European Blues Roundup: Walter Trout's BMA Nomination, Black Crowes European Tour, Ana Popovic on Fire & a Rare Freddie King Vinyl

Europe Keeps the Blues Burning

Hey blues family. Kjell here with something a bit different this week – a deep dive into what's happening in the European blues world right now. And I'll tell you: it's a lot. The Blues Music Awards nominees dropped this week, and European-connected artists are well represented. Tours are being announced. Rare recordings are surfacing. And the blues community has also lost some voices we need to honour.

Grab a coffee (or something stronger), and let's talk about what's happening on this side of the Atlantic.

🎸 Walter Trout – 'Sign Of The Times' and a BMA Nomination He Deserves

Let's start with the big one. Walter Trout – born in New Jersey, but a man who built his legend in Europe. For those who don't know the story: Trout spent years as a sideman for John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat before moving to Europe in the late '80s, where he became one of the continent's most beloved blues-rock guitarists. He's been based between the US and Europe ever since, and European fans have always claimed him as one of their own.

His album 'Sign Of The Times,' released in September 2025 on Provogue Records, is now nominated for Blues Rock Album at the 2026 Blues Music Awards. And honestly? It's about time. This is a hard-rocking, uncompromising record – part social commentary, part personal reckoning, all Walter. The man survived a liver transplant in 2014, powered through by the financial goodwill of his fans, and came out the other side playing harder than ever.

Blues Matters Magazine called it 'raw truth with searing guitar work.' I'd add: it's the sound of a man who knows exactly how precious time is. Every riff on this album feels earned. Walter Trout is 73 and plays like a man possessed. He's also nominated for Blues Rock Artist alongside Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Ana Popovic, Kirk Fletcher, and Tommy Castro. If he wins, nobody will argue. If he doesn't, this album still stands as one of his best.

European tour dates are expected to be announced soon – keep your eyes on his website. When Walter plays the European festival circuit, he owns it.

🇬🇧 Joanne Shaw Taylor – US Spring Tour & Still on the Rise

Britain's Joanne Shaw Taylor keeps building momentum. After a successful run of UK dates in January 2026, she's now announced a US Spring Tour kicking off March 18 in Skokie, Illinois, running through April across the East Coast and Southeast. She turned 40 in February and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.

Discovered by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics at age 16, JST has evolved from a teenage prodigy into one of the most respected blues-rock guitarists on the planet. Her partnership with Joe Bonamassa's KTBA Records has given her the platform her talent always deserved, and she's making the most of it. Her latest album features some of her strongest songwriting yet – emotional, raw, and unmistakably British in its sensibility.

If you're in the US this spring, catch her live. If you're in Europe, expect festival appearances this summer. And if you haven't checked out her full profile on SlowBlues.no, now's the time – she's one of the most important voices in modern blues.

🇷🇸 Ana Popovic – 'Dance To The Rhythm' Tour Is Pure Energy

Serbian-born, LA-based Ana Popovic is tearing through her 'Dance To The Rhythm' tour right now, and the reviews are glowing. Her album of the same name, released in September 2025, has earned her a nomination for Blues Rock Artist at the 2026 Blues Music Awards alongside Walter Trout and Kenny Wayne Shepherd – and she belongs in that company.

I'll be honest: Ana Popovic doesn't get the recognition she deserves from casual blues fans. But anyone who's seen her live knows. Guitar World called her 'a badass with a silver Strat' and they're not wrong. She plays with a ferocity and precision that's genuinely jaw-dropping, blending blues, rock, and funk into something completely her own. The 'Dance To The Rhythm' album is her best yet – confident, groovy, and bursting with personality.

She's played dates across the US this February, including stops in Florida and Virginia, with European festival dates expected for summer. Ana grew up in Belgrade learning her craft from her father, and she carries that European blues spirit everywhere she goes. If she comes to a venue near you, do not miss her. You'll thank me later.

