Walter Trout was born in Ocean City, New Jersey in 1951. He started playing clubs in the late 60's. He played with artists such as Percy Mayfield and Deacon Jones. He also worked in the bands of John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton and Joe Tex. In the 80's he joined Canned Heat and later hooked up with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. He formed his current band, Walter Trout and the Radicals in the late 90's.

As a teenager Trout got bit by the rock bug, plugged into an amp and never looked back. Since then he has been strapped to a guitar for over 35 years. In that time he's released 15 albums. His first American live album released in 2000, Live Trout, hit #15 on the Billboard Blues charts and was followed up by a Top 10 rank with "Go The Distance." A BBC radio poll ranked him #6 out of the top 20 all-time greatest guitarists.

After Hot Box wrapped up their set Walter Trout took the stage about 9:00. Consistently packing crowds into 1,000+ seat venues and sought out for all the key Blues Festivals nationwide, it's unlikely to find Walter Trout & The Radicals in a small club like Cartoons. The Blues Down Under Concert Series is one of the few rare appearances Trout makes in a small venue during the year. Very seldom do you get a chance to see a blues icon like him up-close and personal. From the first note, this gladiator guitar player unleashed searing guitar work on the crowd. He continued his assault on the boundaries of blues for the next couple hours and left the audience salivating for more. If you have ever had the good fortune to see him live, you know what a true musical experience his performances can be. If you didn't see him this time through, just hope we're lucky enough to have this great guitar legend return to Springfield again.