Trout’s backstory is a page-turner you won’t want to put down. Five decades in the making; it is equal parts thriller, romance, suspense and horror. There are musical fireworks, critical acclaim and fists-aloft triumph, offset by wilderness years and brushes with the jaws of narcotic oblivion. There are feted early stints as gunslinger in bands from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers to Canned Heat, and the solo career that’s still blazing a quarter-century later. The veteran bluesman has seen and done it all, with just one omission: he’s never made a covers album, until now. “Luther Allison’s Blues is my first,” Trout notes. “I’ve thought about doing this album for years. It was just time.”
Of all the peaks in Trout’s trajectory, his abiding memory of the late Chicago bluesman is perhaps the most literal. It’s 1986, and high above Lake Geneva, at the palatial Alpine chalet of late Montreux Jazz Festival Svengali Claude Nobs, lunch is being served. “So we’re up at the top of the Alps,” Trout recalls, “in this big room with John Mayall, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Robert Cray, Otis Rush, and as we’re eating, Dr. John is serenading us on acoustic piano. I was sat there with Luther Allison, and we had a great talk.
“Luther was one of the all-time greats,” Trout continues, “and it was just an unbelievably potent thing to watch him perform. Just the energy and commitment that guy had, he was one of a kind. We played together once, at the Jazz Fest that year, and just as we walked offstage, somebody pointed a camera and we hugged and smiled. And that photo is on the cover of the CD.”When he died [in 1997], the idea of this album was planted in my brain.
Released June 10, 2013 on Provogue Records, this latest collection was bottled at Hollywood’s Entourage Studios alongside producer Eric Corne: the same combination that birthed 2012’s acclaimed solo release, Blues For The Modern Daze. The atmosphere, remembers Trout, was one of spit, grit and seat-of-the-pants energy: “Spontaneity is so important with this sort of music. Everybody was saying, ‘Well, aren’t you gonna get together and rehearse?’, but you don’t want to over-analyse or get too sterile. This album was all pretty much first or second takes. It’s gotta have warts on it. It’s gotta have a bit of grease in it.”
None of which should imply Luther Allison’s Blues was a throwaway project. “At times, it was, like, have I taken on too much here?” admits Trout. “Like, am I actually capable of doing justice to this? To me, Cherry Red Wine is one of the all-time greatest blues songs ever written, and Luther’s original version is so unbelievably passionate and emotional that even to sing it was a daunting task. If I had my way with this album, it would reignite interest in the man and his work, make people go back and check out the originals.”
Trout knows all about the life-shaping power of a great record. Rewind to the mid-Sixties, and he was put on his path by an older brother with a habit of blasting the family home in New Jersey with seminal blues-rock platters from Paul Butterfield’s 1965 debut to John Mayall’s seismic Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton. “He brought home John Mayall, and told me, ‘You gotta hear this guy!’” reflects the 62-year-old guitarist, who was soon inspired to buy his first Gibson Les Paul while on a day trip to Philadelphia. “I have fond memories of all those records. I still listen to them.”
Local bands never got the breaks, and in 1973, Trout made the death-or-glory move to LA, where he slept on couches and scrabbled for work. “I came out here and it was a overwhelming thing,” he says, “because I didn’t know anybody. I just started going around to clubs where there were bands playing and asked if I could sit in. My first gig, I was stand-up lead singer in a country band, singing Merle Haggard tunes. And with my third paycheque, I went and bought that Strat that’s still on the cover of all my CDs.”
In a city of Hicksville hopefuls, Trout’s ferocious talent on lead guitar and gift-of-the-gab soon marked him out. “I went to a party and that’s where I met Jesse Ed Davis, who was the first really famous guy I played with,” he remembers, of the sideman era that also saw him work alongside Big Mama Thornton, Lowell Fulson and Joe Tex. “I just weasled my way into his band, and I was with Jessie for two years.
By 1981, Trout had switched to West Coast boogie-blues titans Canned Heat for a period he diplomatically recalls as “turbulent”, but even this gig was topped three years later by a fantastical phone call from John Mayall, dangling the revered guitar slot in his iconic Bluesbreakers outfit. “As far as being a blues-guitar sideman, that gig is the pinnacle,” states Trout. “That’s Mount Everest. You could play with B.B. King or Buddy Guy, but you’re just gonna play chords all night. This guy features you. You get to play solos. He yells your name after every song, brings you to the front of the stage, and lets you sing. He creates a place for you in the world. Where do you go from there…?”
