Blues legend Joe Louis Walker, opening performance by Soul Force V August 19, 2011

Multiple Grammy & WC Handy Award winner, Joe Louis Walker is one of the most heralded blues artists of our time. By the time he was 16 he had soaked up the sounds of the likes of T-Bone Walker, Amos Milburn, and boogie woogie pioneers Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson. As he grew up, he found himself on stage with such disparate tutors as John Lee Hooker, Thelonius Monk, the Soul Stirrers, Steve Miller and Jimi Hendrix.

Considered one of the last of the great blues guitar heroes, alongside B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Otis Rush, Joe gives more than a 100 fiery performances on all continents every year, appearing at major festivals from the US and Canada to Australia, Europe to Japan, the Far East to Southern America, while collecting awards like others collect pennies.

"Glowing like a blue beacon" — in the words of noted blues critic Bill Dahl — Walker is certainly the most brilliantly innovative guitarist on the contemporary blues scene today. A fact that owes him the unbridled admiration of certified fans like Sir Mick Jagger, B.B. King, The Edge, Bono, and Herbie Hancock, who show up at his concerts whenever the occasion arises.

Henley Douglas Jr.’s Soul Force V, a local 6-piece jazz/blues band, will open for the legendary blues performer Joe Louis Walker in both bands’ first-ever performance at The Shalin Liu Performance Center.

Soul Force V has been performing on the North Shore of Boston since 1998, creating a buzz on the music scene with the unique and soulful voice of Christina McGhie, who joined the band in September 2009. The band performs a mix of new arrangements of classic jazz and blues standards, as well as original compositions. The band’s founder, Henley Douglas Jr., is a veteran of the local and international music scene. In his 20+ year career, he’s shared the stage with diverse acts like Neville Brothers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Susan Tedeschi, Johnny A, Tower of Power, Shawn Mullins, Extreme, Laverne Baker and others.