Walter Trout (born March 6, 1951, in

Ocean City, New Jersey Ocean City is a City (New Jersey), city in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the principal city of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Cape May County, and is ...

, United States) is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

guitarist, singer and songwriter.

Biography

Trout's career began on the Jersey coast scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then decided to relocate to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

where he became a

sideman A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member. The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo o ...

for

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues that he develo ...

, Percy Mayfield,

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Joe Tex Yusuf Hazziez (born Joseph Arrington Jr.; August 8, 1935 – August 13, 1982), known professionally as Joe Tex, was an American singer and musician who gained success in the 1960s and 1970s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the style ...

, and many others. Between 1981 and 1984, he was the lead guitarist in

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American blues rock band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and ...

. He toured with them extensively in the US, Europe, and Australia. From 1984 to 1989, he was the lead guitarist in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers following in the footsteps of guitarists such as Peter Green and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

. Trout recorded and toured with the Bluesbreakers worldwide. The many successes on stage were accompanied by a self-destructive lifestyle offstage. Trout recalled in a 2018 interview with Blues Radio International that while playing with John Mayall, he was rescued from a complete descent into alcohol and substance abuse by a post-gig encounter with

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

. Trout left the Bluesbreakers in 1989 and formed the 'Walter Trout Band' which developed a successful following in Europe, especially Scandinavia where he found himself playing to large festival crowds such as at the Midtfyns Festival and Skanderborg Festival. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' named Trout's first solo album, ''Life in the Jungle'', "the greatest album in the history of the blues-rock genre." Between 1990 and 1992, Trout's first two albums sold over 100,000 copies. In 1991, his song, "The Love That We Once Knew" climbed the charts in the Netherlands leading to a Top 10 radio hit. Performances at Park Pop and Pink Pop solidified his status there. When home between tours and until 2005, Trout hosted all-night jams with his celebrity friends in Huntington Beach. Such jams featured

Richie Hayward Richard Hayward (February 6, 1946 – August 12, 2010) was an American drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player. Hayward also joined with fri ...

(Little Feat),

Jesse Ed Davis Jesse Edwin Davis III (September 21, 1944 – June 22, 1988) was a Native American guitarist. He was well regarded as a session artist and solo performer, was a member of Taj Mahal's backing band and played with musicians such as Bob Dylan, Eri ...

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John Mayall John Brumwell Mayall (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024) was an English blues and Rock music, rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of ...

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, Billy Gibbons, TM Stevens,

Teena Marie Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before ...

, and many more. In 1994, the official Walter Trout Fan Club for the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

was founded, followed in 1996 by the official International Fan Club which had members in 14 countries in Europe, America, Asia and Australia. 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, Trout has been recording prolifically and touring in North and Central America, Europe, Australia, and India. In 2002, he was featured on the

Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

, ''Hey Bo Diddley – A Tribute!'', performing the song " Road Runner" and many more guest appearances on other

recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

. In June 2013, while touring Germany, Trout got the first signs that he was suffering from

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...

of the

liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...

. With his health deteriorating, he continued to tour until told he needed a liver transplant within 90 days. Supported by donations from fans, his wife raised the money needed for them to move out of state for lengthy stays in order to qualify for transplantation in various states. Trout recovered from his cirrhosis and subsequent liver transplant in a hospital bed for eight months, during which time he suffered from brain damage, which caused him to lose the ability to speak, play the guitar, and recognize his family. Due to being bedridden, he also lost the use of his legs during this time. He had to relearn how to speak and walk. Trout has also stated that he spent eight hours a day over the course of a year to relearn how to play the guitar. On May 26, 2014, Trout received the lifesaving operation. By 2015, Trout had recovered and was able to go on tour in Europe. His 2015 album, ''Battle Scars'', chronicled his battle with liver failure and the excruciating wait for a donated liver to become available. Also in 2014, a documentary hosted by Dutch rock journalist TJ Lammers about Trout's life was released to coincide with Trout's album, ''When the Blues Came Calling''. At the same time, a biography, ''Rescued From Reality'', co-written by British music journalist, Henry Yates, was released. In 2015, Trout had recovered and returned to performing at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He was introduced onstage by his wife. In November 2015, Trout became a patron of The British Liver Trust to help raise awareness and much-needed funding for the cause. Trout, and his wife, Marie have helped raise awareness for Donate Life Nebraska and are also ambassadors for the Danish Liver Foundation, as well as Organdonation – Ja Tak. "I'm only still here because someone donated their liver" he said. In 2019, Trout's album, ''Survivor Blues'', debuted with two consecutive weeks on the Billboard Blues Chart at number one and stayed in the top ten for twelve weeks. ''Metal Zone'' magazine, reviewed his performance in London by naming Trout "the ultimate, supreme bluesman of the 20th and 21st centuries." In April 2022, Trout announced his latest studio album ''Ride'', alongside the lead single "Ghosts." Describing the title, Trout said, "... life is kind of a ride too, isn’t it? And I want to live mine to the fullest.” The album was released on 19 August 2022.

Personal life

In 1990, Trout met a 27-year-old advertising executive, Marie Brændgård during the recording of his second solo album, ''Prisoner of a Dream'', in Denmark. Although married at the time, he pursued her, and convinced her to leave Denmark and move to California. Trout succeeded and filed for divorce. In 1991, they were married in Huntington Beach, California, where the couple still lives. They have three kids together: Jonathan (1993), Biscuit (1996), and Dylan (2001) who now all live in Denmark. Walter and Marie also maintain a residence in Denmark. Marie has managed Trout's career since 1993. Trout and Marie have co-written several songs together, and in 2021 their collaboration on the song "All Out of Tears", a three-way co-write with Teeny Tucker, won the "Song of the Year" Award at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis.

Discography

Solo studio albums

Polls

*Planet Rock: Greatest Blues Artists of All Time: #5 *Arrow Classic Rock: #1 Best Blues Song in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016. *BBC Listener's Poll: #5 (tied with Brian May) Best Guitarist 1993

Awards

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

s * 2016 Song of the Year for "Gonna Live Again" * 2016 Rock Blues Album of the Year for ''Battle Scars'' * 2018 Rock Blues Album of the Year for ''We're All In This Together''. * 2021 Song of the Year for "All Out of Tears", co-written with Teeny Tucker and Marie Trout SENA European Guitar Awards * Winner of the SENA European Guitar Award 2015 British Blues Awards * 2013 Overseas Artist of the Year * 2014 Overseas Artist of the Year * 2015 Overseas Artist of the Year Blues Blast Music Awards * 2016 Blues Rock Album. * 2017 Live Blues Album. * 2018 Blues Rock Album and Male Blues Artist of the Year.

References

External links

Official website of Walter Trout and Official Global Fan Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trout, Walter 1951 births Living people American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singers Blues rock musicians Electric blues musicians Canned Heat members John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers members Singers from New Jersey People from Ocean City, New Jersey Guitarists from New Jersey 20th-century American guitarists Ruf Records artists Provogue Records artists