Joe Louis Walker
Encyclopedia
Joe Louis Walker, also known as JLW (born December 25, 1949) is an American
musician
, best known as a electric blues
guitarist
, singer, songwriter
and producer
. A feature of his work is his recourse to older material or playing styles, which revealed his knowledge of blues history.
, United States
. He came from a musical family, amidst the early influences of T-Bone Walker
, B.B. King, Meade Lux Lewis
, Amos Milburn
, and Pete Johnson
. Walker first picked up the guitar at the age of eight, and became a known quantity within the Bay Area music scene by the age of 16. While publicly performing through his teens, he soaked up many influences (especially vocalists such as Wilson Pickett
, James Brown
, Bobby Womack
and Otis Redding
). Over these early years, Walker's musical pupilage saw him playing with John Lee Hooker
, J.J. Malone
, Buddy Miles
, Otis Rush
, Thelonious Monk
, The Soul Stirrers, Willie Dixon
, Charlie Musselwhite
, Steve Miller
, Nick Lowe
, John Mayall
, Earl Hooker
, Muddy Waters
, and Jimi Hendrix
. By 1968, he had forged a friendship with Mike Bloomfield
; they were roommates for many years until Bloomfield's untimely death.
This event was the catalyst that placed Walker into a lifestyle change. He left the world of the blues and enrolled himself at San Francisco State University
, achieving a degree in Music and English. Throughout this time, Walker was regularly performing with The Spiritual Corinthians Gospel Quartet. After a 1985 performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
, he was inspired to return to his blues roots whereupon he formed the "Bosstalkers" and signed to the Hightone
label. Under the auspices of Bruce Bromberg
and Dennis Walker, his debut album, Cold Is The Night was released in 1986. He began a worldwide touring schedule, delivering a four more releases in succession for Hightone Records
(The Gift (1988), Blue Soul
(1989), Live At Slims Vol 1 (1991), and Live At Slims Volume 2 (1992).
After the long partnership with Hightone, Walker was signed by Polygram to their Verve
/Gitanes record label. His first of many Polygram releases ensued with Blues Survivor in 1993. This marked the beginning of an eclectic era that merged many of his gospel, jazz, soul, funk and rock influences with his trademark blues sensibilities. 1993 also saw the release of B.B. King's Grammy Award
-winning Blues Summit album, which featured a duet with Walker (a Walker original, "Everybody's Had the Blues"). This was followed up by a live DVD release, featuring another duet with Walker (a rendition of "T-Bone Shuffle").
JLW was released in 1994, featuring guests such as James Cotton
, Branford Marsalis
, and the Tower Of Power
horn section
.
During this period, Walker's touring schedule saw many re-appearances at the world's music festival
s (North Sea Jazz
, Montreaux, Glastonbury
, San Francisco
, Russian River Jazz, Monterey
, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage, Byron Bay
, Australia
, Notodden
, Lucerne
, and at the Beacon Theatre in New York
). Walker also spent years covering all the major western television networks (Conan O'Brien
, Imus, Jools Holland
UK, inauguration for George W. Bush
, inducting B.B. King for President Bill Clinton
and Hillary Rodham Clinton
into the Kennedy Centre Honors, Ohne Filter
, Germany, Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame) as well as numerous worldwide TV networks.
Blues Of The Month Club was released in 1995, and was the first of three Walker albums that were co-produced with Steve Cropper
. This was followed up by the release of Great Guitars in 1997. Walker's guest musicians on this release, included Bonnie Raitt
, Buddy Guy
, Taj Mahal
, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Otis Rush
, Scotty Moore
, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Steve Cropper
, Tower Of Power
, and Ike Turner
.
Also in 1996, Walker played guitar on James Cotton's, Deep in the Blues, a Grammy Award
winner for "Best Traditional Blues Album". In addition, Walker won his third Blues Music Award for Band of the Year (1996) which was preceded by two similar awards for "Contemporary Male Artist of the Year" (1988 and 1991). Walker also won the 1995 Bammy (Bay Area Music Award) for "Blues Musician of the Year". He then released Preacher and the President in 1998 and Silvertone Blues in 1999 (his sixth album for Polygram). This sequence continued with In The Morning (Telarc 2002), Pasa Tiempo (Evidence 2002), Guitar Brothers (JSP 2002), She's My Money Maker (JSP 2003), Ridin' High (Hightone 2003), New Direction (Provogue 2004) and Playin' Dirty (JSP 2006).
In 2002, he featured on the Bo Diddley
tribute album, Hey Bo Diddley - A Tribute!, performing the song "Who Do You Love".
In March 2008, Walker signed to Stony Plain Records
, and recorded his first album for the label in April (produced by Duke Robillard
). This album featured guest appearances by Robillard and Todd Sharpville
, and was released in September 2008. His second album for the label was released in September 2009 entitled, Between A Rock and The Blues. This album featured Kevin Eubanks
as a special guest, best known for his work as the musical director for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
. This album has garnered five nominations in the 2010 Blues Music Awards.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, best known as a electric blues
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. A feature of his work is his recourse to older material or playing styles, which revealed his knowledge of blues history.
Career
Joe Louis Walker was born in San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He came from a musical family, amidst the early influences of T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
, B.B. King, Meade Lux Lewis
Meade Lux Lewis
Meade Lux Lewis was a American pianist and composer, noted for his work in the boogie-woogie style. His best known work, "Honky Tonk Train Blues", has been recorded in various contexts, often in a big band arrangement...
, Amos Milburn
Amos Milburn
Amos Milburn was an African American rhythm and blues singer and pianist, popular during the 1940s and 1950s...
, and Pete Johnson
Pete Johnson
Pete Johnson was an American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist.Journalist Tony Russell stated in his book The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray, that "Johnson shared with the other members of the 'Boogie Woogie Trio' the technical virtuosity and melodic fertility that can make this the most...
. Walker first picked up the guitar at the age of eight, and became a known quantity within the Bay Area music scene by the age of 16. While publicly performing through his teens, he soaked up many influences (especially vocalists such as Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Bobby Womack
Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
and Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
). Over these early years, Walker's musical pupilage saw him playing with John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, J.J. Malone
J.J. Malone
John Jacob Malone was an American West Coast blues, electric blues and soul blues guitarist, singer and keyboardist. His best known recordings were "It's a Shame" and "Danger Zone"...
, Buddy Miles
Buddy Miles
George Allen Miles, Jr. , known as Buddy Miles, was an American rock and funk drummer, most known as a founding member of The Electric Flag in 1967, then as a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys from 1969 through to January 1970.-Early life:George Allen Miles was born in Omaha, Nebraska on...
, Otis Rush
Otis Rush
Otis Rush is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes...
, Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
, The Soul Stirrers, Willie Dixon
Willie Dixon
William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
, Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the non-black bluesmen who came to prominence in the early 1960s, along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Though he has often been identified as a "white bluesman", he claims Native American heritage...
, Steve Miller
Steve Miller (musician)
Steven H. "Steve" Miller is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who began his career in blues and blues rock and evolved to a more popular-oriented sound which, from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s, resulted in a series of successful singles and albums.-Early years:Born in Milwaukee,...
, Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
, John Mayall
John Mayall
John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
, Earl Hooker
Earl Hooker
Earl Hooker was an American Chicago blues guitarist, perhaps best known for his slide guitar playing. Considered a "musician's musician", Hooker performed with blues artists such as Sonny Boy Williamson II, Junior Wells, and John Lee Hooker as well as fronting his own bands...
, Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
, and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
. By 1968, he had forged a friendship with Mike Bloomfield
Mike Bloomfield
Michael Bernard "Mike" Bloomfield was an American musician, guitarist, and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, who became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his instrumental prowess, since he rarely sang before 1969–70...
; they were roommates for many years until Bloomfield's untimely death.
This event was the catalyst that placed Walker into a lifestyle change. He left the world of the blues and enrolled himself at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
, achieving a degree in Music and English. Throughout this time, Walker was regularly performing with The Spiritual Corinthians Gospel Quartet. After a 1985 performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, often known as Jazz Fest, is an annual celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana...
, he was inspired to return to his blues roots whereupon he formed the "Bosstalkers" and signed to the Hightone
HighTone Records
HighTone Records was an independent record label based in Oakland, California. Hightone specialized in American roots music including, country, rockabilly, western swing, blues and gospel. The label was created by Larry Sloven and Bruce Bromberg in 1983...
label. Under the auspices of Bruce Bromberg
Bruce Bromberg
Bruce Bromberg is an American Grammy Award winning producer of blues music.He was born in Chicago, and raised there and in Park Forest, Illinois. In 1958 he moved with his family to Los Angeles, and began working for various record labels...
and Dennis Walker, his debut album, Cold Is The Night was released in 1986. He began a worldwide touring schedule, delivering a four more releases in succession for Hightone Records
HighTone Records
HighTone Records was an independent record label based in Oakland, California. Hightone specialized in American roots music including, country, rockabilly, western swing, blues and gospel. The label was created by Larry Sloven and Bruce Bromberg in 1983...
(The Gift (1988), Blue Soul
Blue Soul
Blue Soul is the third album led by American trumpeter Blue Mitchell recorded and released in 1959 on the Riverside label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(1989), Live At Slims Vol 1 (1991), and Live At Slims Volume 2 (1992).
After the long partnership with Hightone, Walker was signed by Polygram to their Verve
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
/Gitanes record label. His first of many Polygram releases ensued with Blues Survivor in 1993. This marked the beginning of an eclectic era that merged many of his gospel, jazz, soul, funk and rock influences with his trademark blues sensibilities. 1993 also saw the release of B.B. King's Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning Blues Summit album, which featured a duet with Walker (a Walker original, "Everybody's Had the Blues"). This was followed up by a live DVD release, featuring another duet with Walker (a rendition of "T-Bone Shuffle").
JLW was released in 1994, featuring guests such as James Cotton
James Cotton
James Cotton is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who has performed and recorded with many of the great blues artists of his time as well as with his own band.-Career:...
, Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...
, and the Tower Of Power
Tower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
horn section
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
.
During this period, Walker's touring schedule saw many re-appearances at the world's music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s (North Sea Jazz
North Sea Jazz Festival
The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam...
, Montreaux, Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, San Francisco
San Francisco Blues Festival
Debuting in 1973, the San Francisco Blues Festival is the longest running blues festival in the United States. Tom Mazzolini, the event's producer, founded the blues festival to educate the public about the history and evolution of the blues...
, Russian River Jazz, Monterey
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuted on October 3, 1958 and was founded by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...
, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage, Byron Bay
East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival
The East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, also known as Byron Bay Bluesfest, is an annual music festival held for five days over the Easter long weekend at Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Notodden
Notodden Blues Festival
Notodden Blues Festival is one of the largest blues music festivals in Europe and the largest in Scandinavia. The festival is held in Notodden, Norway, usually in early August.-History:...
, Lucerne
Lucerne Festival
- History :The festival was founded in 1938 with a series of concerts in the gardens of Wagner's villa conducted by Arturo Toscanini, who had formed an orchestra with members of different orchestras and soloists for the concert...
, and at the Beacon Theatre in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
). Walker also spent years covering all the major western television networks (Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
, Imus, Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
UK, inauguration for George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, inducting B.B. King for President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
into the Kennedy Centre Honors, Ohne Filter
Ohne filter
Ohne Filter was a 45-minute live television program by German public TV station SWF featuring international pop and rock groups. In contrast to Rockpalast , which was broadcast from larger venues such as the Grugahalle, Ohne Filter was produced at the more intimate setting of a regular TV studio...
, Germany, Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame) as well as numerous worldwide TV networks.
Blues Of The Month Club was released in 1995, and was the first of three Walker albums that were co-produced with Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
. This was followed up by the release of Great Guitars in 1997. Walker's guest musicians on this release, included Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
, Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Otis Rush
Otis Rush
Otis Rush is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes...
, Scotty Moore
Scotty Moore
Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III is an American guitarist. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis' Hollywood years...
, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, Tower Of Power
Tower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
, and Ike Turner
Ike Turner
Isaac Wister Turner was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. In a career that lasted more than half a century, his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk...
.
