Roughly once a month since February, singer-songwriter Joshua Ray Walker has turned up at the Kessler Theater for a (reliably) sold-out solo gig.
All of that would be normal to the point of being unremarkable but for the fact that while he’s been playing these showcases, he’s also been battling stage III colon cancer. The music has been both solace and distraction, as Walker noted on his Facebook page not long after the diagnosis was made public.
“I’ve had a lot of people reach out to ask what they can do for me during this time, and it’s very appreciated,” Walker wrote earlier this month. “What I could use most right now is an opportunity to do something I’m good at, and that’s play and sing for folks who want to listen. … In spite of the circumstances, I’m excited to share the experience of live music with you.”
Walker will play another such concert — titled “Thank You for Listening: A Night of Stories and Songs” — Saturday at the Kessler Theater, but this one might be the last for the foreseeable future, as Walker will conclude his initial round of chemotherapy next month, and turn his attention to what comes next.
“This will be my last show before I finish chemo treatment,” Walker wrote on Facebook. “I’ve been getting infusions every two weeks since February, and I’ll continue to do so through early August. … This has been a difficult time, but I’m glad y’all are here to cheer me on. Thank you for your continued support.”
Walker’s calendar has a few high-profile appearances already scheduled: He’ll play the State Fair of Texas on Oct. 5, and the following month, will serve as an opening act for a brief Dwight Yoakam run of Texas dates, including a Nov. 21 stop at Grand Prairie’s Texas Trust CU Theatre.
Here are three reasons you shouldn’t miss Walker’s Saturday set at the Kessler.
He’s one of the state’s strongest songwriters
There are no shortage of ace tunesmiths in the Lone Star State, but even among such fierce competition, Walker stands apart. His dryly funny, deeply felt and sharply observational lyrics — “Our love once passed/Our stems made out of glass/Like gas station roses,” goes one such line on 2021’s See You Next Time — are uniquely Texan, and uniquely his.
He won’t be playing rooms this intimate for much longer
Let’s put it this way: Walker’s next scheduled local gig will on a stage several times larger than that of the Kessler — the Texas State Fair in October. He’s no stranger to headlining the big stages, with stints opening for The Killers, Marcus King and Vandoliers, to name just a few.
He’s your favorite country singer’s favorite country singer
Dwight Yoakam isn’t the only bold-faced Nashville name who’s on the record as being a fan of Walker’s. The Mavericks have also tapped Walker as an opener, and Paul Cauthen and Sarah Shook, among others, have sung Walker’s praises.
Joshua Ray Walker at Kessler Theater, Dallas. 8 p.m. July 20. Tickets are $24-$600.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
