Durham Blues Festival has announced that Walter Trout, The Royal Southern Brotherhood, Stevie Nimmo Trio, Jo Harman & Company, The Spellkasters & Laurence Jones Band have been confirmed for the main stage at this years Festival.

With an Electric and Acoustic stage, festival goers will be able to see 12 different artists, with some of the hottest names in the business stepping on stage; this will be a fantastic experience and definitely one not to miss!

Walter Trout's - career began on the Jersey coast scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s.  He then decided to relocate to Los Angeles where he became a sideman for Percy Mayfield and Deacon Jones. He also worked in the bands of John Lee Hooker and Joe Tex.

In 1981 he became the guitarist for Canned Heat.  This led to an invitation to play in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers where he shared the stage with fellow guitarist Coco Montoya.  He left the Bluesbreakers in 1989 and formed the 'Walter Trout Band' which developed a successful following in Europe.

His 20th album is called Common Ground, but for the visionary roots singer, songwriter and guitarist that’s more than a title.

It’s where Trout’s compelling music resides — in a territory that unites blues, rock and pure sonic adventurism, where inspiration and technique meet to create a unique, soulful language.

That language has won Trout fans across the world.  Britain’s BBC Radio One placed him at number six on their list of the Top 20 guitarists and legendary BBC disc jockey Bob Harris calls Trout “the world’s greatest rock guitarist.”

“Music gives you an opportunity to speak directly to people’s hearts – it goes beyond words,” says Trout, who developed his craft playing alongside such legends as John Mayall and John Lee Hooker.  “There are times when I’m playing guitar when I enter a state where I’m not consciously aware of what I’m playing.  It’s like a signal coming through me.”

And that signal’s loud and clear on Common Ground’s tunes like the title track, a plea of unity, and the autobiographical “Open Book.”  Produced by the famed John Porter and featuring drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty), bassist Hutch Hutchinson and pianist Jon Cleary (both of Bonnie Raitt’s band), the album sets a new bar for Trout’s already illustrious career.

Durham Blues Festival takes place at the Gala Theatre on Saturday 21 June 2014. The acts for the Blues Cafe Acoustic Stage will be announced in the next few weks. Tickets on sale and more information here.