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Legendary Singer Set To Play The Blues At Peekskill Festival

PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -- If Joe Louis Walker has the blues, you know you're in for a good show.

Joe Louis Walker will be performing at the Peekskill Jazz and Blues Festival.

Joe Louis Walker will be performing at the Peekskill Jazz and Blues Festival.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Walker will be performing Saturday at the Peekskill Jazz and Blues Festival. The festival is taking place throughout the city, with the main stage at the corner of North Division Street and Central Avenue. Walker will take the stage at 9 p.m.

A four-time Blues Music Award winner and 2013 Blues Hall of Fame inductee, Walker is considered one of the greatest blues artist of his generation. He recently won the 2016 Blues Foundation Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year Award at the Blues Foundation Awards in Memphis.

Walker is promoting his new album, "Everybody Wants A Piece," which features a mixture of originals and blues standards.

"It's going to be fun playing at the festival," Walker, who will be playing the festival for the first time, said. "I'm really looking forward to it."

Walker said he began feeling the blues in the late 50s, having been introduced to the music by his parents.

"I was like a sponge for that stuff," Walker said. "My cousins had a band and I joined it and I went from there."

The hall of famer has played with people like Jimi Hendrix and BB King. 

"I recorded with King and it was great," Walker said. "The music was just a part of it. He taught me life lessons. How to conduct yourself and how to be a band leader. He was a real inspiration, I tried to pick up a bit of some of that knowledge."

Walker said he enjoys playing blues festivals because it gives him a chance to catch up with old friends.

"Everybody is there and then we all get in our different vehicles and head to different locations," Walker said. "I like playing though. Touring is out of your hands and it can be sometimes daunting getting to and from a gig, but playing makes it worth it. That's the enjoyable part."

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