Joe Bonamassa Bluesman

:: About Joe Bonamassa ::After recording two successful solo albums, mixing influences of classic rock and blues, guitarist/singer/songwriter Joe Bonamassa released his first full-blooded blues album, Blues Deluxe in August 2003. The CD, a project close to his heart, marks his contribution to 2003 - The Year of the Blues.
Born on May 8, 1977 (coincidentally Robert Johnson’s 66th birthday), Bonamassa caught the attention of some of the world’s best blues players while not even in his teens. BB King discovered the young prodigy at 12-years-old, sparking the beginning of his career. Bonamassa would go on to tour with King as well as with John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, and many, many others.
So, paying homage to these legends was something Joe thought about long and hard. Among those on Blues Deluxe are BB King’s "You Upset Me Baby," Albert Collins’s "Left Overs," and John Lee Hooker’s "Burning Hell." As well, Bonamassa covers songs by Robert Johnson, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, along with several of his own original tracks, making this CD a must for blues lovers.
Playing guitar since the age of 4, Bonamassa is a virtuosic musician with mind-blowing dexterity who doesn’t lose sight of the raw passion that makes blues music what it is. "Woke Up Dreaming," co-written by Bonamassa and "Tears In Heaven" collaborator Will Jennings, exhibits Joe’s amazing speed on acoustic guitar, all the while staying true to the earthy style of early Delta finger-pickers. The instrumental Albert Collins’s song "Left Overs," highlights Bonamassa’s maturity with instinctive flourishes that only hint of the pyrotechnics of which he’s capable, while the jaw-dropping solo in the T-Bone Walker-inspired "Long Distance Blues" provides an opportunity to let it all hang out. Buddy Guy’s "Man of Many Words" finds Joe giving listeners a lesson in country-fried funk.
Bonamassa’s throaty, hearty vocals and grounded guitar style show how much he’s learned from the blues masters. Among echoes of BB King, Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan are elements that are all his own. At critical junctions, Bonamassa launches into unexpected, body-rocking new scales, riffs with finger-cramping flurry, securing his place among fellow young guns like Robert Randolph and Derek Trucks.
The recording of Blues Deluxe was inspired while Bonamassa was in the midst of a two-plus year tour in support of his 2002 release So, It’s Like That (which hit #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart multiple times in 2002 and 2003). Fans, immersed in every bluesy note of his acclaimed live performances, often asked whether a full blues record was in the offing. When the tour ended, Bonamassa entered the studio with producer Bob Held and engineer Gary Tole (David Bowie, Jimmy Vaughan, Bon Jovi) and recorded a handful of blues covers to "blow off steam."
The resulting masters were so compelling that Bonamassa and his label decided to finish the record and release Blues Deluxe in time for The Year of the Blues celebrations.
Joe Bonamassa and his label are dedicated to supporting Blues music. In conjunction with the release of Blues Deluxe, Joe has joined forces with The Blues Foundation (www.blues.org) to participate in the Blues In The Schools program. In celebration of 2003 being the Year of the Blues, Joe will appear at schools across the nation to perpetuate the heritage and legacy of Blues music to new generations of music fans.
:: Discography ::
2002 - A New Day Yesterday (live) -
2003 - Blues Deluxe -
2004 - Had To Cry Today -
2002 - So, It's Like That -
2001 - A New Day Yesterday -