It has always been Willie Walker's ambition to form a combination consisting entirely of virtuosos, and this has been amply realised in the case of his Octet. This light orchestra includes such famous names as Alfredo Campoli, Sydney Bright - brother of Geraldo - and Bill Shakespeare. All the arrangements for the Octet are by Michael Krein, 'the father of the gypsy band'.

Walker himself started to learn the clarinet when a child of seven in Newcastle, and later studied under Robert Smith, then the most famous clarinet teacher on Tyneside. After holding a position as musical director in a Newcastle cinema, he took over a similar post at a famous Newcastle restaurant. Here the seeds of his versatility were sown, a versatility which was recognised when Debroy Somers, happening to be in Newcastle, dropped into the restaurant one night and shortly afterwards offered him a job.