Joe Louis Walker – An Xperience Interview

Joe Louis Walker – An Xperience Interview – by Neoptolemus.

JLW’s latest effort, “Cold Is the Night: Reimagined,” just dropped on March 26. This work completes an arc with his first album, “Cold Is the Night,” now a blues classic, released in 1986. Give one or both a listen, and you will hear why the man is a legend.

But better than that, go see him LIVE. You won’t be disappointed.

RRX: You started playing guitar at the age of eight. How did you get started in music? Was there a particular moment when you realized you wanted to be a musician?

JLW: At the school I went to, they had a few instruments you could check out, like you could a library book (if you showed some aptitude, that is). My first instrument was the violin; the guitar was always checked out. My first guitar was a cheap overseas import. I eventually took some rudimentary lessons at my mother’s insistence. My dad’s old friends would come over on weekends and play cards, have a couple drinks … and a couple of them played guitar and sang the songs they’d learned down south. That moved me and made me wanna play music … ANY kind of music. Just make some sounds like they did.

My dad played a lotta blues records … so that was my earliest blues education. And my mom played a lotta B.B. King, and that was ALWAYS part of my education. I heard my four older brothers’ and sisters’ records, so I got a serious, varied music education growing up.

RRX: Your latest album is “Cold Is the Night: Reimagined” (available from Bluesifyin Productions/Sledgehammer Blues [a label of Valley Entertainment]). This appears to be a fresh take on your first album, “Cold Is the Night,” released in 1986 (which is outstanding!). Can you tell us about it?

JLW: “Cold Is the Night” was my first studio album under my own name, with my backing band, The Bosstalkers, with Steve Griffith (drums), Henry Oden (bass), and Kevin Zuffi (keys).

I had quite a few songs saved up and that gave us a lot of variety to choose from (traditional blues, contemporary blues, soul blues, rockin’, etc.). The recently released single, “One Woman,” was a song I was able to transform by having a female singer, Eliza Neals, on the new release. That’s what I’d originally wanted to do, but we had budget restrictions at that time.

RRX: The film “A Complete Unknown” has put legendary guitarist Mike Bloomfield back in the public eye. Because of his skill, Bloomfield was Bob Dylan’s preferred choice for his band, and he played on “Highway 61 Revisited” and at the Newport Blues Festival where Dylan went electric. You had a long friendship with Mike. What was Mike like? Any poignant memories of Mike you’d care to share?

JLW: I always say Mike (as well as Taj Mahal) was true Americana, before the name became a category. In his prime, he could play ANYTHING, with ANYBODY. And a bit of that musical inquisitiveness was in me, also. He gave me tools to learn (lap steel, piano, slide guitar, alternate tunings, etc.) that gave me a bit more versatility than a lot of other players.

A fond memory was when Dottie (Mike’s mom) came to visit. Mike took her to my mother’s house, and we didn’t see them till late that night, at my gig at a funky club called Mr. Lee’s. They had a blast together!

RRX: Your faith seems to be an important part of your life and your music. It clearly has roots in gospel music, but there seems to be more to it than that. Can you describe the relationship?

JLW: I’m just a witness, holding my hand out to everyone.

RRX: You seem to know every great blues player that ever existed. Any plans for a Joe Louis Walker biography, with stories of the greats you have known and played with?

JLW: I was recently going down that path, but it just wasn’t the right fit at this time. Maybe in the future it’ll come together.

RRX: Do you have any personal favorite blues players?

JLW: It’s hard to pick one person out of the many that helped me navigate this journey because it’s about way more than just music. And people enter your life at different times, which can also have a major impact. But I’d have to say B.B. King and Mike Bloomfield … they put a roof over my head, fed me, put money in my pocket, gave me guitars. But mainly, they treated me like family. All of which I can never repay.

RRX: Your birthday (December 25, 1949) is on Christmas. Has that been a blessing or a curse?

JLW: Without a doubt, both!

RRX: Previously when we spoke, I asked you if you knew Albert Cummings, a local favorite bluesman. Have you met Albert? Did you know you both played with B.B. King?

JLW: I think I may have been at a festival with Albert, and may have met him. But now I’ve gotta put him on when I get through with this interview!

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