| Biography | Walter Trout (born March 6, 1951) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.
Trout's career began on the Jersey coast scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then decided to relocate to Los Angeles 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, especially Scandinavia where he was managed by Thomas Helweg. The Walter Trout Band made its UK debut in Blackpool after being brought to the UK by the late Mick Schofield in 1990. Walter also made an appearance at the Redcar Blues Festival the same year and was also interviewed by Bob Harris before returning to the US for his wedding.
In 1994 the official Walter Trout Fan Club for the Netherlands and Belgium was founded, followed in 1996 by the official International Fan Club which 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.
In 2013, his album, Luther's Blues, was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Rock Blues Album of the Year' category. (June 2015) |