Joe Louis Walker – Remembering a Blues Survivor

Louis Joseph Walker Jr. (1949 – 2025) was better known as ‘Joe Louis’ Walker, the acclaimed blues songwriter and guitarist. He grew up in the Fillmore in S.F. near Bill Graham’s legendary auditorium and jammed with Hendrix, Garcia and all the blues greats while still in his teens. He also did some hard living along the way, and time in repentance singing gospel during his prime years.

I got to know Joe in 2003, by booking him into a tv show pilot and interviewing him at his house. His not so casual advice then “Ric, you gotta save the blues, man! You’re young enough.”

You gotta save the blues…

It was funny thing to say, and Joe was a pistol. Normally, asides are easily forgotten, but years later it made sense validated by this site and documentary. In 2017, we reconnected backstage at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and Joe threw in the advice he had received from Willie Dixon, B.B. King and others who told him  “A bad version of you doing you is better than a great version of you doing me.” Joe had a knack for the sound bite.

The last time I saw him was backstage at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in 2018 in Helena, AR. He had to take a shot due to his diabetes. He seemed in really great spirits as we talked right through it. Over many years on blues radio whenever his vocal comes on, the authenticity and lived experience stand out. Joe was always a down to earth and gregarious guy. The Blues Center lost one of its own on April 30th. Let us all celebrate his great recorded legacy cherish the man in memory as the years go by…

Will Bernard – BCI #11

Will Bernard in BCI #11 details his collaborations with Charlie Hunter, Stanton Moore, John Medeski and Peter Apfelbaum in this jazzy, funky story with a few twists. Indian guitarist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt provided a stimulus for Will’s singular slide guitar sound.

Will has played guitar on 43 albums as a guest artist! Compelling clips from Raw Music and Ric’s 1998 interview provide an exclusive 3 decade window into the work of a string master. Country Funk gets a mention, it’s Ric’s weekly radio show 10-noon fridays on WTUL 91.5 FM.