Clay Walker has sold 8 million records, recorded nine albums, has 11 No. 1 singles and five No. 1 videos under his belt. He will perform at the 2005 Merced County Fair, Saturday, July 23, in the fairground's Toyota Outdoor Theater. The rest of the entertainment line-up for the 114th annual event will soon be announced. The fair is July 19-24.

Walker goes on tour each year, golfs, runs and rides cutting horses. He's married and the father of two young girls. At 35, this singer/musician/songwriter has a successful career and leads a very active life. So it's hard to believe this strapping Texan manages all that with multiple sclerosis and has become a poster boy for the disease. Walker recently headlined a concert in Austin celebrating fellow Texan, President Bush's inauguration. His latest album, "A Few Questions" features 13 new songs that are a mix of traditional country tracks and a few uptempo rockers. "Jesus was a Country Boy," written by Walker, is enjoying lots of radio play these days. The album has enjoyed much success with the title track reaching the Top 10 Billboard hits and "I Can't Sleep," which he also wrote, made the Top 10 country song list, too. He's one of the few artists to have one of his songs on Billboard's year-end Top 10 country music hit list for five consecutive years. Walker also is one of country music's Top 10 grossing touring acts.

In the song, "A Few Questions," it asks "How in this world can we put a man on the moon and still have a need for a place like St. Jude's?" St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. treats kids with cancer. Walker didn't write the song, but the first time he heard it, he said, "I got it immediately. There was no mistaking that the song would belong to my life." Diagnosed in 1996, Walker is in remission and manages his MS with daily drug therapy and a special diet and exercise regimen. He didn't talk about his illness early on, but he didn't try to hide it. After meeting people with MS at many of his concerts who wanted to know about his experience, he decided to go public with his diagnosis. One of the reasons was the large number of people he encountered who weren't being treated for MS, for a variety of reasons including fear. "It's a serious disease and the worst thing you can do about it is nothing," he said. About 400,000 Americans have MS, which starts with such symptoms as numbness, tingling and fatigue but progresses to difficulty walking and seeing and, in some cases, paralysis. It usually strikes people ages 20 to 40. Some patients, including Walker, have "relapsing-remitting MS," periods of severe symptoms after which patients almost totally recover until the next attack. Other MS patients have the worse "secondary progressive" form, where the flares become more frequent, and they don't recover from the damage each one causes. MS occurs when patients' immune systems go awry and attack the fatty layer of insulation, called myelin, that protects nerve fibers in the brain and spine, damaging and even destroying nerves. Walker decided to share his personal experience with others who have MS. He founded the non-profit Band Against MS Foundation in 2002 to raise money for research and programs for those who suffer from the disease as well as increase awareness about MS.

When first diagnosed with the disease, Walker's biggest fear was he wouldn't be able to continue to lead his active lifestyle. But nine years later he continues to perform to sold out crowds and participates in all the activities he was afraid MS would take from him. "People I meet tell me how much I inspire them, but in reality they are the ones inspiring me to continue battling MS every day," he said. "I want to help those with MS who have not been so fortunate by providing them both a resource for information about MS and the hope that someone else is helping to raise money to find MS treatments and a cure for this disease. The Band Against MS is an extension of those goals," he said. In addition to the foundation, Walker and his band performed in the MS Road Tour last year and he participated in speaking engagements addressing MS. He also has brought his message to Congress, lobbying for long-term drug coverage for patients and he's taped TV and radio PSAs. His goal is to inspire others to take charge and live life to the fullest in spite of the disease's challenges. Walker received the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Ambassador of the Year award in 2003. He is only the fourth person in the society's history to be honored with the award. The oldest of five kids, Walker was born and raised in a musical family in Beaumont, Texas. His father gave him a guitar when he was nine and taught him to play. As soon as he learned a few chords, the young boy started writing songs. "We made great music together," Walker said of his family, adding, "I decided to try taking it a little further than the living room."