Joe Bonamassa

Playing with experience far beyond his years, Joe Bonamassa is not new to guitar fanatics or the music scene. Joe's parent's ran a music store in New York, so it must be in the Bonamassa blood because his great-grandfather, grand father and father all played musical instruments. There can be disadvantages to living a life saturated with music but Joe has managed to avoid the pitfalls of the maniacal music business and turn legions of people into loyal fans. Joe opened for BB King at the age of 12 which is a daunting prospect experienced musicians yet he handled it with undeniable aplomb. In addition to opening for BB King, Joe had exceptional opportunity to be mentored by Danny Gatton. Joe Bonamassa is unique in that his music cannot be type cast into one genre and there are only a few guitarist which to me fall into this hierarchy; Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Joe Satrianni and Steve Vai to name a few. That is pretty good company!

I first heard about Joe while reading an issue of Guitar Player Magazine. So, I bought a CD. I heard Joe play "if heartaches were nickels," a superb song written by the GREAT WARREN HAYNES!

....and I knew this guy had it. Stars are born baby!

Joe has great tone and feel. You can hear the foundation of fundamental blues in his playing but he's not limited to pentatonics and mixolydian scales. Rest assured, Joe can bang his head, shred, or lay down a ballad with the best in the business. Further more, Joe gives back to the music community. Some musicians might horde their skills while Joe has books and videos helping new players to learn how to play their favorite music. Joe's discography is growing and if you don't own any of his music and you want to become a complete musician - listen to him!

Here, Joe does a version of Blues Deluxe - Some guy named Jeff Beck also plays this song. But here, Joe does a smoldering version. The song was written by Jeffrey Rod and performed by Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart.

Not enough? Did I mention that Eric Clapton showed up at Joe's concert in Royal Albert Hall in London. Do the leg work! Check out Joe!

Expand your horizons but keep it simple! Put in a quarter, kill Klingons!