, Idaho, smack dab in the center of the state, nestled in a scenic banana-belt valley surrounded by mountains and wilderness. Before long, Brian had his studio up and running, and by 2016 he was back in the fray, churning out top hits and scoring soundtracks. He announced his arrival by releasing the "Still Got My Mojo" collection, followed by the gold-selling "What the Hell!" album. In commemoration of his little Wild West town of Challis, he released "In My Little Town" to huge fanfare for its country-rock style, which inspired Brian to write and release "Cowgirl Thang" and "Turning Up The Weekend," both of which charted in the top 10 and have since earned numerous awards for lyrics and composition.

In 2022, Brian landed a gig at The Walt Disney Company as an Associate Music Director. His primary responsibility was to nudge along projects stalled by the pandemic, which dragged him out to Burbank to twist knobs in the studio, finish scoring soundtrack compositions (sometimes sneaking in his own original compositions), perform as a session musician, and even conduct the studio orchestra. He was a veritable fireman, and Disney CEO Bob Iger took notice, sponsoring Brian's induction into the Motion Picture Association and putting him in the room with Grammy-winning composers like Hans Zimmer, Randy Newman, and Alan Menken. By 2024, the Disney craftwerk was operating at capacity, and Brian had little to do. Tired of the corporate bustle, he left Disney to start his own music label.

Brian founded the "Musty Dungeon Studios" label in 2022 after negotiating the release of his entire music catalog. At first, the label simply serviced his catalog, putting his work front and center with some of the most influential producers in the film industry. After Disney, Brian leveraged his Hollywood contacts, expanded his label to include music production services, brought on a team, and has since become one of the film industry's premier production service providers, servicing accounts with Netflix, Warner Bros., and Lionsgate.

While Brian is a classically trained pianist, he prefers to play guitar and has become skilled on other instruments, such as the violin, lap and pedal steel, bass, and drums, sometimes out of necessity. Brian's stage presence is nothing short of electric--critics consistently hail his live shows as mesmerizing, a testament to his powerhouse frontmanship with "Bakersfield." But every legend has a spark, and for Brian, that spark came from Ms. Meriah Diehl, his junior high teacher. She didn't just teach him music; she dragged him to live concerts, igniting an unstoppable desire to perform, handing him the keys to his future and transforming him into the electrifying performer who continues to captivate audiences today.

Phil Ramone, the legendary Grammy-winning co-founder of A&R Recording, wasn't just a mentor to Brian; he was the catalyst who shoved him straight into the deep end of music production. It was a partnership forged in studio magic, transforming Brian from an eager apprentice into the powerhouse producer he is today. Their bond went far beyond the mixing board--a lifelong friendship that sparked countless creative triumphs right up until Phil's passing in 2013.

When Brian's not making music, he enjoys spending time outdoors, hunting, fishing, and off-roading near his home in Idaho's central mountains. He's a huge Rush fan and an avid collector of their memorabilia. He is also a card-carrying member of the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), advocating for veterans' rights.

Awards

German Country Music Association (GCMA) Male Vocalist of the Year (1991)
American Country Music Association (ACM Country Artist of the Year (1993, 1997)
German Country Music Association (GCMA) Band/Group of the Year for Bakersfield (1994)
German Country Music Association (GCMA) Most Versatile Musician (1996, 1997, 1998)
Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition (1993, 2010, 2011, 2024)
Society of Composers and Lyricists Award (1987, 1993, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2024)
Songwriters Guild of America Award (2010, 2011, 2024)
Motion Picture Association (2024, 2025)
Audio Engineering Society (1981, 2024, 2025)

Relevant Patents

Number 6577949: Method and system for exchanging routing data between end users
Number 6424910: Method and system for providing related navigation features for two or more end users
Publication Number 20030191584: Associated with 6577949
Publication Number 20030191584: Associated with 6424910

Discography

A&R Recording, NYC, New York, USA
1981 - Peter Tosh - Wanted Dread & Alive ?(LP, Album)
1982 - Dayton - Hot Fun ?(LP, Album)
1982 - Tyzik* - Radiance ?(Cass, Album)
1982 - Judy Collins - Times Of Our Lives ?(LP)
1982 - Pan American Airlines - You Can't Beat The Experience (Jingle)
Capitol Records, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
1983 - Anne Murray - A Little Good News ?(7", Single)
1983 - 38 Special - Teacher Teacher (Single)
1983 - Dr. Hook - Sometimes You Win ?(LP, Album)
1983 - Diana Ross - Pieces Of Ice ?(12", Maxi)
1984 - Little Steven - Voice Of America (Album)
1984 - Maria Vidal - Body Rock (Special Long Version) ?(12")
1984 - Mel McDaniel - With Oklahoma Wind ?(Cass, Album, Dol)
1984 - Sherry Kean - People Talk ?(Cass, Album, Dol)
1984 - Maybelline - I'm At My Best (Jingle)
1985 - Maybelline - Dial-a-Lash (Jingle)
Dolphin Studios, Mörfelden, Germany
1994 - Frankfurt Rock Orchestra - Classic Moody Blues Hits ?(CD, Album)
1994 - Nena* - Und Alles Dreht Sich ?(CD, Album)
1995 - Kingfish - In Concert ?(2xCD, RM)
1995 - Johnny Logan - Another Lover ?(7", Single)
1997 - Diamond Head - Lightning To The Nations (Album)
1998 - Point Blank - Point Blank ?(CD, Album, RE, RM)
Musty Dungeon Studios (Sony), Challis, Idaho, USA
1993 - Brian Walton - Made in the Shade (Album)
2001 - Brian Walton - Made in the Shade (Live, Album)
2014 - Brian Walton - Wear Them Blues (Single)
2016 - Brian Walton - What the Hell (Album)
2019 - Brian Walton - Made in the Shade (25th Anniversary Edition, Album)
2019 - Brian Walton - Fly Higher (Single)
2021 - Brian Walton - Still Got My Mojo (Comp, Album)
2021 - Brian Walton - In My Little Town (EP)
2022 - Brian Walton - Fly Higher (Matilda 2) (Single)
2022 - Brian Walton - Cowgirl Thang (Single)
2022 - Brian Walton - The Karen (Can't Understand Normal Thinking) Song
2022 - Soundtrack for Spawn Trailer
2022 - Soundtrack for Spawn
2022 - Lance Moss - What the Hell feat. Lance Moss (Single)
2022 - Brian Walton - Strange Sensation feat. JoAnna Leaton (Single)
2024 - Brian Walton - Can Love You More feat. Christal Wheelock (Single)
2024 - Brian Walton - 'Merica (Album)
2025 - Brian Walton - Damn Good Looker (Single)
2026 - Brian Walton - Zombie Love feat. F A I T H (Single)
Disney Studios, Burbank, California, USA
2022 - Mandalorian: Line Engineer, Post-Production
2022 - Andor: Line Engineer, Post-Production
2022 - Mandalorian (Season 2 Episode 12): Associate composer, "What the Hell" instrumental
2022 - Andor (Season 2 Episode 5): Associate composer, "What the Hell" instrumental
2022 - Andor (Season 2 Episode 7): Associate composer, "What the Hell" instrumental
2022 - Tiana: Strange Sensation instrumental
2022 - Thor: Love and Thunder: Post-Production
2023 - Elemental: Associate composer, Post-Production
2023 - Wish: Associate composer, "Fly Higher" instrumental, Post-Production
2024 - Mufasa: Associate composer, Post-Production

Courtesy of https://www.discogs.com