“The first gig, they handed me a mayonnaise jar full of cocaine and said, ‘Welcome to the band’”: Blues survivor Walter Trout on wild times with Canned Heat, how John Mayall helped him get sober – and his death metal tone secret

Blues veteran Walter Trout photographed seated with a beat-up old Strat.

“My wife has enrolled me in a gym, and I have to go lift weights for an hour after this,” chuckles blues guitarist extraordinaire Walter Trout, the 74-year-old survivor of a drug habit and subsequent rehab that would have defeated any lesser man.

Now committed to a healthy lifestyle and pushing through his sixth decade as a sideman and solo artist, Trout is about to release an album, Sign of the Times (it’s just a coincidence, Prince fans), that’s packed with energy and attitude.