The most loyal fans of Walter Trout these days hold shares in their idol. Several years ago, the blues veteran was suffering from a life-threatening liver condition which meant he had to cancel his appearance at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2014. Moreover, the illness struck in the year he was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his solo career. No less than $ 240,000 was collected through a fundraising campaign to pay for a liver transplant. His inspiration since then comes from the operation and the difficult recovery that followed. In the song Almost Gone Trout describes how close he came to death, and his latest album has the fitting title Battle Scars. On this recording the famous guitarist is supported by keyboardist Sammy Avila, drummer Michael Leasure and new bassist Johnny Griparic. According to Trout, he repays his fans for their investment in him by giving his all in his live performances, which is not to say he didn’t do so before.
