R.I.P.: Music Row Veteran Jeff Walker

Jeff Walker

Jeff Walker, who founded one of Nashville's first independent publicity firms and became a leading advocate for growing country music internationally, died suddenly on Monday.

He was 65-years-of-age, according to The Tennessean.

Walker, an Australia native, founded AristoMedia Group in 1980 and built the firm into a powerhouse that offered publicity, marketing, radio and video promotions and other new-media consulting solutions to an array of powerhouse clients in country and Christian music.

Marco Promotions, the radio promotion division of Aristo, counted Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Gretchen Wilson, the Dixie Chicks and Trisha Yearwood among its clients. The company's video promotions clients included success stories in Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and Sugarland, among many others. Aristo also represented leading Christian artists including Michael W. Smith and Third Day.

Walker had also been on the Country Radio Seminar board of Directors for the last 35 years and was a member of the Country Music Association Board as well. He received the CRS President's Award during the Country Radio Hall Of Fame induction ceremony this past June, and had been re-elected as CRS Treasurer in mid-July.

In a biography on the AristoMedia website, Mr. Walker described his approach to marketing, publicity and content distribution.

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” Mr. Walker said.  “As long as we remember that content is king and continue to provide professional niche market media services, the future looks bright.”