Joe Louis Walker, a self-described kid from the projects , characterizes his life as a journey “from the outhouse to the White H ouse . ” As a young teenager Walker was c hosen by Ron "Pigp en " McKernan , the guitarist for the Grateful Dead, to be the guitarist at the Matrix club in San Francisco , where he had the opportunity to play with countless legendary blues artist s . At the age of eighteen, Walker lived in San Francisco with former Chicago musician Michael Bloomfield . When other native Chicagoans came to town, they would often stay with Bloomfield which gave Walker the chance to meet blues legends like Carey Bell and James Cotton . Walker has recorded dozens of albums, played thousands of shows , and become a blues great in his own right.
Still frame from Pryor Center video interview with Joe Louis Walker at Bubba's Blues Corner; Helena, Arkansas, 2017
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
