Walter Trout has confirmed the release of new album The Blues Came Callin’ will go ahead despite his recent liver failure.
In the promotional clip below, Steve Lukather, Philip Sayce and John Mayall share their thoughts on the musician and his work.
Mayall also appears on the record, which was recorded while Trout was already suffering from the effects of ill health, but before his family launched an emergency fundraising campaign last week, saying he had 90 days to live if he couldn’t cover the cost of a liver transplant. > “It’s been heartbreaking to watch Walter struggle through these past many months”
“It’s been heartbreaking to watch Walter struggle through these past many months” Despite remaining under 24-hour care, the veteran bluesman has insisted the album be released on June 2 as planned. Provogue Records boss Ed van Zilj says: “This is so very, very sad, and we all are praying for Walter to come out on top. But he definitely wants this one to be heard.”
Trout’s wife Marie adds: “It’s been heartbreaking to watch Walter struggle through these past many months. Even as he became a shadow of his former self he continued touring, writing, playing, singing, and recording. It’s a therapeutic lifeline for him when the blues comes callin’. The theme of this album is coloured by his confrontation with mortality combined with a deep, all-abiding desire to persevere.”
Trout himself says: “To play my music for people has become even more important to me. When I think about looking out into the crowds of people and connecting with everyone on a soul level, and sharing the experience of music with them, this is what keeps me fighting to get back.
“My family and my music is my lifeline. These days it means more to me than ever before.”
