Hearing Blues From A Master
Much of the music Americans know and love best - from jazz to rock to country - has its roots in the blues.
The Saturday Early Show's Co-Anchor Russ Mitchell welcomed a real blues master when Joe Louis Walker performed at the Second Cup Café.
Walker and his band, the Bosstalkers, have just released a new CD, Silvertone Blues. It includes acoustic performances that have brought Walker back to his roots.
Walker's voice has been described as big, gospel-trained and blues-honed. Asked about how spending 10 years singing gospel contributed to his success as a blues man, Walker said it helped him make his music more sincere. "It puts a character in your music," he said.
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| Silvertone Blues is Walker's new CD. |
Growing up in the San Francisco area, Walker began his musical career in the 1960s. In 1985 he formed his own band, the Bosstalkers, which produced five albums from 1986 to 1990. During that time he won the W.C. Handy Award for Contemporary (blues) Artist of the Year three times and the band won Best Blues Band in 1995.
In 1997 he worked with such legends as Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, "Gatemouth" Brown and Taj Mahal on a special project called Great Guitars, a salute to great blues players.
Click here for more information on Joe Louis Walker and his band's new CD.