Joe Louis Walker

It took bluesman Joe Louis Walker 20 years to establish himself, but once he released his debut, Cold Is the Night, in 1986, he quickly became a staple in contemporary blues. Walker drew upon blues, soul, and gospel in equal measure, a combination that sounded electrifying upon his national debut, but this hybrid also allowed him to play in a variety of settings, both on-stage and on record. Later recordings, such as 1996's The Gift, 2004's New Direction, and 2009's Between a Rock and the Blues offered acclaimed examples of his versatility, leading to a 2013 induction into the Blues Hall of Fame. He made his <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Alligator%22">Alligator</a> debut with 2014's Hornet's Nest, and remained with the label until moving to the Los Angeles-based <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Cleopatra%22">Cleopatra</a> for 2020's Blues Comin' On and 2021's Eclectic Electric, a collection comprising mostly covers. Walker moved to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Forty+Below%22">Forty Below</a> for the 2023 soul-blues exploration Weight of the World.

A native of San Francisco, Joe Louis Walker began playing guitar when he was eight, and playing out when he was in his teens. His adolescence coincided with the rise of rock, so he began to run in psychedelic circles, playing in the house band at The Matrix and eventually striking up a friendship with Mike Bloomfield, the guitarist for the <a href="spotify:artist:6kz7WuPaUa4QVreP27I33i">Paul Butterfield Blues Band</a>. Walker roamed through the San Francisco scene, rubbing shoulders with the <a href="spotify:artist:4TMHGUX5WI7OOm53PqSDAT">Grateful Dead</a>, eventually making a journey to Chicago before returning to the Bay Area, where he roomed with <a href="spotify:artist:0yT9vbP1EOnCpl2McnF9nH">Bloomfield</a>.

Walker began to pursue interests outside of blues in 1975. He played with the Spiritual Corinthians Gospel Quartet, while also earning degrees in English and Music from San Francisco State University. Walker returned to the blues in 1985, following the Corinthians' appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. forming a band called the Bosstalkers, Walker signed to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hightone%22">Hightone</a>, releasing his debut Cold Is the Night in 1986.

Cold Is the Night pushed Walker's career into high gear. <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hightone%22">Hightone</a> cranked out The Gift (1988) and Blue Soul (1989) in rapid succession, followed by two separate volumes of Live at Slims in 1991 and 1992. Walker then made the leap to the big leagues, signing with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Verve%22">Verve</a> for 1993's Blues Survivor. He stayed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Verve%22">Verve</a> throughout the '90s, releasing a series of albums that found the guitarist dabbling in soul and jazz. Walker became a reliable figure on festival circuits as well as television during this period, and he started an alliance with <a href="spotify:artist:1gLCO8HDtmhp1eWmGcPl8S">Steve Cropper</a> beginning with 1995's Blues of the Month Club. <a href="spotify:artist:1gLCO8HDtmhp1eWmGcPl8S">Cropper</a> produced 1997's Great Guitars and 1998's Preacher and the President, before Walker helmed 1999's Silvertone Blues on his own.

Walker signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Telarc%22">Telarc</a> in 2002 for In the Morning, the first of a series of albums for a variety of independent labels. Between 2002 and 2006, he recorded for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Evidence%22">Evidence</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22JSP+Records%22">JSP Records</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Provogue%22">Provogue</a>, and, once again, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hightone%22">Hightone</a>. In 2008, he settled at <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Stony+Plain+Music%22">Stony Plain Music</a>, which released Witness to the Blues that year and Between a Rock and the Blues in 2009.

In 2012, Walker signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Alligator+Records%22">Alligator Records</a>, which released Hellfire that year. Joe Louis Walker was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2014. The next year, he released Hornet's Nest on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Alligator%22">Alligator</a>. <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Provogue%22">Provogue</a> put out Everybody Wants a Piece in 2015. Journeys to the Heart of the Blues, a collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:3Nzai6Pe5noXPC8JsYtO57">Bruce Katz</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:3X0t4rhxfWybl1HrB2x2y3">Giles Robson</a>, appeared in 2018.

Two years later in June, Walker issued Blues Comin' On, his debut for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Cleopatra%22">Cleopatra</a>. The 12-song set was chock-full of star-studded appearances by a wide range of guitarists including <a href="spotify:artist:55CXG5KDJpRYwBopfYAJHa">Jorma Kaukonen</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3x8RBu8okCCBLi5vnY4UyV">Eric Gales</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6iDaoPZVgxrTkndDCisX8F">Keb Mo'</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3k0yVV5D4nfGrCZIWvp1G0">Waddy Wachtel</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0SOCskFcUcLj7Ful8w8KrL">David Bromberg</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3YMlcBYj21DcMALlALTO7m">Albert Lee</a>, among others. It also included acclaimed vocal spots by <a href="spotify:artist:15FyiY3ChN0QRspHIQYq0W">Dion</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5JkigresgUHdqpGbRiXclM">Carla Cooke</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7tdO7d7r0vhwov7RIZWH6V">Mitch Ryder</a>. 2021's Eclectic Electric offered four originals and seven covers played by Walker's road band (that included legendary percussionist Juma Sultan) and guests including <a href="spotify:artist:6OWapcJm9xd55ci9CYbAuT">Los Lobos</a>' <a href="spotify:artist:6NX36J027FUE913vmbBuWl">Steve Berlin</a>, guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:7iofSqO1VWjI5zxIh21vOQ">Jimmy Vivino</a>, and guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:3k0yVV5D4nfGrCZIWvp1G0">Waddy Wachtel</a>, who reprised his original role on Walker's reading of <a href="spotify:artist:3mY9Ii0cL5SQxpOTAm8SHx">Warren Zevon</a>'s "Werewolves of London."

Walker signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Forty+Below+Records%22">Forty Below Records</a> for Weight of the World. Produced by <a href="spotify:artist:6x9byNNZdwdHutJ6F4kcHn">Eric Corne</a>, who previously worked with <a href="spotify:artist:5s4z3mRAE7nxE3jjft8J3h">John Mayall</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:12LgviUQ9DbfYJJ9niDWRq">Walter Trout</a>, Weight of the World found Walker exploring variations of soul-blues. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine