Walker was born on 25th December 1949 in San Francisco, California; his parents were blues fans, and introduced him to the music when he was young. He learnt to play the guitar at the age of fourteen, and left home at sixteen to work as a performer. He soon met Mike Bloomfield, who introduced him to the Bay Area Blues scene. During the 1960s, Walker opened for such artists as Earl Hooker, Freddie King, and Lowell Fulson.
In 1975 he left the blues scene for ten years to sing with a gospel quartet called The Spiritual Corinthians. In 1980, he recorded an album with this group called God Will Provide. Walker left the Spiritual Corinthians in 1985, but has maintained a gospel influence in his music.
He returned to San Francisco in 1985, and formed a group called the Bosstalkers. He released four albums on the Hightone Records label before moving to Verve/Gitanes (a division of Polydor/Polygram). Walker released six albums with this label, and won a series of awards in the 1990s.
Walker has released several albums since leaving Verve, including four separate works between 2002 and 2003.
* Official site
Blues Of The Month Club
Joe Louis Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Music.
Its the first of the Month,
Its about that time,
I Step out to the Mailbox,
Knowing what I will find.
Saying I'm overdue.
And a Bill from the Doctor,
But i still got the Flu.
Oh theres a always Electric, Water and Gas.
I can tell that my paycheck, it just aint gonna last.
One thing I'm sure of,
My dues are paid up.
I'm a member in good standing,
Of the Blues of the Month club (2)
I got a letter this morning,
From my first ex-wife.
Theres not enough money,
To get her out of my life.
And the woman im loving,
She's a doin me a wrong.
Our June wedding,
Has been postponed.
That's the same story,
I heard in last May.
I dont understand it,
Why she treats me this a way.
One thing I'm sure of,
My dues are paid up.
I'm a member in good standing,
Of the Blues of the Month club (2)
Music...
Hey! yeah yeah...
I wrote a book on how to fail.
As I expected, it was no sale.
One thing I'm sure of,
My dues are paid up.
I'm a member in good standing,
Of the Blues of the Month club (2)
Januarys Here,
Its gonna be a cold New Year.
February would be fine,
If I had me a valentine.
March, April, May and June,
Something a better happen soon.
July, August and September,
Not one good day to remember.
Im Glad... Oh I'm Glad,
Octobers Over.(2)
Music...
In Joe Louis Walker's song "Blues of the Month Club", the lyrics depict the struggles and hardships of everyday life. The opening verse describes the character receiving bills from the landlord and doctor, along with the realization that the paycheck won't be enough to cover them all. Despite the constant struggles, the character finds solace in his membership in the "Blues of the Month Club", which seems to represent a group of people who can relate to the struggles of life and find comfort in music.
The next few verses depict the character's struggles in relationships and professional life, such as his ex-wife demanding more money and his book failing to sell. However, despite the constant hardships, the character remains a proud member of the "Blues of the Month Club" and finds solace in the music and community it represents.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the difficulties of everyday life and the importance of finding a sense of belonging and support during tough times. The "Blues of the Month Club" serves as a metaphor for the power of music and community to provide comfort and strength during difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
Its the first of the Month,
The singer is starting a new month and all the problems and bills that come with it
Its about that time,
The time for dealing with the new month's problems has come
I Step out to the Mailbox,
The singer is physically leaving their house to check the mail
Knowing what I will find.
The artist knows the mail will contain bills and bad news
Oh, Theres a note from the landlord,
The artist receives a notice from their landlord
Saying I'm overdue.
The notice is about overdue rent payments
And a Bill from the Doctor,
The singer receives a bill from their doctor
But i still got the Flu.
The artist is still sick despite seeing a doctor
Oh theres a always Electric, Water and Gas.
The artist is listing off more bills they receive each month
I can tell that my paycheck, it just aint gonna last.
The artist knows their paycheck won't cover all of the bills
One thing I'm sure of,
Despite all the problems, the singer is confident about one thing
My dues are paid up.
The artist has paid their Blues of the Month Club dues, which brings them joy
I'm a member in good standing,
The singer is happy to be a good member of the Blues of the Month Club
Of the Blues of the Month club (2)
This is the chorus and a restatement of the fact that the singer loves being in the Blues of the Month Club
I got a letter this morning,
The singer receives another letter
From my first ex-wife.
The letter is from the artist's first ex-wife
Theres not enough money,
The ex-wife wants more money from the artist
To get her out of my life.
She wants the singer to completely cut ties with her
And the woman im loving,
The singer is in love with someone else now
She's a doin me a wrong.
The object of the artist's love is not treating them well
Our June wedding,
The artist and the woman they love were supposed to get married in June
Has been postponed.
This wedding has now been pushed back
That's the same story,
This is a familiar and frustrating situation for the singer
I heard in last May.
This has happened the previous year
I dont understand it,
The singer is confused by why their beloved is treating them this way
Why she treats me this a way.
The singer wants to know why their beloved is treating them badly
Hey! yeah yeah...
The singer responds to the music and starts adlibbing
I wrote a book on how to fail.
The artist wrote a book about failing in life
As I expected, it was no sale.
The book didn't sell, as the artist had already anticipated
Januarys Here,
The singer is again starting a new month
Its gonna be a cold New Year.
The singer is anticipating difficult times ahead this year
February would be fine,
The artist is hopeful about February
If I had me a valentine.
The artist wants a romantic partner for Valentine's Day
March, April, May and June,
The artist is expecting positive changes in these coming months
Something a better happen soon.
The singer is hoping for an improvement in their situation
July, August and September,
The artist is listing off more months and none of them have been good
Not one good day to remember.
Things have been tough for the singer lately
Im Glad... Oh I'm Glad,
The singer is happy about something that has happened
Octobers Over.(2)
October is ending and the singer is glad to see it go
Writer(s): Dan Penn, Gary Nicholson, Carson Whitsett
Contributed by Julian V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
BARRY JANSEN
What a band ! This is from Joe's golden era. Tony Saunder's bass solo is just ridiculous - he's dressed liked some friendly vicar and then just completely tears it up - love it !
Ted Mac
REALLY GREAT MUSIC! Shame more do not know about this.
These are the REAL great Musicians.
smith-models
Induct all these guys into the rock and roll hall of fame! This is hands down the best groove ever!
blues999z
A 100% "extremely extremely" cool masterpiece of great blues by some dynamite experts out there in Blues Land --- WOW & WOW......................
alex t.djapon
The Bass Man is just 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾 .. You are all Nice guys
Juliana Nascimento
sensacional!!
Eliezer Esdras
Demais .... impossível ficar parado - dezembro 2015 - Brasil londrina-paraná
Анна Воронина
Обалденно!!!
Sea P
TOtally awesome band. Man on the bass is rockin!
KING2566
this has been my go to drunk n blast music video for a long time
the bassman love it