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7/29/2019 Joe Bonamassa Plays with Eric Clapton
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A Distinctive10 A Distinctive style . com
There's a difference inplaying from your head andplaying from your heart.
Joe Bonamassa is a modern bluesrock phenomenon.
Two decades of tireless hard work have alreadysecured him a place in the six string hall off fame,
while his continuing dedication as a torchbearer for the
blues has lit a new-generation fire under the guitar hero
mantle.
Joe Bonamassa began his professional career twenty
years ago, on November 11th, 1989, when he played his
first gig at The Metro club, in Utica, New York. He
humorously describes that night: "After the show I was
not able to bask in the glory of a job well done, nor was
I able to chat it up with the ladies that night. I was
rushed out of the building Elvis-style into a running
powder-blue metallic 1988 Pontiac Bonneville by my
mother because bed time was 9:30 PM on a school
night."Joe Bonamassa has built his career on the foundation
laid by white blues/rock guitar legends like Stevie Ray
Vaughan and Eric Clapton. He fell in love with this music
very early in lifegrabbed his first guitar at age 4, and
was landing gigs near his home in upstate New York by
age 12. Often associated with other guitar prodigies such
as Johnny Lang and Eric Johnson, Bonamassa has
developed a style that incorporates numerous blues
idiomsa bit of Elmore James, a touch of B.B. King,
etc. but owes more to rock interpreters like Jimmy
Page and Jimi Hendrix.
Born and raised in New Hartford, New York, Bona-
massas parents owned and ran a guitar shop. He is a
fourth-generation musician; with a great-grandfather
and grandfather who both played trumpet, and a father
who plays guitar, Bonamassa credits his parents with,
fostering an appreciation of music in his life as early as
he can remember.
He recalls at age 7, sitting with his parents on Satur-
days and listening to Guitar Slim, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby,
Stills, Nash, and Young, Eric Clapton, and
Thus, he sees his music as an amalgam of allrock and blues he heard as a child.
He was playing Stevie Ray Vaughan and J
tunes note for note at age 7. At the age of
short period of being mentored by Danny
learned such styles as country and jazz as w
During this time with Gatton, Bonamassa
Gatton's band whenever they played in Ne
opened for B. B. King at 12 years of age. At
invited to attend a Fender guitar event; dur
to the West Coast he met Berry Oakley, Jr.,
he founded the group Bloodline, along with
son Erin and Robby Krieger's son Waylon. Th
one album which produced two chart single
Cold Hearted, and "Dixie Peach."He has since played with Buddy Guy, Foreig
Cray, Stephen Stills, Joe Cocker, Gregg All
Winwood, Paul Jones, Steve Lukather, Te
Warren Haynes, Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Er
and Jack Bruce.
Bonamassa averages 200 shows every yea
each gig, he comes more into his own as a v
a vocalist.
When asked about learning his craft,
states: I think that any time you can learn
you possibly can about your craft and you
fantastic. It's what you do with the training
the training run your playing, or the training r
then you'll sound like a book guitarist. But
from that and just play what you feel; th
ference in playing from your head and playin
heart. If you play from your heart then that
all, and no school can teach you how to play w
BB [King] didn't need a school to teach him
comes from his soul.
~ JOE BONAMASSA
Further on up the
Joe Bonamassa & Eri
Live at the Royal Alb
JOEBON
AMASSA
.COM