How did it all begin?
Story has it 3 yr old Dustin was in the audience with his father, Jeff Walker, at a Rick Springfield concert. Ronnie Grinel, Rick’s tour coordinator, seeing a cute little toddler hanging onto a toy guitar, picked him out of the throng of adoring fans to bring him on stage. Ronnie remembers fondly, ” I spotted him in the audience, and threw him up on stage to help Rick sing “Don’t Talk to Strangers”. At 3 years old he brought down the house!”
As a result, Dustin has been writing rockin’ songs all throughout his life. In 2010(see picture), Dustin performed onstage playing lead guitar for Rick Springfield which appears in the documentary film by Yellow Rick Road Productions about Springfield. “An Affair of the Heart” has captured the hearts of millions of Rick Springfield fans around the world, and deservedly so.
Jeffrey Kauffman on Amazon review writes, “What sets these stories apart from the usual gamut of fan obsessed fare is the fact that in many of these cases Springfield has become personally involved with the fans themselves. This is perhaps most evident in the story of Dustin, a teenager who started appearing on stage with Springfield when he was a mere tot of three years, then for comedy relief (more or less), but who now lives the dream of playing guitar on stage with his idol. It’s a very sweet story and one which highlights Springfield’s amiable accessibility.”
The documentary goes on to capture the endearing relationship that has developed between Rick and Dustin over the years. One Amazon comment says it all, ” Absolutely love it!!..Rick w/ Dustin is incredible together (what a talented young man) enjoyed this dvd very much even though I cried through most of it!! very powerful moving dvd!!! a must watch for RS fans!!”
Rick Springfield speaks fondly of their relationship, “I feel so honored to be a part of someone’s life like that!”
Now Rick is honoring Dustin’s talent, hard work and perseverance with Dustin opening for him July 27th in Kansas City.
This is a dream come true for Dustin as Glenn Symmonds, drummer for Eddie Money, explains, “Dustin Walker is a young man with a heart for rock and roll. He’s the kid who’s dreamed of being a star since as far back as he can remember. The difference between Dustin and every other American teenager…is that he has the natural talent and raw energy to pull it off!”