Guitarist Walter Trout has announced his plans to return to stages across the globe in 2015.
Following a liver transplant and extensive rehabilitation, the bluesman feels strong enough to resume his career of 50-plus years.
"The last year has been one where the blues truly came calling, and I came face to face with death more than once," Trout says. "My wife moved me to Nebraska to improve my chances of getting a life-saving liver transplant, and after a long wait, I got my new liver on May 26, 2014.
"Since then I have been filled with immense gratitude. Gratitude for the fans who supported me via fundraisers, cards, messages, thoughts and prayers, for the donor and his or her family, for medical science, for my family and for life itself.
"Everything matters more to me now. Now, eight months after my transplant I feel like a new man. I have strength and energy. In some ways I feel like I am in my 20s again! The past couple of years of playing I was getting dizzy spells, severe cramps in my hand and forearm and played many shows in severe pain. It turns out that was a result of my deteriorating liver.
"That is gone now! I am able to play better than I have in years. I feel reborn. I cannot wait to get back out on the road again and do what I love to do for my fans. The future looks great!”
Trout will make appearances across Europe and North America in the coming months. His first public appearance will take place June 15 in London at the Royal Albert Hall. The appearance is part of Lead Belly Fest.
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Trout also will take the stage for the first in North America at a venue where he has long history, the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, California, July 10. His itinerary is a work in progress with dozens of additional dates planed for 2015. Confirmed appearances include:
6/15 London, UK Royal Albert Hall
7/10 San Juan Capistrano, CA The Coach House
7/21 Davenport, IA Redstone Room
7/23 Sioux City, IA Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
7/25 St. Paul, MN Lowertown Blues Festival
7/31 Norfolk, CT Infinity Music Hall
8/01 Wilmington, DE Riverfront Blues Festival
8/02 Annapolis, MD Ram's Head
8/04 New York, NY B.B. King's
8/07 Niagara Falls, NY Bear's Den @ Seneca Casino
8/08 Wheeling, WV Heritage Blues Festival
8/14 Chicago, IL Buddy Guy's Legends
8/15 Wausau, WI Big Bull Falls Blues Festival
9/10 Las Vegas, NV Big Blues Bender
9/11 Las Vegas, NV Big Blues Bender
11/17 Stockton, UK Arc
11/18 Glasgow, UK ABC
11/20 Holmfirth, UK Picturedrome
11/21 London, UK Forum
11/24 Leamington Spa, UK Assembly
11/25 Frome, UK Cheese & Grain
11/28 Amsterdam, Netherlands Carre
12/01 Hamburg, Germany Fabrik
12/02 Berlin, Germany Kesselhaus
12/03 Bochum, Germany RuhrCongress
12/06 Munich, Germany Feriheiz
"To play my music for people has become even more important to me," Trout said in 2014. "When I think about looking out into the crowds of people and connecting with everyone on a soul level, and sharing the experience of music with them, this is what keeps me fighting to get back: My family and my music is my lifeline. These days, it means more to me than ever before."
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