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Kevin 'Geordie' Walker was an English musician and guitarist from London, best known for being the guitarist of the post-punk band, the Killing Joke. He passed away after suffering a stroke on November 26, 2023, at the age of 64, according to the statement released by the band on their official Instagram page. It read:
"It is with extreme sadness we confirm that at 6:30am on 26th November 2023 in Prague, Killing Joke's legendary guitarist Kevin “Geordie” Walker passed away after suffering a stroke, he was surrounded by family. We are devastated. Rest In Peace brother."
An overview of Kevin 'Geordie' Walker's life and career
Kevin 'Geordie' Walker was born on December 10, 1958, in Durham County in England, UK. The guitarist was affected and inspired by music from an early age, particularly the Love Sculpture song Sabre Dance, as he stated in an interview with Music UK in June 1984:
"It used the guitar as a musical instrument to convey an atmosphere, it wasn't normal guitar playing which people feel they have to play, certain rhythms, certain solos, certain scales. I used to go mad when it came on the radio."
The musical influences led to him learning to play the guitar during his childhood, which he elaborated upon in the same interview with Music UK quoted above, stating:
"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."
Kevin 'Geordie' Walker's first and only major music project was Killing Joke, which he joined after answering an advertisement by founding member and vocalist Jazz Coleman.
The group were the most successful with their fifth studio album, Night Time, which was released on February 11, 1985. The gold certified album peaked at #8 on the Kiwi album chart as well as at #10 on the Dutch album chart and #11 on the UK album chart.
Aside from his career with Killing Joke, the guitarist was also a member of short-lived supergroups Murder, Inc and The Damage Manual. He also co-produced the band Mary-Jane and other projects with Faust Studios in the early 2000s.
Kevin 'Geordie' Walker was well known for his lower tone guitar playing, something which he perfected with the use of his Gibson ES-295 1952 and Burnam amplifiers. He stated in an exclusive interview with Metal Assault on July 4, 2013:
"I was noticing that if you play an interesting chord with a distorted sound, the harmonics of the distortion would make the chord disappear. So I thought what I’d do is get a semi-acoustic so I’d still have the electric sound, put a little contact pickup on it and I’ll mix an acoustic sound with it."
The guitarist continued:
"The neck is perfect for me, and that trapeze bridge is such that you can push it down into the body slightly even as you play. I think the guitar likes to be strung a whole tone lower. It suits the resonance and the volume of the thing, and you can use heavier strings. I’ve got 58s on the bottom. Basically if I play an E-position chord, it’s D."
Kevin 'Geordie' Walker was influential in guitarist circles and has been quoted as an inspiration, particularly for his unique style and sound, by musicians such as Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame and Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine.
