Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Joe Louis Walker, a leading figure in electric blues, died on April 30, 2025. Walker was born in San Francisco in 1949. His career spanned over five decades. A child prodigy who began playing guitar at eight, Walker emerged from the Bay Area blues scene, performing with legends such as John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters.
After earning degrees in Music and English from San Francisco State University and a period singing gospel, he returned to blues in the mid-1980s, releasing a series of albums on HighTone Records. His subsequent work with Polygram’s Verve/Gitanes label expanded his style to incorporate gospel, funk, and jazz, earning critical acclaim and multiple Blues Music Awards.
A frequent festival headliner and television performer, Walker collaborated with artists such as B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, James Cotton, and Steve Cropper. He later recorded for Stony Plain and Alligator Records, continuing to innovate while honoring blues traditions.
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Author: World Music Central News Room
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