New Jersey-born blues-rocker Walter Trout spent decades as an ace sideman, playing guitar behind the likes of John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton and Joe Tex; in 1981, he was also tapped to replace the late Bob Hite in Canned Heat, remaining with the group through the middle of the decade.
While filling in one night for an ailing John Mayall, Trout (also a Bluesbreaker for some five years) was spotted by a Danish concert promoter who agreed to finance a solo tour; assembling his own backing band, in 1990 he released his debut LP ‘Life in the Jungle’, trailed a year later by ‘Prisoner of a Dream’. Albums including 1992's ‘Live (No More Fish Jokes),’ 1994's ‘Tellin' Stories’ and 1997's ‘Positively Beale Street’ followed before Trout signed to A&M to release his self-titled major label debut in 1998; ‘Livin' Everyday’ appeared the next year, trailed by ‘Live Trout’.
Both on record and on stage, Trout keeps the art of blues thriving and vivacious, as many will have seen at his triumphant first appearance at Manchester Academy back in November of last year. Blues Revue comments “Trout gets into the groove where the magic happens. But each night offers a particular set of circumstances that keep the music fresh.” From introspection to full blown rockin’ blues, Trout’s music is always marked by his adept song writing, sturdy vocals, searing guitar work and ability to enhance the boundaries of one of music’s oldest forms. But as Trout is quick to point out, "the blues shouldn’t be a museum. The music ought to constantly expand and be alive."
"Life in the jungle"
