NEWSFLASH ! Joe Louis Walker takes home the gold for Best Blues Album at Blues Music Awards !

Joe Louis Walker’s latest album, “Between a Rock and the Blues”, was recently awarded BMA Blues Album of the Year at the annual Blues Music Awards held in Memphis, Tennessee. Joe is the headliner Saturday for the 20th annual WC Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival. Appearing with Joe at the Festival will be none other than Murali Coryell, son of legendary Jazz guitarist Larry Coryell. Murali played a terrific set at the Handy Festival several years ago, and we’re glad to see him return!

Catch Joe’s terrific audio interview with none other than Johnny Fulltime at www.fulltimeblues.com or listen to it below. Thanks to Johnny Fulltime for the interview! We can’t wait for Joe Louis Walker to hit the Handy stage!



Joe Louis Walker - A Brief Bio

Joe Louis Walker is a walking encyclopedia of blues history, and blues vocal and guitar styles. In fact, one of the very few who can match his eclectic tastes in music is Duke Robillard, the veteran guitarist who founded Roomful of Blues when he was a teenager, and who has made a dozen albums for Stony Plain.

Holger Petersen, who heads the Canadian-based roots label, was delighted by the choice of Robillard as producer for “Witness for the Blues.” And for Robillard, the sessions were a joy. “There’s a lot of diversity on this CD, yet it hangs together really well.”

The material — more than half the 11 tracks were written by Walker — includes two traditional blues pieces (Sugar Mama and Rollin’ and Tumblin’) which he completely transforms. A highlight of the CD is a killer duet with Shemekia Copeland on Lover’s Holiday.

The back up players are all musicians with long experience with Robillard, including horn players Doug James and Scott Aruda, Bruce Katz on keys, Jon Ross on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums. Robillard himself adds guitar parts on five cuts.

Both vocally and instrumentally, Joe Louis Walker is indeed a witness for the blues, and the creative, sometimes startling approach to America’s most significant music holds a bright lantern for others to follow.

Visit his web site at http://joelouiswalker.com/