Walter Trout was born on March 6, 1951, in Ocean City, New Jersey, United States. He is an American blues musician who plays the guitar, sings, and writes songs.

Biography

Walter Trout began his music career on the Jersey coast in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Later, he moved to Los Angeles, where he played guitar for musicians like John Lee Hooker, Percy Mayfield, Big Mama Thornton, and Joe Tex.

Between 1981 and 1984, Trout was the lead guitarist for the band Canned Heat. He toured with them in the United States, Europe, and Australia. From 1984 to 1989, he was the lead guitarist for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, following in the footsteps of famous guitarists such as Peter Green and Eric Clapton. Trout recorded and toured with the Bluesbreakers worldwide. His successful performances were often accompanied by harmful habits. In a 2018 interview with Blues Radio International, Trout shared that during his time with John Mayall, a chance meeting with Carlos Santana after a concert helped him avoid a complete fall into alcohol and drug abuse.

Trout left the Bluesbreakers in 1989 and formed the "Walter Trout Band." The band gained a strong following in Europe, especially in Scandinavia, where he performed at large festivals like the Midtfyns Festival and Skanderborg Festival. The Times praised Trout's first solo album, Life in the Jungle, as "the greatest album in the history of the blues-rock genre." Between 1990 and 1992, Trout's first two albums sold over 100,000 copies.

In 1991, his song "The Love That We Once Knew" became a Top 10 radio hit in the Netherlands. Performances at events like Park Pop and Pink Pop helped solidify his popularity there. During breaks from touring until 2005, Trout hosted all-night music events in Huntington Beach with celebrity friends, including Richie Hayward (Little Feat), Jesse Ed Davis, Mick Taylor, John Mayall, Garth Hudson, Billy Gibbons, TM Stevens, and Teena Marie.

In 1994, the official Walter Trout Fan Club was created for the Netherlands and Belgium. In 1996, an international fan club was formed, with members in 14 countries across Europe, America, Asia, and Australia.

In 1998, Trout released his first US album, Walter Trout, and renamed his band "Walter Trout and the Free Radicals" (later "Walter Trout and the Radicals" and currently "Walter Trout"). Since then, he has continued to record music and tour in North and Central America, Europe, Australia, and India.

In 2002, Trout performed on the Bo Diddley tribute album Hey Bo Diddley – A Tribute!, including the song "Road Runner." He also made guest appearances on other recordings.

In June 2013, while touring Germany, Trout began showing signs of cirrhosis. As his health worsened, he continued touring until doctors told him he needed a liver transplant within 90 days. With help from fan donations, his wife raised money to move out of state for extended stays to qualify for transplantation in various states. Trout spent eight months recovering from cirrhosis and a liver transplant in the hospital. During this time, he suffered brain damage, which caused him to lose the ability to speak, play the guitar, and recognize his family. He also lost the use of his legs and had to relearn how to speak, walk, and play the guitar. He practiced the guitar for eight hours a day over a year. On May 26, 2014, Trout received the lifesaving operation. By 2015, he had recovered and returned to touring in Europe. His 2015 album, Battle Scars, described his struggle with liver failure and the long wait for a donated liver.

In 2014, a documentary about Trout's life, hosted by Dutch rock journalist TJ Lammers, was released alongside his album When the Blues Came Calling. At the same time, a biography titled Rescued From Reality, co-written by British music journalist Henry Yates, was published.

In 2015, Trout returned to performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where he was introduced by his wife.

In November 2015, Trout became a patron of The British Liver Trust to raise awareness and funding for liver disease. He and his wife, Marie, also support Donate Life Nebraska, the Danish Liver Foundation, and Organdonation – Ja Tak. Trout has said, "I'm only still here because someone donated their liver."

In 2019, Trout's album Survivor Blues debuted at number one on the Billboard Blues Chart for two consecutive weeks and remained in the top ten for twelve weeks. Metal Zone magazine named Trout "the ultimate, supreme bluesman of the 20th and 21st centuries" after reviewing his London performance.

In April 2022, Trout announced his studio album Ride, along with the lead single "Ghosts." He explained the album's title by saying, "life is kind of a ride too, isn't it? And I want to live mine to the fullest." The album was released on August 19, 2022.

Personal life

In 1990, Trout met Marie Brændgård, a 27-year-old advertising executive, while working on his second solo album, Prisoner of a Dream, in Denmark. He was already married at the time but began a relationship with Marie and persuaded her to move to California. Trout ended his previous marriage through divorce. In 1991, he married Marie in Huntington Beach, California, where they continue to live. Together, they have three children: Jonathan (born 1993), Biscuit (born 1996), and Dylan (born 2001). All three children now live in Denmark. Walter and Marie also own a home in Denmark. Since 1993, Marie has managed Trout's career. The two have co-written several songs, and in 2021, their collaboration on the song "All Out of Tears," which also included Teeny Tucker, won the "Song of the Year" Award at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis.

Polls

• Planet Rock: Listed as Number 5 on the Top Blues Artists of All Time.
• Arrow Classic Rock: Ranked Number 1 for Best Blues Song in the years 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016.
• BBC Listener's Poll: Ranked Number 5 (tied with Brian May) in the Best Guitarist category in 1993.

Awards

• 2016 Song of the Year for "Gonna Live Again"
• 2016 Rock Blues Album of the Year for the album Battle Scars
• 2018 Rock Blues Album of the Year for the album We're All In This Together
• 2021 Song of the Year for "All Out of Tears," co-written with Teeny Tucker and Marie Trout

SENA European Guitar Awards

• Winner of the SENA European Guitar Award in 2015
• 2013 Overseas Artist of the Year
• 2014 Overseas Artist of the Year
• 2015 Overseas Artist of the Year

Blues Blast Music Awards

• 2016 Blues Rock Album
• 2017 Live Blues Album
• 2018 Blues Rock Album and Male Blues Artist of the Year