Also in 1996, Walker played guitar on James Cotton's, Deep in the Blues, a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winner for "Best Traditional Blues Album". In addition, Walker won his third Blues Music Award for Band of the Year (1996) which was preceded by two similar awards for "Contemporary Male Artist of the Year" (1988 and 1991). Walker also won the 1995 Bammy (Bay Area Music Award) for "Blues Musician of the Year". He then released Preacher and the President in 1998 and Silvertone Blues in 1999 (his sixth album for Polygram). This sequence continued with In The Morning (Telarc 2002), Pasa Tiempo (Evidence 2002), Guitar Brothers (JSP 2002), She's My Money Maker (JSP 2003), Ridin' High (Hightone 2003), New Direction (Provogue 2004) and Playin' Dirty (JSP 2006).
In 2002, he featured on the Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
tribute album, Hey Bo Diddley - A Tribute!, performing the song "Who Do You Love".
In March 2008, Walker signed to Stony Plain Records
Stony Plain Records
Stony Plain Records is a major Canadian independent record label, which specializes in roots music genres such as country, folk and blues. The label was the recipient of a 2003 Western Canadian Music Award for "Independent Record Label/Distributor of the Year"....
, and recorded his first album for the label in April (produced by Duke Robillard
Duke Robillard
Michael John "Duke" Robillard is an American blues musician.After playing in various bands and working for the Guild Guitar Company, he co-founded the band Roomful of Blues with pianist Al Copley in 1967. He has also been a member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds which included Kim Wilson, replacing...
). This album featured guest appearances by Robillard and Todd Sharpville
Todd Sharpville
Todd Sharpville is the younger son of the 3rd Viscount St Davids and younger brother of 4th Viscount St Davids. Sharpville is a British musician, singer-songwriter and lead guitarist, mainly in the blues field...
, and was released in September 2008. His second album for the label was released in September 2009 entitled, Between A Rock and The Blues. This album featured Kevin Eubanks
Kevin Eubanks
Kevin Tyrone Eubanks is an American jazz guitarist and composer who was the leader of the Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led The Primetime Band on the short-lived The Jay Leno Show.- Personal background :Eubanks was born into a musical family...
as a special guest, best known for his work as the musical director for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
. This album has garnered five nominations in the 2010 Blues Music Awards.
Albums
- Cold Is The Night (Hightone, 1986)
- The Gift (Hightone, 1988)
- Blue Soul (Hightone, 1989)
- Live At Slim's, Volume One (Hightone, 1991)
- Live At Slim's, Volume Two (Hightone, 1992)
- Blues Survivor (Polydor/PolygramPolyGramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, 1993) - JLW (Polydor/Polygram, 1994)
- Blues Of The Month Club (Polydor/Polygram, 1995)
- Great GuitarsGreat GuitarsGreat Guitars is a music album released by blues guitarist Joe Louis Walker in 1997. It was issued on the Polygram label as catalogue number 537141.Many of the songs on the album are duets with other artists...
(Polydor/Polygram, 1997) - Preacher and the President (Polydor/Polygram, 1998)
- Silvertone Blues (Polydor/Polygram, 1999)
- In the Morning (Telarc, 2002)
- Pasa Tiempo (Evidence MusicEvidence MusicEvidence Music is a Jazz and Blues record label based in Pennsylvania. It is known for releasing number of Sun Ra albums.-External links:**...
, 2002) - Guitar Brothers (JSP RecordsJSP RecordsJSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman , releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. The label is based in London, England.JSP now predominantly releases remastered CDs...
, 2002) - She's My Money Maker (JSP, 2002/03)
- Ridin' High (Hightone, 2003)
- New Direction (ProvogueProvogueProvogue is a Mumbai based Indian company incorporated on November 11, 1997 as Acme Clothing Private Limited. The brand Provogue was launched in March 1998 and is currently one of the biggest retail apparel brands in India based in based Mumbai...
, 2004) - Playin' Dirty (JSP, 2006)
- Witness To The Blues (Stony Plain Music, 2008)
- Between A Rock and The Blues (Stony Plain Music, 2009)
DVDs
- Live At 'On Broadway (Blues Express, 2001)
- Joe Louis Walker in Concert (inakoustik, 2003)
External links
- Joe Louis Walker MySpace page
- [ Joe Louis Walker biography] at Allmusic
- Joe Louis Walker, Regular Bluesman