Founder of Nashville record shop The Great Escape dies – Tennessean
Gary Walker, the founder of Nashville record shop The Great Escape, has died. He was 87.
Although Walker was largely known for founding The Great Escape, he had a long history in the music industry. He was a recording artist, songwriter, recording studio owner, manager, publisher and record label owner.
His songs have been recorded by Jim Reeves, Porter Wagoner, Brenda Lee, Kitty Wells and others.
Walker was born in 1932 and grew up in Romance, Missouri, near the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. In 1956, Walker and his wife moved to Nashville, where he attended graduate school at Vanderbilt University.
After years of selling comic books at flea markets, he opened The Great Escape in a small storefront on Broadway in midtown Nashville in 1977. It was quickly followed by a second store in Louisville.
The business later opened locations in Madison, a second storefront in Nashville and an outlet store selling half-price items steps away from the original location on Broadway.
In 2009, the Broadway locations were moved to Charlotte Avenue in West Nashville. Today, The Great Escape has five locations, including two in Kentucky.
Walker is survived by his wife, Peggy, and two children, Karen and Greg.
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Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.
Published 11:34 AM EDT Jul 11, 2020
