Description
The now 71-year-old guitarist/vocalist and songwriter has been playing professionally since his late teens, eventually supporting well-respected roots acts like Big Mama Thornton and John Lee Hooker. But a high-profile stint in Canned Heat starting in 1981 generated international recognition as one of the best blues rocking guitarists of his generation, along with kick-starting him on a never-ending road of grueling one-night stands propped up by drug and alcohol abuse. A five-year run working with the legendary John Mayall further spotlighted his scorching talents, after which he went solo.
That was in 1990 and he hasn’t stopped for long since, logging thousands of road miles along with churning out 29 albums. The life of near-constant travel and various substance abuses came to a head in 2013 when Trout’s liver failed. A transplant a year later created more health complications, but trooper that he is, the appropriately titled Battle Scars appeared in 2015, followed by the just as aptly named Survivor Blues in 2019. He’s back for album number thirty and if anyone thinks his health issues have mellowed him, one spin of this hour-long set removes any doubts.
