Walter Trout
Encyclopedia
Walter Trout is an American
blues
guitarist
, singer and songwriter
.
where he became a sideman
for Percy Mayfield
and Deacon Jones. He also worked in the bands
of John Lee Hooker
and Joe Tex
.
In 1981 he became the guitarist for Canned Heat
. This led to an invitation to play in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers where he shared the stage with fellow guitarist Coco Montoya
. He left the Bluesbreakers in 1989 and formed the 'Walter Trout Band' which developed a successful following in Europe.
In 1994 the official Walter Trout Fan Club for the Netherlands
and Belgium
was founded, followed in 1996 by the official International Fan Club who has members in 14 countries in Europe, America, Asia and Australia. In 2006 the official International Fan club celebrated its tenth anniversary by giving fan club members an exclusive live CD
recorded in Las Vegas
, Nevada
, which was the last performance of the late bassist
, Jimmy Trapp, who died in 2005.
In 1998 Trout released his self-titled US
debut album
and renamed his band 'Walter Trout and the Free Radicals' (later renamed 'Walter Trout and the Radicals' and currently simply 'Walter Trout'). Since that time Trout has been recording and touring in North America, Europe and India.
In 2002, he was featured on the Bo Diddley
tribute album
, Hey Bo Diddley - A Tribute!, performing the song "Road Runner
" and many more guest appearances on other recordings
.
The 2006 release Full Circle, meant that Trout realized his dream of creating an album with some of his most admired musicians, including John Mayall, Coco Montoya, and Joe Bonamassa
, among others.
Walter Trout and the Free Radicals
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Walter Trout
Walter Trout and the Radicals
Walter Trout
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
.
Biography
Trout's career began on the Jersey coast scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then decided to relocate to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where he became a sideman
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
for Percy Mayfield
Percy Mayfield
Percy Mayfield was an American songwriter famous for the songs "Hit the Road Jack" and "Please Send Me Someone to Love", as well as a successful rhythm and blues artist known for his smooth vocal style.-Career:...
and Deacon Jones. He also worked in the bands
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
of John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
and Joe Tex
Joe Tex
Joseph Arrington, Jr. , better known as "Joe Tex", was an American Southern soul singer-songwriter, most popular during the 1960s and 1970s...
.
In 1981 he became the guitarist for Canned Heat
Canned Heat
Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists...
. This led to an invitation to play in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers where he shared the stage with fellow guitarist Coco Montoya
Coco Montoya
Coco Montoya is an American blues guitarist and former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.-Musical career:...
. He left the Bluesbreakers in 1989 and formed the 'Walter Trout Band' which developed a successful following in Europe.
In 1994 the official Walter Trout Fan Club for the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
was founded, followed in 1996 by the official International Fan Club who has members in 14 countries in Europe, America, Asia and Australia. In 2006 the official International Fan club celebrated its tenth anniversary by giving fan club members an exclusive live CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
recorded in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, which was the last performance of the late bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, Jimmy Trapp, who died in 2005.
In 1998 Trout released his self-titled US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and renamed his band 'Walter Trout and the Free Radicals' (later renamed 'Walter Trout and the Radicals' and currently simply 'Walter Trout'). Since that time Trout has been recording and touring in North America, Europe and India.
In 2002, he was featured on the Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, Hey Bo Diddley - A Tribute!, performing the song "Road Runner
Road Runner (Bo Diddley song)
"Road Runner" is a song written and performed by American rock and roll performer Bo Diddley, originally released as a single by Checker Records in January 1960, and later released on the LP record Bo Diddley in the Spotlight. The song reached #20 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart, and...
" and many more guest appearances on other recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
.
The 2006 release Full Circle, meant that Trout realized his dream of creating an album with some of his most admired musicians, including John Mayall, Coco Montoya, and Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist and singer.-Early life:Bonamassa was born and raised in New Hartford, United States. His parents owned and ran a guitar shop. He is a fourth-generation musician...
, among others.
Discography
Walter Trout Band- 1990 Life in the Jungle (re-released in US in 2002)
- 1990 Prisoner of a Dream
- 1992 Transition
- 1992 No More Fish Jokes (live albumLive albumA live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
) - 1994 Tellin' Stories
- 1995 Breaking The Rules
- 1996 Jimi Hendrix Music Festival (Janblues)
- 1997 Positively Beale St.
Walter Trout and the Free Radicals
- 1998 Walter Trout (same tracks as Positively Beale St.)
- 1999 Livin' Every Day
- 2000 Face The Music (Live on Tour)
- 2000 Live Trout
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Walter Trout
- 1985 Behind the Iron Curtain (live in Hungary), reissue:
- 2004 Steppin' Out
- 1987 Chicago Line, reissues:
- 1994 Uncle John's Nickel Guitar
- 1999 Blues Power (with bonus CD Life in the Jungle: Charly Blues Masterworks Vol. 4)
- 2000 Blues Breaker (with 2 bonus tracks)
- 1988 The Power of the Blues (live in Germany 1987), reissues:
- 1993 New Bluesbreakers: The Blues Collection Vol. 8
- 2003 Blues Forever (with bonus CD Life in the Jungle: Charly Blues Masterworks Vol. 4)
- 1993 Life in the Jungle: Charly Blues Masterworks Vol. 4
- 2005 Rolling with the Blues (live 1972-1973, 1980 and 1982), reissue:
- 2006 The Private Collection
Walter Trout and the Radicals
- 2001 Go The Distance
- 2003 Relentless
- 2005 Deep Trout: The Early Years of Walter Trout
- 2006 Full Circle (featuring guest artists)
- 2007 Hardcore (self released recording of the 'Power Trio' playing live in Europe)
Walter Trout
- 2008 The Outsider
- 2009 Unspoiled By Progress: 20 Years of Hardcore Blues (previously unreleased tracks and three new songs)
- 2010 Common Ground
External links
- Waltertrout.com - Official Website of Walter Trout and Official Global Fan Club.
- waltertroutfanclub.nl - Official Website of Dutch Walter Trout Fanclub.
- Intrepid Records – Artist page.
- 2006 Walter Trout interview by Brian D. Holland