Jay Walter Wilkins has been fronting some kind of roots/blues band around the Twin Cities for over 30 years.  He started off in 1989 when he got laid off from his day job and started frequenting the local jams.   His first bands could be described as blues rock outfits, but like many roots/blues guys he  kept digging deeper into the original stuff.   Eventually he wanted to hook up with a band that played a more traditional  Chicago electric blues style.

In 2000 he did just that when The Blues Kings came together. The Blues Kings released two self-produced records.  The first was simply titled “Blues Kings”, and the second was “Keep on Rollin”, which included four originals.

In the fall of 2007, The Blues Kings disbanded.  Nearly a decade of relative inactivity on the blues scene followed.  Eventually Jay decided to put together another band after he retired from his day job.  Hence – Jay Walter and The Rectifiers were formed  in September 2016.   The Rectifiers continue to play 50’s Chicago blues, but also more of the sounds of 50’s Memphis and the Gulf Coast, as  well as many originals as featured on their CD  - “Rectification.”   

Jay Walter and the Rectifiers consist of:

Jay Walter Wilkins - vocals/harp

John Franken - guitar

Marty Bryduck - drums

Bill Grenke - bass