Geordie Walker

Kevin "Geordie" Walker (born 18 December 1958) is an English rock musician, best known as the guitarist of post-punk group Killing Joke. His unorthodox style of electric guitar playing is widely acclaimed. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin hailed Walker's guitar sound as "really strong". Peer Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine praised Walker's guitar playing, which he described as "this effortless playing producing a monstrous sound". Life and career When he was eight years old, Walker was deeply marked by the guitar's sound in the song "Sabre Dance" by Love Sculpture. "I used to go mad when it came on the radio." When he was fourteen, Walker's family moved south from Newcastle to Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, 45 miles northwest of London. He attended Leon School and once played the solo on The Carpenter’s song “I’ll say goodbye to love” with a small group in a school concert. Peter Murray was the pianist. It was during this era that he acquired his nickname due to his northeastern "Geordie" accent (which he has subsequently lost). He decided to learn to play the guitar: "I used to run home from school at about four, lock myself in the bedroom, turn the amp up full, and thrash it till he [his dad] came in. It was a daily ritual". He learnt that it's melody lines as opposed to solos. The first guitar that helped him to find his way was bought in Northampton at Christmas 1973. When his mother saw a Gibson Les Paul in the shop, she suggested he try it in remembrance of a concert she attended with Jimi Hendrix on the bill. After Walker played about two chords, his mother's verdict was: "We'll take it." He worked at that time, "two real jobs" that allowed him to save money. He then bought another guitar, a Gibson SG Junior. Walker later moved to London to study architecture and became a founding member of Killing Joke in 1979 when he responded to an advertisement placed by the singer Jaz Coleman. He had never played in a band before. Walker and Coleman have been the only constant members of the group since.