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Walter Trout, considered to be one of the finest blues guitarists in the world, was the lead guitarist for Canned Heat, John Lee Hooker and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. He formed his own band in 1989 and has since become a global mega star.On his latest single “Waiting For The Dawn,” released via Provogue/Mascot Label Group, the iconic blues-rock guitarist Walter Trout urges fans – and himself – to stay strong, in light of all of the challenges we’ve faced over the past few years. “There were times in this pandemic where I have sunk into some pretty deep depressions, sitting around, wondering whether life has a point,” Trout recalls. It’s the latest single from Trout’s new studio album ‘Ride,’ out August 19th. Written in his beloved and often-missed home in Huntington Beach, California, the album is filled with pointed reflections from Trout, informed by his decades of stardom in the blues world. As long-standing Trout fans know, the Golden State has been the bluesman’s home for 47 years. Trout joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers lineup in ’85, before embarking on an acclaimed solo career from ’89 onwards. But before that came his chaotic, self-destructive years as a jobbing lead guitarist, whether for�revered-but-tricky blues pioneers like John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton, or an unhinged tenure in an ’80s Canned Heat line-up controlled by the Hell’s Angels.
Trout’s well-documented excess in this era was darker than a young rock star cutting loose. It could all be traced back to his troubled childhood in New Jersey, he explains, where an unstable stepfather – himself the victim of shocking cruelty as a prisoner of war – was a terrifying presence. As 'Ride' took form, such memories couldn’t help but flavor the music. “This album is obviously what I was going through mentally and emotionally,” he considers. “All I did was express it. I spent a lot of time crying, because I would dig down into my emotional core. I want my songs to have some sort of truth to them.”
Walter Trout is the beating heart of the modern blues rock scene. Respected by the old guard, revered by the young guns and adored by the fans who shake his hand after the show each night. And after five decades in the game, Trout remains a talismanic figure. But, however fast or far a man travels, he can never truly outrun his past. On the new album he found himself eyeing the horizon and the green shoots of his triumphant late career. There was a new record deal with Mascot/Provogue. A temporary move from California to Denmark to be with his beloved family. Even now, at age 70, Trout is still writing fresh chapters of his life story. And by now Trout knows that nobody ever really leaves their old selves behind. But with 'Ride' providing an emotional release-valve both for its creator and his loyal listeners – perhaps this veteran artist can reconcile with his past, accept his future and live in the present as it unfolds. “I think you can interpret this album title a few different ways,” he concludes. “I mean, this album is definitely a musical ride and I certainly tried to cover a lot of ground. But, really, life is kind of a ride too, isn’t it? And I want to live mine to the fullest.”
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