Trout would answer that question in emphatic style on March 6, 1989. As guitarist, his tenure had brought thrilling flammability to the Breakers’ sound and produced stone-cold classics including One Life To Live, but as the newly sober guitarist played a lavish show at a Gothenburg symphony hall on his 38th birthday, he sensed the hand of destiny. “To walk away from the Bluesbreakers,” he admits, “a lot of people thought was completely crazy, because I could have stayed with John as long as I wanted. I mean, John to this day is like a dad to me. He was behind me when I was all screwed up, kept me in the band, believed in me, and gave me the opportunity to progress and grow up in a certain way. So that was a huge decision, and it was scary, but I had to do it, because I knew I had more, y’know?”
Quarter of a century later, what seemed like career suicide has been vindicated by a thrilling catalogue of 22 solo albums, a still-growing army of fans and accolades including a nod as “the world’s greatest rock guitarist” in legendary DJ Bob Harris’s autobiography The Whispering Years, and a #6 placing on BBC Radio One’s countdown of the Top 20 Guitarists of All Time. Meanwhile, Trout’s most recent original album, Blues For The Modern Daze, was heralded by titles like Classic Rock Blues as perhaps his finest to date. “I feel like with Modern Daze,” he nods, “I found the style I’ve been searching for over 20 albums. It’s working, it comes out good, and I can play it well.”
A lesser artist might rest on such laurels. As Walter Trout powers into his 25th year as a solo star, there’s no whiff of the ennui or creative autopilot that hobbles the later output of most veterans. On the contrary, there’s a sense of growing momentum, perhaps even of a little surprise. “It’s hard to believe I’m still alive, to be honest,” he smiles. “I should have been dead by 30, with the life I was leading. But I still have a career, and at 62, I’m still climbing the ladder, which keeps it exciting, instead of trying to rekindle past glories. I feel like I play with more fire than when I was 25. I’m still reaching, y’know…?”
Walter Trout Battles Liver Disease - Update
Great News
July 19, 2014
Great news: Yesterday, we managed to get the financial aspects handled and Walter was immediately transferred to the state-of-the-art Rehabilitation Center here in Omaha, NE. It is on a hospital campus, so in case he needs it, the hospital services are available to him. However, their focus is to work on strengthening and rehabilitating exclusively! So Walter will be working with occupational and physical therapists all day, and will be able to progress more efficiently.
As we were waiting for the financial aspects of the transfer to come together, Walter got up and took a walk with me. He boogied down the hospital hall faster than he has been able to walk previously. He has a new leg brace that is helping correct some temporary issues with his right foot. I could barely keep up as I clung, at times almost horizontally, to his gate belt while he sprinted past supply carts and rounding doctors! Then he actually ate half of an ice cream sandwich! Both very encouraging events! Other than that he is continuing the tube feeding at the rehabilitation center. But the ability and willingness to actually put food in his mouth…. Awesome!
Thank you to all of you who continue to support us and surround us with your positive energy and love. We really feel it! And it makes a big difference.
I have Skyped and been on the phone with our sons, and they are doing well at home. The neighbors hear them…. I have confirmation of that too, as they are in the garage practicing, jamming, and playing music to their heart’s content from early to late…. Thank you patient, awesome neighbors!!! If all continues to go well, I may even be able to get home to them next week for a little while to partake in the festivities…. We’ll see.
The ebb and flow of life continues to pulsate through our lives. The rollercoaster ride continues. The intensity of the ups and downs is mind-altering! Literally! And I find that as I move through it all, pain and fear are not as scary as my fear of them. I think of the emotions as colors. Is there a bad color? No just different ones that all contribute to the rainbow of potentiality of experience. The trick for me is to keep moving through them and not get stuck. Writing here helps, as do your comments and love, and my morning walks. All of it helps me gain perspective to keep moving and seeing clearly.
As I was contemplating this analogy of emotions being like colors and the importance of moving through them and not get stuck, the universe provided me a beautiful synchronistic affirmation. On my morning walk, I altered my route slightly from my normal one. Suddenly, I saw people in work-out attire coming towards me, one more colorful than the other. When I got close enough, I saw that they were all going to attend the “The Color Run”. A 5K run here in Omaha that celebrates “healthiness, happiness, and individuality.”
