Boundary-pushing blues rocker Joe Louis Walker has done it again. Walker has 50 years of music and more than 20 albums under his belt, but he continues to churn out powerful, gritty, heavy blues rock. Walker's musical influences course through his songs. He grew up listening to blues greats, including T-Bone Walker, B.B. King and Pete Johnson. At age 8, Joe Louis Walker picked up his first guitar and began to imitate their work. By sixteen, Walker was the house guitarist of San Francisco's The Matrix and was opening shows for the next generation of blues rock heroes-- Jimi Hendrix, Thelonious Monk and Lightnin' Hopkins, to name a few. Joe Louis Walker manages to channel the sound of each of his heroes, yet maintain a distinct sound.

Walker's latest release, Hellfire is aptly named. It is a fierce album. Underlying musically diverse tracks that range from gospel to 70's rock is Walker's guitar playing, specifically, his guitar solos. This album showcases Walker's famous ability to shred, and his playing on Hellfire has garnered comparisons to Hendrix himself. Walker doesn't simply tear it up, though. He expertly incorporates his intense, racing solos into spiritual songs, crashing rock jams and blues waltzes.

Joe Louis Walker will be performing from Hellfire at the next XPN Free At Noon on February 17th and he has a two-night stint at Warmdaddy's in Philly on February 17th and 18th. Don't miss a chance to see this legendary blues musician live!

Website: joelouiswalker.com/
Myspace: myspace.com/joelouiswalker
Facebook: facebook.com/joelouiswalker
Recent Release: Hellfire
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Label: Alligator
Hometown: San Francisco, CA