Walter Trout Lands U.S. Recording Contract

Walter Trout has landed a long-sought U.S. recording deal that finally will give him a chance to make a name for himself in his own country.

Since 1989, when he left John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, the versatile blues-rocker has been building a following on the European touring circuit with his high-powered performing style, while limiting his domestic efforts to gigs at Perq’s, a little barroom in his hometown of Huntington Beach.

Now, after four albums on European labels, Trout is about to make his first record for release in the United States. Although his manager, Tim Heyne, says a few small details remain to be agreed upon before a contract can be signed, Trout expects to accept an offer from Silvertone Records, which has released recent albums by such established blues figures as Buddy Guy, J. J. Cale and Mayall.

“I’m real excited,” Trout said. “I’ve written 10 new songs, and we’ve been rehearsing them like maniacs.”

The singer-guitarist expects to begin work on the album next month at Front Page Recorders in Costa Mesa. He used the same studio for his most recent album, “Transition,” which was issued in Europe by Dutch label Provogue.

Jeffrey Fenster, vice president of artists and repertoire for Silvertone, said label officials were impressed by Trout’s track record in Europe.

“Here’s a guy who, more or less on his own, through a very small label I’d never even heard of before, had managed to sell a significant amount of records in Europe. There’s a very strong fan base in Europe for Walter and his band, built through constant touring. He’s a very talented guy, and a good addition to Silvertone.”

Trout said he was first approached in Holland late last year by a Silvertone executive who proposed that he sign with the label’s European branch.

“I said, ‘We need a deal in America, because we’re doing fine in Europe,’ ” Trout recalled. Silvertone subsequently made an offer to sign Trout to a worldwide contract. Silvertone is an independent company, but its releases are distributed through the major-label BMG network.

In addition to holdovers Jimmy Trapp on bass and Bernard Pershey on drums, Trout will be joined on the upcoming album by his band’s new keyboards player, Martin Gerschwitz, a transplanted German who had backed Meat Loaf and pop-metal singer Lita Ford. Trout said his band’s longtime organ player, Danny Abrams, recently moved to Northern California.

Following “Transition,” a wide-ranging album with a pronounced pop accent, Trout says he plans a more traditional blues approach on at least some tracks of his next album. That has meant some tutoring for Gerschwitz, a classically trained player who hasn’t had a great deal of blues experience.

“He soaks up stuff like a sponge,” Trout said. “I got him a couple of CDs of Otis Spann (the great Chicago blues piano player), and he came in two days later and was playing just like him.”

Trout has been breaking in his new material at Perq’s, 117 Main St., where he will play tonight through Sunday, and again on April 15 through 18. After that, he and his band will adjourn for final rehearsals and recording.

He expects to spend most of the summer touring Europe, where Provogue is about to release a live album, “No More Fish Jokes,” that previously had been available only in Holland and Denmark. Trout expects his debut American album to be out in the fall.

In addition to getting ready to record and tour again, Trout is preparing for fatherhood: His wife, Marie, is expecting their first child in June.

“It’s a major stress time, but I like to operate under pressure,” Trout said. “It makes me work harder.”