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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZWALKER, Joe Louis(b 26 Dec. '49, San Francisco CA) Blues singer, guitarist, composer, arranger. A member of a younger generation having nothing of the country about him and raised during the rock and soul era, yet he cleaves to the tradition of the blues and combines it with formal education, so that he can arrange everything incl. the horns. His work is more trad. than that of Robert Cray, for example, yet does not take refuge in recycling trad. imagery, lyrics often co-written with Henry Oden, Dennis and Amy Walker. He plays solo slide guitar on his own 'I'll Get To Heaven On My Own.' He came from gospel, switched to the blues, albums began on Hightone with Cold Is The Night '86, The Gift '88, Blue Soul '89, Live At Slim's Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 '91--2; switched to Verve for Blues Survivor '93, Blues Of The Month Club '95 (with the Bosstalkers incl. Steve Cropper, the Memphis Horns, the Spiritual Cornithians); Great Guitars '97 was a tour-de-force of guests on various tracks: Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, Charlie Baty, Scotty Moore, Ike Turner, co-producer Cropper. |