Editing Clay Walker (section)

==Biography==
Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. was born on August 19, 1969, in [[Beaumont, Texas]], to Ernest and Danna Walker.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gazettereview.com/2016/10/happened-clay-walker-news-updates/|title=What Happened to Clay Walker-News & Updates|last=Carter|first=Brooke|date=October 17, 2016|website=Gazette Review|language=en-US|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> The oldest of five children, Walker lived in [[Vidor, Texas|Vidor]] with his mother and stepfather. His father, Clay Sr., gave him a guitar when he was nine years old.<ref name="allmusic"/> Walker began entering talent competitions at age 15. After leaving his shift as nighttime desk clerk at a [[Super 8 Worldwide|Super 8 Motel]], he stopped at a local radio station to deliver a tape of a song that he had written. Although the morning [[disc jockey]] told him that the station's policies prohibited playing self-submitted tapes, he played Walker's song and said that it was "too good to pass up."<ref name="clay">{{cite web |url=http://www.claywalker.com/about.html |title=Clay Walker biography |access-date=March 2, 2010 |work=Clay Walker official website |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222013903/http://www.claywalker.com/about.html |archive-date=February 22, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

After graduating from [[Vidor High School]] in 1986,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3D3BDD8600272&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D|title=The other side of town: Singing stars hope to improve Vidor's image|last=Corcoran|first=Michael|date=October 21, 1993|work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] (Google News archive)|access-date=March 3, 2010}}</ref> Walker began working at a [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company]] plant.<ref name="heatofclay">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1994/01/28/heat-clay/|title=Heat of Clay: Clay Walker's overnight success took five years to happen|last=Cannon|first=Bob|date=January 28, 1994|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=March 2, 2010}}</ref> At 19, he also began touring as a musician, playing various local clubs and eventually finding work as the house singer at a bar in Beaumont called the Neon Armadillo.<ref name="allmusic"/> In November 1992,<ref name="heatofclay"/> he was discovered by [[James Stroud]], a [[record producer]] who was also the president of [[Warner Music Group]] subsidiary [[Giant Records (Warner Bros. subsidiary label)|Giant Records]].<ref name="allmusic"/>