Search - Joe Louis Walker :: Gift

Former gospel performer Joe Louis Walker, based in San Francisco, had his second go as a blues guitarist in high gear when he recorded The Gift for release in 1988, the first year he copped Contemporary Artist of the Year at the W.C. Handy Awards in Memphis. His singing is distinctive here, little harm if he sounds nasal and pinched on "Thin Line," and it's clear his guitar playing, an individuated mix of Chicago and West Coast blues influences, has developed to a point where it exalts the spirit as it stirs the heart. But Walker the songwriter isn't yet in full bloom--album coproducer Bruce Bromberg, bass player Henry Odom, and a few others lend him a helping hand. "Mama Didn't Raise No Fool" is the track that stands the test of time. Today Walker is arguably the number-one blues entertainer, and The Gift exists as a solid album in his discography. --Frank-John Hadley