New Jersey-born Walter Trout played guitar with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Canned Heat, among others, before hitting the solo trail in 1989. Having re-taught himself to talk, walk and play guitar following a 2014 liver transplant, Trout has long been a statesman and fatherly figure on the global blues scene. We spoke to him on the eve of his latest European tour.
You are still promoting your 2025 album Sign Of The Times, which Classic Rock said is “threaded with a fierce edge and the kind of raw, personal candour that’s made Trout a survivor, an outlier, and among the most underrated songwriters of his generation”.
That review moves my heart, because I’m very serious about being a songwriter. Right now, great guitarists are a dime a dozen. It won’t ever happen, but I’d like to be thought of as a singer, songwriter and performer who also plays guitar.
The album’s track Artificial seems to bemoan the rise of AI: ‘Artificial hairdo, artificial tan/You can tell just by looking, he’s an artificial man.’
I wonder who I’m talking about there. That’s as political as I’ve gotten in a song for a long while. I just couldn’t help it.
But is there a role in music for AI?
It alarms me to hear how many AI songs there are in the charts. I want music and art to come from human beings, not computers.
How much of your performances are set in stone, and how much is improvised?
Tonnes of it is improvised. My songs are stepping stones for improvisation. If you want to put us in a category, I’d say we’re more of a jam band than a blues band. We play completely spontaneously every night.
You have proved to be gifted at identifying and nurturing young blues talent. Who should we be looking out for right now?
He’s been around for a few years, but Toby Lee is spectacular. He’s doesn’t imitate other guitarists, he’s got his own style. He sings great and writes excellent songs. Toby has the full package.
What is the best piece of advice you could give to a teenage hopeful?
Though very different to when I started, it’s important for brand new artists to nurture their talent and become good as they can possibly be before going for a push. You can go on American Idol, become an overnight hit, and two years later nobody will remember you. No. It’s far more important to learn how to write songs.
At seventy-five years old, does retirement enter your thoughts?
Fuck no. I will keep on doing this until the universe forces me to stop. It’s what I’ve done since the age of 10. I’m a lifer and I work really hard. We’re already booking into next year and I’m writing songs for a new album.
Shouldn’t you be far better known than you are?
My manager [Marie], who I’m also married to, always tells me: “Walter, if you had come out during the seventies you’d be up there [makes hand gestures to height].” Trying to claw your way up the ladder is no longer for me. I did a few years of that and I absolutely hated it. I don’t worry about being better known, because my life is beautiful. I’m extraordinarily grateful to have made a living from playing guitar for more than half a century.
The latest European leg of Walter Trout’s Sign Of The Times tour begins this evening (October 2) at the Opera House in Buxton, UK. For full dates and tickets, visit the Walter Trout website.
