Longtime Ocean City Blues-Rocker Walter Trout Has Another Trick Up His Sleeve
PHOTO: Walter Trout by Leland Hayward
He came out of Ocean City in Cape May County with a huge chip on his shoulder. So he split and headed west where he joined the bands of John Lee Hooker, Percy Mayfield, Big Mama Thornton and Joe Tex. Fluid and nimble as a lead electric guitarist, he was also in Canned Heat from ’81 to ’84 before switching bands to John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers from ’84 to ’89.
Descending into a debilitating whirlwind of drugs and alcohol, he credits Carlos Santana for helping him get sober and go solo. He started his first band in ’89, the year he established himself with Life In The Jungle. The 1990s saw his star rise abroad while remaining relatively unknown at home. In 2013, he received a kidney transplant but suffered brain damage to the point where he had to relearn how to play guitar. By 2015, he was performing at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London.
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His 31st album, Broken, will be released by the Mascot Label Group in March. It’s a star-studded affair. Beth Hart sings the title track like there’s no tomorrow. Ditto for Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider who yells “I’ve Had Enough.” From boogie to ballads, Broken ends with the autobiographically raw and bruised “Falls Apart.”