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Photos provided by SKH Music
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Few guitars capture the spirit of blues rock quite like the Gibson Bluesbreaker. Known for its warm, creamy tones and rich midrange, the Bluesbreaker became a sonic benchmark in the 1960s, famously wielded by legends like Eric Clapton. Its semi-hollow body and PAF humbucking pickups produce a sound that’s both powerful and soulful—capable of roaring leads or delicate, expressive phrases. This guitar isn’t just an instrument; it’s a voice, a trusted companion for musicians who live and breathe the blues.
It’s no coincidence that Walter Trout, one of the most fiery and heartfelt guitarists of his generation, carved out his signature sound through the lineage of the Bluesbreakers. From his early days stepping into the shoes of blues greats with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers to his relentless solo career, Trout has channeled the Bluesbreaker’s iconic tone to tell stories of struggle, survival, and redemption. His guitar wails and whispers with the same emotional honesty that’s made him a living legend in the blues world.
With a career spanning more than five decades, Walter Trout stands as a towering figure in modern blues-rock—famed for his fiery fretwork, soulful vocals, and unwavering authenticity. From his early days with Canned Heat and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers to a prolific solo career of over 30 albums, Trout has shaped the sound of contemporary blues while confronting life’s heaviest challenges head-on. After a life-saving liver transplant in 2014, he returned with even greater emotional depth—culminating in acclaimed albums like Broken and the upcoming Sign Of The Times. At 74, Trout remains a force of nature onstage and in the studio, his guitar still telling stories the world needs to hear.
As Walter Trout continues to push the boundaries of blues-rock with his searing guitar tone and heartfelt songwriting, we sat down with him to explore his musical journey, the stories behind his latest work, and how he’s found strength and inspiration through life’s toughest battles. From the intensity of his live performances to his studio craft, Trout shares insights into his creative process, the evolution of his sound, and what drives him to keep the music alive after more than 50 years in the game.
INTERVIEW WITH WALTER TROUT AND GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE
Guitar Thrills: Walter, you’ve been a defining voice in blues-rock for over five decades. How have you seen the blues evolve since you first started playing?
Walter: It has never been mainstream. It remains a niche genre. But it has always been, and is still a genre that allows human expression in music – and in some ways better than any other genre, where instruments, voice, and format melds into a whole where the sum is much greater than the individual parts.
Guitar Thrills: The Bluesbreakers guitar tone has been a hallmark of your sound. How important is your gear in shaping your musical identity?
Walter: I am very dependent on having a guitar that doesn’t work against me when I play. I have a specially designed neck on my Delaney signature model that is an exact double of my old axe – the iconic blonde that has taken quite a beating over the years. The old axe has become too heavy for me to use on stage, and Delaney has really helped creating a killer instrument for me. That combined with Seymour Duncan pickups, and my guitar feels like home. Then I don’t have to spend energy dialing in my playing experience – I can just immerse myself in it. Of course, my Mesa Boogie Mark IV likewise is a big part of my sound. It allows me to play with dynamics and to have a full range of possibilities. I don’t use effects or pedals. Just fingers and a sense of connection to my gear.
Guitar Thrills: After your liver transplant and recovery, how did that life experience influence your approach to music and songwriting?
Walter: One word: Gratitude. After having to re-learn how to play, speak, walk, and sing – after having to re-discover everything about life, and find my balance literally and metaphorically in a new reality, I feel everything much deeper, and take nothing for granted. I am now on 11 years of bonus time. My desire to do meaningful songwriting and play music live for people as well has only grown stronger. Every day is a gift. And every note is another opportunity for connecting with others – and hopefully making it count.
Guitar Thrills: Your latest album Sign Of The Times touches on social and political themes. How do you see blues music as a vehicle for contemporary storytelling?
Walter: I write how I feel. I see the struggles of the world around me, dishonesty, and the cruelty. I am a part of our world, and as I write about it, I try to just reflect on it. It is always my hope that people can recognize some of the feelings I convey in my music and in my lyrics. Hopefully then, they feel less isolated and a bit less alone. I believe music has enormous potential for reaching across political, geographical, socio-economic lines to speak to what is a common human feeling. What we share. Not what divides us. You know, as the song goes: We’re all in this together.
Guitar Thrills: Many artists struggle with keeping blues relevant to younger audiences. What do you think the blues community can do to keep the genre sustainable and vibrant?
