Multiple Grammy & WC Handy Award winner Joe Louis Walker is one of the most heralded blues artists of our time. Joe Louis is a true powerhouse guitar virtuoso, a unique singer and a prolific songwriter who has earned himself a legion of dedicated fans around the world. Walker has recorded with the likes of BB King, James Cotton, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Huey Lewis, Branford Marsalis and Ike Turner, with a discography that includes 19 solo albums, 2 live DVDs, and countless compilations & guest appearances. Walker's recent release, Witness To The Blues, was produced by Duke Robillard (who also backs up JLW on guitar) and features a scintillating duet with Shemekia Copeland in a reprise of the R&B classic, "Lover's Holiday."
      Joe Louis Walker was already a formidable member of the San Francisco Bay area blues scene in his early teens, and later became a very close friend of legendary guitarist Mike Bloomfield. During these formative years, he shared stages with a wide variety of artists, including John Lee Hooker, Thelonius Monk, Steve Miller and Jimi Hendrix. Mike Bloomfield's premature and sad death persuaded Walker to change his lifestyle, however, and he enrolled in college, earning degrees in music and English. During this time he also performed regularly with the Spiritual Corinthians gospel group. In 1985 he returned to the blues, forming his stellar band, The Bosstalkers.
      In addition to his hot-ticket shows in the US, Walker has become an international ambassador for the blues overseas, having played at countless festivals throughout Europe, South America, Australia, the Middle East and Asia.
      Joe Louis Walker is already being referred to within the blues world as a "living legend." However, as Walker himself would say, "the best is yet to come!"
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Michael Packer is one of those rare bluesmen that mesmerize the listener when he picks up his guitar. Born in New York City, Michael moved to San Francisco in 1971 where he met and played with George Thoroughgood, but Michael's unique style and his flawless, confident playing reminds one of the late Stevie 'Ray' Vaughan.
      In 1973, Mike started a band called Free Beer which reached the Billboard charts and were featured on Rolling Stone magazine. Although their style was what was then called "progressive country," Michael says his compositions were already blues oriented – something he picked up by playing with George Throughgood. In 1983 he started The Michael Packer Blues Band.
      After all those years and ups and downs, what does Michael Packer have to say? "Have fun," he says. "Music is fun - it's not competition, and it's not about being a star - it's simply about having a good time!"
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