Single Premiere: Joe Louis Walker ‘Hello, It’s The Blues’

Photo: Joe Louis Walker by Mickey Deneher, Hello It’s The Blues

Rock & Blues Muse is pleased to premiere Joe Louis Walker’s new single “Hello, It’s The Blues” from his forthcoming album Weight of the World set to release February 17, 2023 on Forty Below Records and produced by Eric Corne (John Mayall, Walter Trout, Sugaray Rayford).

A Blues Hall of Fame Inductee and six-time Blues Music Award winner, Joe Louis Walker was described by NPR as “a legendary boundary-pushing icon of modern blues.” His 2015 release, Everyone Wants A Piece was nominated for a Grammy Award. Walker also performed a duet with B.B. King on his Grammy Award-winning album Blues Summit and played guitar on James Cotton’s Grammy winning album Deep In The Blues. Referred to as “A musician’s musician,” Walker has earned his rightful place among the pantheon of legendary electric blues singer/guitarist/songwriters like B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Robert Cray.

Joe Louis Walker says, “I always get asked these questions, ‘What is the Blues?’ AND I get asked ‘What does the Blues mean to you?’ The song ‘Hello It’s The Blues’ is my attempt to answer those questions.”

“Hello It’s The Blues” is an epic track about the power of blues music. Portraying a virtual conversation between an angel of the blues and the listener, Walker delivers it outside of the typical blues sound, turning it into a cinematic piece that features brilliant violin and mandolin as well as the more expressive and delicate aspects of JLW’s singing voice. An uplifting and deeply soulful track, Walker’s ear for melody and storytelling is front and center. Also featuring a beautiful acoustic guitar solo and gospel-influenced backing vocals with Gia Ciambotti (Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen), Walker hits a new high-water mark with each new release and this one continues that trend. Put it on and let it work on you.

“Hello, It’s The Blues”

Stream/Save “Hello, It’s The Blues” Here

Pre-order link for Weight Of The World Here

Weight of the World showcases the depth of Walker’s influences, from his masterful lyrical guitar playing, soulful singing , and prolific songwriting. The album features Walker at the height of his game. Recorded outside of Woodstock, NY with musicians Scott Milici (Keys), John Medeiros Jr.(Drums), Geoff Murfitt (Bass), Eddie Jackson (Bongos), Marc Pender (Trumpet), David Ralicke (Saxophone), Eric Gorfain (Violins), Gia Ciambotti (Background Vocals) and Producer Eric Corne (Background Vocals, Guitar), who also engineered and mixed the album. Walker and Corne shared writing duties.

Joe Louis Walker’s output spans the gamut of American Roots music, and he is regarded as one of his generation’s greatest bluesmen. Billboard found that his playing “blows all over the map…gutbucket blues, joyous gospel, Rolling Stones-style rock crunch, and aching R&B. Walker’s guitar playing is fine and fierce.”

A brilliantly guitarist, soulful singer, and prolific songwriter, Walker has toured extensively throughout his career, performing at some of the world’s most renowned music festivals, such as Glastonbury and Montreux, as well as on national television, with appearances on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, The Don Imus Show and Later With Jools Holland in the UK, earning him a legion of dedicated fans along the way.

Walker has recorded with Ike Turner, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, and Steve Cropper, opened for Muddy Waters and Thelonious Monk, hung out with Jimi Hendrix, Freddie King, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and was a close friend and roommate of Mike Bloomfield. Herbie Hancock called Walker “a national treasure.” Chick Corea glibly referred to him as “The Chick Corea of Blues,” and Aretha Franklin called him “The Bluesman.”

Walker’s 1986 debut album Cold Is the Night on HighTone announced his arrival in stunning fashion, and his subsequent output for Verve, Alligator, HighTone, and others only served to further establish Walker as one of today’s leading bluesmen. The New York Times raved, “Walker is a singer with a Cadillac of a voice. His guitar solos are fast, wiry, and incisive, moaning with bluesy despair.” Rolling Stone called him “ferocious.”

A myriad of organizations have recognized Joe for his achievements. He’s a member of the Blues Hall of Fame, was named a USA Fellow by United States Artists, won multiple W.C. Handy Awards and Blues Music Awards, has been a recipient of San Francisco’s prestigious Bammy Awards, and was also awarded a lifetime achievement award from the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.