Hailed as “The Lennon and McCartney of kids’ music” (National Public Radio), musical duo and Northwest Arkansas residents Trout Fishing in America will kick off their 50th Anniversary Tour with a performance at Walton Arts Center on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 pm.
Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet formed Trout Fishing in America in 1979 as a means of survival. They had joined St. Elmo’s Fire, a Texas-based five-piece band and traveled to California with hopes of being discovered and signed by a major record label. When no such opportunity arose and the promising tour dissolved, Grimwood and Idlet peeled off from their bandmates to fend for themselves.
Busking on the streets of Santa Cruz with an acoustic guitar and an upright bass, the pair quickly learned that engaging listeners instantly was the only path towards dollars and coins in the open guitar case. When entry in a music contest required them to have a name for their act, they chose Trout Fishing in America as an homage to Grimwood’s love of writer Richard Brautigan and Idlet’s love of fishing.
They returned to Texas and continued performing as a duo, landing gigs in the southeast United States and eventually moved to Prairie Grove, Arkansas, in 1992 and have stayed ever since. For a band comprised only of a guitar, a bass and two vocalists, they could sonically fill whatever space they played. Trout Fishing’s genre defying musical style and unique stage presence did not lend itself to standard marketing strategies, so their following developed through word-of-mouth recommendations from fans and club owners. No one could explain what kind of music they played, but everyone would also tell you that theirs was not a show to miss.
Grimwood and Idlet have always been road dogs, driving tens of thousands of miles throughout the U.S. every year. In March 2020, years of touring came to a halt. After a month apart, they reunited at the Trout House Studio and did what they do best: they wrote songs together. With live gigs disappearing, they had lots of time to experiment and create, and they wrote over a dozen new songs and performed monthly live streams to stay connected with their fans. The result was Trout’s 25th album, Safe House, released in 2022.
It is not unusual for three or four generations of a family to show up at a Trout Fishing performance, and this is a point of pride for the duo. It may still be impossible to tell you what kind of music Trout plays, but after attending a show, you’ll know exactly what you’ve witnessed: two guys who still love what they do and are excited to share it with you. Watch a 1992 live performance from the duo in Fort Smith here:
Help us send the duo off in style when they launch their ANNIVERSARY tour from Walton Arts Center. Tickets are only $20!
Trout Fishing in America Archival Records provided by Jennifer Day, University of Arkansas Special Collections Library