Clay Walker was born on August 19, 1969, in Beaumont, Texas, and grew up in Vidor, where he learned to play guitar at the age of nine. At a young age, he entered local talent competitions and submitted tapes to area radio stations in hopes of promoting his music. Walker graduated from Vidor High School in 1987 and soon began touring across Texas, eventually finding steady work as the house singer at the Neon Armadillo bar in Beaumont. In November 1992, he was signed to Giant Records after being discovered by producer James Stroud, president of Warner Music Group.

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In 1993, Walker released his self-titled debut album, which produced three #1 singles: “What’s It to You,” “Live Until I Die,” and “Dreaming with My Eyes Open.” Clay Walker was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The following year, he received two major nominations—the TNN/Music City News Star of Tomorrow award and the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Male Vocalist award.

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Walker followed with his second album, If I Could Make a Living (1994), which also went platinum. Its title track and the song “This Woman and This Man” both spent multiple weeks at #1. Over the next several years, he released Hypnotize the Moon (1995), Rumor Has It (1997), Greatest Hits (1998), Live, Laugh, Love (1999), and Say No More (2001).

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When Giant Records closed in late 2001, Walker signed with RCA and released A Few Questions in 2003, a project noted for its more pop-country sound. In July 2005, he signed with the Asylum-Curb division of Curb Records and released two additional albums: Fall (2007) and She Won’t Be Lonely Long (2010).

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Walker continues to tour worldwide and remains active in philanthropic efforts, particularly those raising awareness of Multiple Sclerosis—a disease he was diagnosed with in 1996. In 2003, he founded the nonprofit Band Against MS, and in 2008 he received a Humanitarian Award for his advocacy and charitable work.