Walter: Not a dang thing. If young people don’t discover it on their own and make it theirs, it will not be relatable to them. I mean, you can teach blues history, and you can teach blues as a musical format. But that has never really been what the blues is all about. It is a vessel for expression. A simple format that is made relevant by how you feel each note, and how deeply you are involved in its expression. It is not easy – don’t get me wrong. But the chords and the basic knowledge of it are simple. What makes it relevant is how you can authentically express yourself – not as a copycat, but as YOU. It is therefore great to see and hear when young people do find it on their own and seek to expand the genre to be authentic to their sensibilities – both in gear and in sound. I once said that the blues shouldn’t be a museum but instead constantly expand and be alive. Here, if young people can find themselves in it without feeling too restricted by rules and expectations to what it “should” be and how it “should” sound, the blues will be vibrant and relevant for new generations. But when I play, it is not an expectation of mine that my 74-year-old sensibilities will resonate with young people. If they can take away from it that they can explore it and make it relevant to their generation, great. If they find beauty and truth in what I have to say and how I do it, then I am blown away and very grateful. That means that I have honored the blues ancestors and connected to something universal.
Guitar Thrills: How do you balance honoring traditional blues roots with pushing the music into new, innovative directions?
Walter: I apprenticed with some of the blues greats, and I have always found that honoring their legacies is about making the music my own, authentic, and true expression. Not copying, not seeking to edit the flow of what wants to come through.
Guitar Thrills: Can you share some memorable moments or lessons learned from your time with Canned Heat and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers?
Walter: Too many to mention, I could write books about that. But I can tell you that my time with each of those bands was an incredible education in not just how to play the music but also how to live the life of a touring musician, and ultimately how to survive and thrive in that life.
Guitar Thrills: Your guitar playing has been described as both fiery and deeply emotional. How do you channel those emotions during live performances?
Walter: Again, I don’t edit. When things line up emotionally on stage, the guitar and my voice are extensions of my feelings. If the guitar and the equipment don’t distract, if the audience is with me, and the band locks in, I often feel that I almost levitate out of my body. I don’t know what my legs do, I don’t control what my face does. I just go with it and let the music take me. So, it is about being open and curious about where each solo, each song, and each gig will take me, take the band, and ultimately take the audience.
Guitar Thrills: What roles do collaborations with other artists play in your creative process?
Walter: Playing and singing with my band is a constant source of inspiration to me. They are all great musicians, who each in their own way add so much to the process of making music whether for recordings or in the live experience. I am not a musical island. I depend on this kind of musical exchange. In addition, it is of course always a joy to collaborate with other great singers, like Beth Hart, who is a world-class vocalist who sings with such feelings, such heart and soul. On my previous album, I also did a duet with Dee Snider, which just was a ton of fun. Working with other great guitarists and trading licks on or off stage is a great deal of fun as well. I like to experience how we mutually can push each other to new areas of ability and feel.
Guitar Thrills: How do you feel the blues scene differs between the US, Europe, and other parts of the world?
Walter: I am not sure that it is so different anymore. It used to be that audiences in Europe and other places were more open with regard to what they interpreted as an authentic blues experience. As long as the format, the lineage, and the feel were there, they accepted it as blues. There has been a tendency to limit the blues musician’s expression in the US, so that anything loud and intense was not considered “blues.” However, that seems to be changing. I work with some great people on Walter Trout Blues Rock Radio https://tgrn.net/radiochannel/wtbr/, and we are exploring all nuances of blues, blues rock and just great music in general. Having to fit in the blues label has always been challenging for me. So I don’t try and never have. To me blues must be about authentic emotion, and that is how I approach it – however it comes out. I don’t censor it. And I find that US audiences are really appreciative of this now. Maybe more than ever.
Guitar Thrills: With so many emerging genres and musical fusions, where do you see blues fitting into the modern musical landscape?
Walter: I never have been and never will be concerned about fitting in, and like I said above with young audiences, either the music has relevance to them or it dies out. The relevance here will come from our willingness to accept new expressions, new experiences, new formats, and honor the gift of the blues ancestry by honoring authentic and honest feelings, and a heart-filled approach in the music. Nothing artificial and too complicated. Simple, straight, honest, and with a nod to tradition without a desire to copy.
Guitar Thrills: Finally, what advice would you give to young guitarists and blues musicians looking to make their mark today?
Walter: If you want to make money, this may not be the best career choice. If you want to immerse yourself in immediacy, honest expression, and heart-centered connection through music, this is a format for you to explore. BUT find yourself in it. You are not a person from the 1930s or 1950s. Make the music your own. Play the blues like your life depends on it. Because in many ways, in this world of Artificial Intelligence, being real is a skill our world will need more and more. So do it because you can’t help it. Do it because you feel more alive doing this than anything else. And learn to play your instrument to the point that you can abstract from the technique and let the inspiration take you on journeys into worlds of improvisation and connection to and with others.
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