Joe Bonamassa Plays with Eric Clapton

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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