🎤 The Black Crowes Announce Summer European Tour – Blues-Rock Is Coming Home

This one made my week. The Black Crowes – Chris and Rich Robinson's genre-defying blues-rock institution – announced a UK and European summer tour on February 9. Their first UK shows since the celebrated 2024 appearance at London's Eventim Apollo (where Steven Tyler joined them on stage while Jimmy Page watched from the wings, because of course he did).

The tour includes dates in Manchester, plus appearances at festivals including the inaugural State Fayre festival. They've also announced an extensive North American tour running from May through August, with the new album 'A Pound of Feathers' as the centerpiece.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: 'Kjell, are the Black Crowes really blues?' And my answer is: listen to 'Shake Your Money Maker' and tell me that isn't blues at its core. Chris Robinson's vocal style is drenched in Otis Redding and Muddy Waters. Rich Robinson's guitar work pulls from the same well that fed the Rolling Stones. This is blues-rock in the most honest tradition – Southern-fried, swaggering, and completely unapologetic.

European dates and tickets at https://www.theblackcrowes.com. If you're a fan of blues-influenced rock, this is one of the must-see tours of summer 2026.

📀 Rare Freddie King Live Recording Surfaces from 1975 French Jazz Festival

This story gave me chills. A previously unreleased live performance from Freddie King – one of the 'Three Kings' of blues guitar – has been unearthed and is getting a special vinyl release this spring for Record Store Day. 'Feeling Alright: The Complete 1975 Nancy Jazz Pulsation Concerts' captures Freddie performing at the Nancy Jazz Pulsation festival in France, and it's never been heard before.

For context: Freddie King died in December 1976 at just 42 years old. This recording, made barely a year before his death, captures him at the height of his explosive power – that aggressive Texas attack, those stinging bends, the raw energy that made him a guitarist's guitarist. The fact that this was recorded in France is a beautiful reminder that European audiences have always had deep appreciation for the blues. While America sometimes forgot its own legends, Europe kept them working.

This will be a vinyl-only release for Record Store Day 2026. If your local record shop participates, get there early. Freddie King recordings don't surface often, and this one is historic.

🕯️ In Memoriam: Blues Voices We Lost Recently

The blues community has lost some voices recently, and they deserve to be remembered. Microwave Dave – born David Gallaher – died on February 7, 2026, at the age of 80. Based in Huntsville, Alabama, Microwave Dave was a beloved local blues institution. He wasn't famous in the mainstream sense, but he was the kind of musician who kept the blues alive in his community for decades – the guy at the juke joint, the one who taught the next generation, the one who played because the music demanded it.

Marsha Evans, the St. Louis blues singer known for her work with the Georgettes, also passed away recently at 75. And Big Joe Fitz (1949–2026), a fixture of the Hudson Valley blues scene in New York, left us as well.

These are the people who don't get Rolling Stone obituaries, but they're the backbone of the blues. Every local scene has its Microwave Daves, its Marsha Evanses, its Big Joe Fitzes – musicians who play for the love of it, who keep the tradition breathing in bars and clubs and community halls across the world. When they leave us, the blues gets a little quieter. And that's why we need to keep telling their stories.

Rest in blues, all of you. The music you made mattered more than you probably knew.

🎯 What to Watch: European Blues Calendar Spring 2026

Let me give you a quick overview of what's coming up on the European blues calendar. Joanne Shaw Taylor: US Spring Tour March–April, European festivals expected summer. The Black Crowes: UK and European dates June–July, including Manchester and State Fayre festival. Ana Popovic: 'Dance To The Rhythm' tour continues through spring, European dates TBA. Walter Trout: European festival season expected summer 2026 – watch his website. Freddie King 'Feeling Alright' vinyl: Record Store Day exclusive, spring 2026.

And don't forget: right here in Norway, Oz & The Wizards play their release concert at Teateret in Kristiansand on March 7. Tickets: https://teateret.no/event/oz-the-wizards. That's the first big blues event of the spring in Sørlandet, and I'll be there.

Europe has always been a second home for the blues. From the British Invasion players who learned their craft from Muddy and Wolf, to the thriving scenes in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, France, and beyond – this music belongs to us just as much as it belongs to the Mississippi Delta. Let's keep supporting it. See you at the gigs. 🎸