Walter Hyatt
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Walter Hyatt (1950 - May 11, 1996) was a singer and songwriter. His band, known as Uncle Walt's Band, was involved in the music scene in Austin, Texas, since its inception.
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[edit] Early Life
Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Walter Hyatt was exposed to different styles of music at an early age, including styles favored by his parents. He started playing the guitar at age 13, used a Mel Bay chord book to learn all the music chords, and formed his first band in his mid-teen years.
[edit] Music Career
At age 20, Hyatt formed Uncle Walt's Band with Champ Hood and David Ball, two of his fellow Spartanburg citizens. They moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1972, where they caught the attention of Willis Allen Ramsey, a famous and revered Texas singer and songwriter. Luring them to his studio, Ramsey would become the band's first noted fan.
The band returned to the Carolinas in 1974, recording Blame It On The Bossanova, their first record, at Charlotte, North Carolina's Arthur Smith Studios.
A year later, Uncle Walt's Band split up, with Hyatt returning to Nashville and forming a new band, The Contenders, with Champ Hood, Nashville musicians Steve Runkle and Tommy Goldsmith, and drummer Jimbeau Walsh.
In 1978, Uncle Walt's Band played a reunion gig in Austin, and the success that followed kept the band together in subsequent years. That success wasn't limited to the South, however. Uncle Walt's Band gained a cult following around the world, ranging from Berkeley University in California to Moscow University in Russia.
In 1987, Hyatt returned to Nashville with his wife, Heidi Hyatt, and embarked on a solo career. The work that resulted from this career, while artistically fruitful and critically acclaimed, wasn't a commercial success. In 1990, Hyatt became the first vocalist for MCA's Master Series label. His first album from this label, King Tears, was produced by Lyle Lovett, who was a fan of Uncle Walt's Band as a college student. Lovett would later offer Hyatt opening act slots and production expertise during his own music career.
[edit] Death
Walter Hyatt boarded ValuJet Flight 592 to attend the graduation of his daughter, Haley. However, the plane caught fire and crashed into the Everglades, killing all 110 passengers and crew on board.
[edit] Tribute
In 1997, an episode of the PBS show Austin City Limits featured a tribute to Walter Hyatt put together by Lyle Lovett and various musicians who have had associations with him.
