JOE LOUIS WALKER TO PERFORM AT THE KENNEDY CENTER AS PART OF THE "WOMEN, MUSIC AND DIPLOMACY" ALL-STAR GALA CONCERT HONORING FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT

JOE LOUIS WALKER TO PERFORM AT THE KENNEDY CENTER AS PART OF THE "WOMEN, MUSIC AND DIPLOMACY" ALL-STAR GALA CONCERT HONORING FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT

http://mailman.305spin.com/users/alligator/images/4945_175px.jpg

Legendary bluesman and master guitarist Joe Louis Walker will perform in Washington, DC at The Kennedy Center on Sunday, September 23 as part of the "Women, Music And Diplomacy" concert hosted by the Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz. The gala event will honor former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and will feature Walker along with other artists including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, George Duke, Patti Austin, and will also include special guests Aretha Franklin and Chris Botti.

The event will highlight the contributions of women in jazz over the past century. The multi-generational group of all-stars will pay tribute to artists including Lena Horne, Anita O'Day, Mary Lou Williams and Ella Fitzgerald.

Walker, who last played the Kennedy Center in 1995 when B.B. King received his Kennedy Center honors, is thrilled to be included, saying, "I am very excited to be part of this historic event. It is an honor and privilege to be back at the Kennedy Center, and I look forward to being a part of a positive musical presentation that accentuates the very influential music that America has given to the world."

Released earlier this year, Walker's latest CD, Hellfire, has been hailed as the best of his long career. NPR Music says Joe is "a legendary icon of modern blues" who plays "powerful, gritty blues rock. Hellfire is a fierce album expertly incorporating intense solos into blues, spirituals and crashing rock jams."

The Wall Street Journal states, "Mr. Walker's raspy, powerhouse voice is out front while his stinging guitar cuts through the uncluttered arrangements."

In August, Walker was inducted into the New York City Blues Hall Of Fame, receiving the Legendary Blues Artist award.