Newton Falls singer goes from law to 'Outlaws' - Warren Tribune Chronicle
NEWTON FALLS — Arlis Walker went from being the law to being an outlaw, with three years in a wheelchair and more than 30 surgeries in between.
Walker, 49, is the lead singer of the Southern Outlaws Band, a group that started in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but music always has been a part of his life.
He grew up watching his grandfather play in a bluegrass band with John Douglas, the father of 14-time Grammy winner Jerry Douglas, originally from Leavittsburg. Walker started playing in bands at age 13 and got a chance to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in 1994. But the life of a touring musician was tough as a family man.
“It was rough on the road with a daughter so in ’94 I stepped away from music,” Walker said. Walker and his wife, Michelle, have been married 30 years now and have two grandchildren.
He decided to pursue a career in law enforcement instead.
“I knew a lot of police officers who were friends,” he said. “If I was going to do something other than music, I wanted to do something that would end up helping my community. It was a different time back then than it is now, but it was very rewarding being there for somebody when they needed you.”
Walker, who grew up just over the Trumbull County line in Paris Township, spent two years as a police officer in Newton Falls before joining the Stark County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy in 1996. He worked there until 1999, when an accident ended his career.
“I was on an emergency call when I took a bad spill,” he said. “I wound up originally hurting my back and knee. I had surgery and suffered severe nerve damage, which put me in a wheelchair for about three years … It was long road back, but here I am now playing with some of the best musicians in the area.”
Music was one of the things that helped him push through the tough times.
“The initial shock — doctors telling you this is going to happen, some didn’t know if I would ever walk again — there was so much being thrown at you that I was kind of overwhelmed,” Walker said. “That’s where music came in. It made me push and forget what they had to say. I thank God every day he gave me the willpower and strength to get where I’m at.”
The way he struts the stage today, those days in a wheelchair appear to be long gone. But he continues to draw inspiration from that period in his life. “Good for the Soul,” about the healing powers of good music, good friends and good whiskey, is one of those songs.
“Good for the Soul” won the band a summer 2021 World Songwriting Award for best outlaw song, and several of its songs have been recognized by different independent music organizations. The band’s album, “Liberty” is a country album of the year finalist for the Rampage Music Awards.
The band — “Guitarboogie” Bob Furda, guitar; Dave Weilacher II, guitar; Mike Bright Jr., drums; Tom Levak, bass; William Putt, keyboards; and Walker –is booked to play at a preshow event for the Independent Singer-Songwriter Association Awards in Atlanta in August.
Before that, the Southern Outlaws will play a hometown show at Faces Lounge in Newton Falls on March 5.
“This town is so supportive of our band,” Walker said. “The love and support we’ve gotten from this community is amazing.”
The album “Liberty” is filled with southern rockers in the vein of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet and the Marshall Tucker Band, acts Walker grew up listening to. That music — and Walker’s family’s West Virginia roots — inspired the “Southern” half of the band’s name, and the “Outlaws” part is a twist on his law-enforcement past.
The band is at work on its second album, and Walker hopes his story can be an inspiration to others.
“One of the biggest things about getting back to playing music was I wanted to show people if one door closes, another one can open.”
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source: https://www.tribtoday.com/news/local-news/2022/02/newton-falls-singer-goes-from-law-to-outlaws/
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