Joe Louis Walker

Otis Grand

Guitar Brothers
Joe Louis Walker & Otis Grand
Stinging blues guitar

Guitar brothers is a sensational new concept super band that teams up the great Joe Louis walker from San Francisco with the UK's top blues guitarist Otis grand. Both these artists have created a permanent impression in the blues world, and have been friends for 25 years Right now, they have teamed up as a devastating new outfit to tour Europe in support of their new CD titled "Guitar Brothers", out in march 2002
The concept is simple: blues on top of blue, and plenty of guitars played the real true blues style.

Joe Louis Walker is a lot more than an inventive, technically gifted blues guitar craftsman. He's also a passionate soul singer who enriches his blues and R&B workouts with a gospel based vocal conviction that sets this Oakland, California, musician apart from the growing array of talented modern bluesmen.
"I'm not your regular Chicago 12-bar guitarist," says Walker in an effort to describe his open-minded approach to his art. "I play on several sides of the Blues - The R&B side, the soul side, and, of course, the blues side."

Walker began honing his boundary-crossing blues style as a teenager growing up in San Francisco's old Fillmore neighbourhood
Raised on a steady diet of B B King, Amos Millburn, James Brown and Bobby Blue Bland, Walker naturally incorporated bits of the blues, soul and R&B into his music. He played with several local blues and rock acts around town during San Francisco's late '60s blues/rock heyday, and perfected his guitar technique jamming with then- roommate, ex- Butterfield blues band guitarist Mike Bloomfield.

"Joe remains one of the brightest prospects for whatever future the blues may enjoy." Says Rock Journalist Neil Slaven. Empire promoter Pete Feenstra, who has booked Walker down the years, rates the new realise of his best album since 1989's Blue Soul and anticipates an excellent response for this nation-wide tour. " Otis Grand, his long-term buddy from Oakland, Crossed over the States by broadening his musical base - and this should be the album that does likewise for Joe," he says. Joe has produced 2 of Otis' CD's played on most of them, and like wise, Otis has returned the complements by playing on Joe's records. Now the two have teamed up on a collaborative effort on the JSP label, and produced by Otis himself.

Otis Grand has been voted the Best UK Blues guitarist for seven straight years. Britain's influential " GUITARIST" magazine voted him one of the "Top fifty Blues Guitarist in the world". I'm 1998 and 1999, he was voted 'best Blues guitarist in Europe' by the French Blues #Association. Blueprint Magazine called him "Britain's best blues guitarist since peter green.
Influenced by Albert Collins, T-bone Walker. Magic Sam, Ike Turner, and B.B King, who said of Grand, "Otis plays guitar like I used to do when I was young." Grand has assumed the throne of the 90's British Blues. His album realise have award in 1992. Other realises included " He knows the Blues" for Fantasy/Volt Records. And the recent "Nothing else matters" and " Perfume and Grime" on Sequel, with guest appearances by Joe Louis Walker, Luther Allison, Curtis Salgadore and Sugar Ray Norcia, The London Guardian called Grand " the Biggest Star of British blues,"
Otis Grand was also invited to play on Louis Walker's CD, the highly successful Guitar extravaganza " Great Guitars", which also included other blues guitar masters Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal. Bonni Raitt, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown and Otis Rush. To top this up, He is now touring with legendary R&B star Ike Turner; Nowadays Otis is attributed with the fact that he started Ike turner Playing Guitar Again.
Anyone who has experienced Otis in action can be witness to the devastating effect he and his band can have on the audience. In his shows, Otis draws on his wealth of experience to demonstrate his mastery of a variety of blues styles. Through Otis Grand, Britain and Europe are catching onto the REAL blues and he has always set the standards for many others to follow which will ensure that he is at the top of the blues scene for many years to come

It was at Larry Blakes, one of the Oakland's prestigious blues clubs in the early 80's that Otis was to meet the talented enigmatic Joe Louis Walker, the two Artists striking up an instant rapport and respect for each other both as individuals and musicians. "I was jamming at Larry Blakes and Joe Louis Walker showed up. He introduced himself and we talked blues. And from that day we were the best of friends. I play with his band; he plays with mine etc.,
And in fact Joe always tells me that I am the brother he never had. Joe has had a tremendous influence on my musical and professional life from the way to run bands to arranging songs to be interesting and showing me how to play chord formats etc".