Yesterday another affirmation: I had just finished writing about emotional lock-down in my journal, and I got up feeling I had moved through it, and I found a key to the front door that I had missed for a long time. It was hidden in my glasses case in the cloths I use to clean my lenses. Seeing clearly and wiping off my lenses of interpretation unlocks emotions to just be what they are: colors of the emotional rainbow.
The trek continues. We keep moving. And Walter is exactly where he needs to be now. What joy!
Marie
Me My Guitar And The Blues
Walter Trout Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gonna let every day stand on its own
I don't worry about tomorrow
Gonna let every day stand on its own
You know, tomorrow still be here
And we could all be dead and gone
I ain′t gonna worry about you, baby
I ain't gonna worry about you, baby
Lord, Lord, Lord, I ain′t gonna worry no more
Seems like you don′t want me, woman
And I know that now I got to go
I know that now I got to go, yes, I do
I ain't gonna worry no more, baby
You know that I done paid my dues
I ain′t gonna worry about you, baby
Now you know that I done paid my dues
And now that you don't want me, baby
It′s just me, my guitar and the blues
Me, my guitar and the blues
I'm leaving you, baby, baby
The lyrics of "Me My Guitar And The Blues" by Walter Trout suggest a sense of liberation and renunciation. The lyrics emphasize the idea of living life in the moment without worrying too much about the future. The artist acknowledges that tomorrow still exists, but at the same time, everyone is just one step closer to death every day. The lyrics emphasize the importance of letting go of anxiety and living life as it comes without worrying about what's next.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the cause of the singer's anxiety is the woman he sings about. The singer expresses that he is done worrying about her and has paid his dues. Although he is saddened that she does not want him, he chooses instead to focus on his music and his guitar. The guitar is an extension of the artist and becomes a crucial tool in his journey to move on from the heartbreak. The song concludes with the artist acknowledging his need to leave behind the source of his anxiety and focus on his music.
The song reflects the artist's own struggles with addiction and depression, and his journey to overcome these challenges through music. The guitar may also be seen as a metaphor for the artist's struggles, with the strings representing the difficult emotions he needed to pluck out to overcome his struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain′t gonna worry about tomorrow
I won't spend time fearing or thinking about the future, as every day brings its challenges.
Gonna let every day stand on its own
I'll allow the coming days to unfold without my interference.
I don't worry about tomorrow
I don't fret about the future and the unpredictability it may bring.
You know, tomorrow still be here
The future exists, even without our conscious attention and worry.
And we could all be dead and gone
Death is inevitable and indiscriminate, and it may come for us at any time.
I ain′t gonna worry about you, baby
I refuse to continue stressing over a relationship that isn't working.
I ain't gonna worry no more
I won't spend any more time or energy worrying about a situation that's beyond my control.
Seems like you don′t want me, woman
It's apparent that our relationship isn't going to work out and you don't feel the same about me.
And I know that now I got to go
I understand that it's time for me to move on and leave this relationship behind.
You know that I done paid my dues
I've endured the difficulties of our relationship and accepted the consequences of my actions.
Now you know that I done paid my dues
I've paid the price for my mistakes in this relationship.
It′s just me, my guitar and the blues
Now that the relationship is over, all I have left is my music as a way to express my emotions.
I'm leaving you, baby, baby
I'm saying goodbye to the relationship and moving on with my life.
Writer(s): Jimmy Dawkins
Contributed by Stella E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cieliczka
Walter Trout is one of the most underrated guitarists & performers in the world. This cover is in the league of its own. Hands down.
@johnclark9620
He and Gary Moore!
@davidhimebaugh
Agreed!
@avanalphen89
no,thats jimy dawkins
@cieliczka
@@avanalphen89 Ughm... I'm pretty sure it's Walter Trout on the stage performing this epic cover
@avanalphen89
@@cieliczka jes but jimmy is te most underaded.
@dougoeffling2677
I saw Walter at a small venue and only about 100 people showed up. Walter played that night like it was a packed house. He played for 2 hours and tore the house down! One of the best concerts I had ever seen!
@Lpmgato1
Ah, Walter Trout, one of the all time great blues guitarists. We're blessed by the grace of God that Walter recovered. May his music and legacy continue for time and eternity. I'm 70, been heavy into blues since the early 1960s. Walter Trout stands second to none on guitar. Love his passion, intensity, virtuosity, beautiful melodic improvisations........the real deal........blessings from an old Texas farmer.
@boykokutriansky8917
My hero since 1999!!!
@mikebaird8648
Great comment...