Biography
Nashville group Walk the West came together in 1984 when guitarist and vocalist Paul Kirby—son of tunesmith Dave Kirby, who wrote "Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone?"—joined forces with childhood friends John and Will Golemon plus drummer Richard Ice. At the peak of their brief run, the band drew Southeast audiences on par with fellow EMI acts Jason & the Scorchers. Their climb paralleled that of other mid-'80s Nashville outfits such as Will Rambeaux & the Delta Hurricanes and earned them a contract with EMI America, which issued the band's only release, a self-titled album produced by Jozef Nuyens in 1986. The country-rock blend earned modest praise from critics yet could not break through nationally against cowpunks like the Beat Farmers and hometown favorites Jason & the Scorchers. Ultimately the musicians opted to change direction rather than keep battling the perception attached to playing rock in country music's birthplace; Kirby and the Golemons launched the Cactus Brothers as a twangier side project and, by 1989, had fully abandoned Walk the West to chase country success full-time.
Albums