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LL: While you are best known in the states for your 9-season role portraying Jason on the
legendary TV show ‘The Waltons’, and all of it following reunion specials, you’ve also had
an impressive career as a guitarist/touring musician. Would you tell us all about that
please?

JW: When “The Waltons” ended, I felt grateful for the experience, but also for the fact that I now
had full-time to devote to music. I’ve always thought that the best possible job is to do what you
love, then find someone to pay you to do it. Through the years, I’ve had the opportunity to play
in just about every possible situation, from backyard parties and smoky bars to world tours; from
the recording studio to the Grand Ole Opry and Royal Albert Hall. Some highlights were appearing
with The Doobie Brothers, Elvin Bishop, Gregg Allman, members of The Beach Boys, and quite a
few of my fellow countrymen - Peter and Gordon, Chad and Jeremy, Spencer Davis, John Mayall,
and Denny Laine of Wings and The Moody Blues; touring with the 60’s band Strawberry Alarm
Clock and two world tours with the incredibly gifted singer/songwriter Richard Marx. I loved
doing television music sessions, most notably
with my pal, Dan Foliart, who composed the
score for many hit series including “Roseanne,”
“Home Improvement,” “Seventh Heaven,” and
(my old Waltons cast mate) John Ritter’s final
series, “Eight Simple Rules (For Dating My
Teenage Daughter).” Each gig or session was a
learning experience, and an opportunity for
musical growth. To paraphrase the great
classical violinist, Jascha Heifetz, after sixty
years (and counting) of playing, I feel I’m still
improving. That’s reason enough to keep at it!

LL: In summer 2017 you released a solo
debut blues album titled “Goin’ To
Clarksdale” that was inspired by a trip you
made through the Mississippi Delta. Could
you tell us about your concept and vision for
this work please? Jon with (clockwise from top) Eric Johnson,
Buddy Miles, Lawrence Lebo
JW: In 2015, my wife Marion and I moved from
Southern California to Maine, with the plan that I would concentrate my musical efforts on my
own projects, playing the music I loved best - the blues. In 2016, I was booked to play at a casino
in Tunica, Mississippi. As it happens, the casino is a short walk from where Robert Johnson lived
with his mother while the two of them worked as farm hands, picking cotton. As we usually try
to do, Marion and I took advantage of being in Mississippi to have a little holiday and play tourists.
A friend who had previously made the trip made us aware of the “Mississippi Blues Trail.” This
is a wonderful journey that takes one through the Mississippi Delta and beyond. Each stop on
the trip is marked with a blue sign, describing the significance of the location. In addition, there
is a downloadable app one can use for more in-depth information. Experiencing the land of so
many of my musical heroes was tremendously moving. I felt inspired and compelled to honor
the area and the memory of all the great musicians whose presence we felt.

LL: Were there other people/musicians who contributed to “Goin To Clarksdale”?

JW: It’s funny you should ask that. Actually, every note of every instrument on “Goin’ To
Clarksdale” is played by me! This came about by way of a conversation I had with Jeremy Clyde
(Chad and Jeremy). He was complaining that Chad, a great multi-instrumentalist, made recordings