Vancouver blues musician Al “Wailin'” Walker has reached number one on the Roots Music Report Canada chart with his eighth album, ‘Bluesman,’ according to the announcement. The album also debuted at number 13 on the Canadian Big Blues Chart and reached number six on the US Roots Music Chart, with airplay on 57 stations worldwide, the announcement says. Walker wrote, produced, engineered and mixed the record himself, as he has done on each of his albums dating back to his 1978 debut with his band the Houserockers.
The album’s lead single, “Too Many Bills,” reached number one on the Roots Music Report Top 50 chart in the US and internationally, according to the release, and received coverage from Blues Blast Magazine. Walker recorded it with longtime collaborators Bruce O’Neill on bass, Marko Ibarra on drums, Darryl Havers on keyboards and Jerry Cook on saxophone.
‘Bluesman’ includes covers of Otis Rush, Little Richard and Eddie Miller alongside original material. The Eddie Miller cover, “Drink Muddy Water,” features what the announcement describes as the final recorded guitar performance by the late Jerry Doucette, with whom Walker played for twelve years. The closing track, “Never Getting Old,” was co-written with the late Evan Johns. Walker’s band will mark the release with an album release show on November 14.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Eric Alper, thatericalper.com.