Walter Trout has had a long and distinguished career, he is now starting a 23 date tour in support of his new album, “Common Ground”. This album is Trout's 20thand has earned him a nomination from The Blues Foundation for “BMA Blues Rock Album of the Year” and the United Kingdom's Classic Rock Magazine puts “Common Ground” on their top ten of 2010.
Born in Ocean City, New Jersey Trout plays like a good ole' boy from the South almost like a missing member of CCR. Fusing ,blues-rock, Southern rock, and straight up rock and roll, Trout intertwines inspiration and technique creating his own unique and soulful language.
Trout started playing music in 1965 he played in a local New Jersey band before heading to the bright lights and big dreams of Los Angeles in 1973 where he played supporting such acts as John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Throrton, Finis Tasby, Pee Wee Crayton, Lowell Fulson, Percy Mayfield, and Joe Tex...you could also call it his education in blues. In 1981, Trout joined the influential 60's blues-rock group Canned Heat. That lasted about three years before Trout began a five year tenure in 1984 with British blues giant John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
Trout's solo career began in 1989 when he released “Life in the Jungle” which led him to become widely embraced and quite prolific in Europe. BBC Radio One places Trout, refered to as the Stratocaster master, at number six on their list of the Top 20 Guitarists of All Time. Legendary BBC DJ Bob Harris refers to Trout in his book, “The Whispering Years,” as “The World’s greatest rock guitarist.” Which brings us up to today.
Trout is releasing his 20thalbum. But “Common Ground” is more than just an album, according to Trout, it's also a prayer, he sings “If there’s a place where truth can still be found, Lord lead us to the common ground. The singer has also said, “I am blown away by the polarization and cruelty in the world today. It goes beyond my understanding. I wrote the lyrics to that song as an attempt to come to terms with that, and as a wish that somehow – regardless of our faiths, nationalities and politics – we can find a place where truth and compassion can take us beyond our differences.”
He became a staple in the American blues scene with his U.S self titled solo debut in 1998Trout describes himself as such, “In a sense, I’ve almost created my own genre. I’ve assimilated so many styles and so many influences from the great adventure of American music. I love Jeff Beck just as much as I love B.B. King. I believe in telling stories and honestly searching for the truth. And I have no interest in stifling my creativity. My quest in all this is that I’d really love to be able to do it all.”
Walter Trout will be in Auburn Hills performing at Callahan's on March 24th.
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