Ghalia Volt

Belgian blues performer Ghalia Vauthier, who later performed as Ghalia Volt, first drew notice in Brussels as the driving force behind the R&B-focused outfit Ghalia & the Naphtalines. Her initial solo outing, Let the Demons Out, issued in 2017 under the Ghalia & Mama's Boys banner, helped secure attention across the United States. After crossing the Atlantic she immersed herself in regional blues circles, resulting in the follow-up Mississippi Blend, which spotlighted contributions from Cody Dickinson, Watermelon Slim, and Cedric Burnside. Her next release, the 2021 Ruf album One Woman Band, showcased her handling vocals, slide guitar, kick drum, snare, tambourine, and hi-hat all at once. That same year she joined Katie Henry and Will Jacobs for the label’s touring showcase, later documented as Blues Caravan 2022. In 2023 she delivered her third album, Shout Sister Shout.

She began as a street musician, performing across Europe and later the American South while absorbing local material and developing her own songs. Returning to Brussels she resumed fronting duties with Ghalia & the Naphtalines before issuing her earliest original material under the Voodoo Casino name in 2016. A subsequent visit to New Orleans introduced her to Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys; the connection prompted an invitation to lead the group temporarily and yielded the sessions for Let the Demons Out. That 2017 set paired her raw, punk-tinged compositions with the band’s lean, unvarnished backing. Two years afterward Mississippi Blend was tracked in Coldwater, Mississippi, again featuring Dickinson, Slim, and Burnside. One Woman Band appeared on Ruf in 2021, its title underscoring the one-person instrumentation. After the Blues Caravan dates and a European run, Volt headed to Joshua Tree, California, to record with producer David Catching at Rancho de la Luna; the resulting Shout Sister Shout surfaced in October 2023.