Blues Update

RECORDING “BLUES OF DESPERATION” IS ONE OF THE
MOST EXCITING RECORDING PROJECTS

Blues Concerts star Joe came to Nashville two weeks before we started the recording and set about writing an all original album. Then we gathered the musicians in the historic RCA studio A (lovingly saved from the wrecking ball by Aubrey Preston and Sharon Corbitt-House and now called Grand Victor Sound Studios), a big old fashion room where anyone who’s anyone has recorded! Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley, John Hiatt and so many more.

I always wanted to track this record with a high energy three-piece band, so Joe would have to work a little harder, like in his early years, before keyboards and horn’s etc. filled in all the blanks. To be honest, I was trying to find a way to ruffle Joe’s feathers, so I then brought in an additional drummer, just to throw the cat and amongst the pigeons! We set up Anton Fig and Greg Morrow each behind his own drum kit facing each other, and then next to them had Michael Rhodes with his bass guitar cranked, staring across the gap at Joe with his guitars. So they were set up in an X formation, and could all see each other as they played. And boy, what a joyful noise we made!

Not that it’s all excessively heavy or hard, there are some very fragile, delicate moments on this record, where the two drummers complement each other wonderfully and add a great rhythm to the sensitivity of the songs.

After we had cut the songs, Reese Wynans added his wonderful keyboard parts, and then Mahalia Barnes and the Aussie girls did the backing vocals, and Lee Thornburg’s wonderful horn arrangements put the icing on the top. And that folks, is how we made this awesome record which you are now hopefully holding in your hands.

Enjoy!

-Kevin Shirley, Producer

Blues Update

Music fans have spoken: Joe Bonamassa’s Blues Concerts is the Best Worldwide Solo Artist!

The Planet Rock Awards, affectionately known as “The Rocks,” are voted on by average music fans in a variety of rock music categories. In this year’s Rocks, 110,000 unique music fans voted on categories including Best International Band, Best British Album, and the coveted Best Worldwide Solo Artist award. This year, the latter award went to Joe.

Planet Rock, Britain’s largest rock radio station, set out to address the glaring omission of rock music categories from most mainstream music awards. And by allowing the fans themselves to vote, it gives true insight into which rockers the fans love the most.

Previous recipients of the Best Worldwide Solo Artist award include icons Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame and the late, great David Bowie. For Joe to be put in the same category as those legends by music fans is an amazing and humbling honor.

Meanwhile, Joe is working hard to continue making excellent music for his fans. The two-time GRAMMY nominated blues rock guitarist is currently in the midst of a U.S. tour which will be followed by more tours in Europe and North America. His recent live album, Live at the Greek Theatre, was his record smashing 17th #1 Billboard Blues Album and has been a major hit with the fans. With his motto, “Always on the Road,” Joe has recently made tour stops everywhere from the Greek to Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Sydney Opera House.

Planet Rock’s “Best Worldwide Solo Artist” has a lot up his sleeve that is sure to delight the fans at his shows this year.

Make sure to catch Joe Bonamassa with Gold Epiphone Firebird on tour near you!

Blues Update

BUY NOW!BUY ON AMAZON!BUY ON ITUNES!

00:00

Albion

• (mp3)Albion
• (mp3)I Know Where I Belong
• (mp3)Spanish Boots
• (mp3)Your Funeral My Trial
• (mp3)Blues Deluxe
• (mp3)Pain and Sorrow
• (mp3)Happier Times
• (mp3)Steal Your Heart Away
• (mp3)Miss You Hate You
• (mp3)The River
• (mp3)Burning Hell
• (mp3)Dont Burn Down that Bridge
• (mp3)Story of a Quarryman
• (mp3)Are You Experienced

TOUR DE FORCE LIVE IN LONDON – THE BORDERLINE

Release Date : June 19, 2014
Format : CD&DVD/Blu-Ray

Guitar Hero Joe Bonamassa will release his epic “Tour De Force – Blues Concerts Live In London” as a 2-CD set on May 19, 2014. The unprecedented live concert event – which was released on four DVDs (or Blu-rays) last fall with all four debuting in the Top 10 onBillboard’s Music DVD  Chart – was captured last year when Bonamassa performed a quartet of shows at the iconic London venues he’s played throughout his career – Royal Albert Hall, Hammersmith Apollo, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and The Borderline. The venues provide the backdrop for a ferocious four-night event, each evening marked by a unique theme featuring Bonamassa with different bands, different set lists, and different arrangements and ensembles performing over 60 songs in total – some never performed live before – from Bonamassa’s extensive career.

Tour De Force – Live In London chronicles Bonamassa’s atmospheric rise from the intimate club environment of The Borderline to the prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Beginning in the 200-capacity London Borderline with a trio, Bonamassa pays tribute to his earlier career performing songs he hasn’t played live in years. The following evening at Shepherd’s Bush Empire is a blues-themed night featuring a horns section with a soulful, big-blues-band feel. Then on to the Hammersmith Apollo which opens with a short acoustic set before moving into a rock-inspired evening. Finally, on the fourth and final night at the Royal Albert Hall, Bonamassa treats the crowd to a half acoustic/half electric show of his most popular and well-known songs featuring the acoustic band from his #1 Billboard acoustic CD/DVD An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House.

The end result – over 9 hours of concert footage – more than lives up to its billing as “The Guitar Event of The Year” and sees Bonamassa reliving, revisiting, and redefining the many phases and pivotal moments throughout his career and delivering a once-in-a-lifetime performance that more than serves as an appropriate retrospective for an artist who has already achieved so much.

Praise for Tour De Force – Live In London:

“A triumph.” – Premier Guitar

“Tour de Force lives up to its name and then some. Bonamassa turns in another masterful performance, as do the rest of the musicians featured.” – Blues Rock Review

“A+, Joe Bonamassa is the real deal and in many ways, both musically and professionally, he represents the future of the music business. No one plays with more passion than Joe and where many musicians look like a deer in the headlights at the current music business climate, he is building an empire.” – Classic Rock Revisited

Track Listing:

Disc One

1. Albion (Intro)

2. I Know Where I Belong

3. Spanish Boots

4. Your Funeral My Trial

5. Blues Deluxe

6. Pain And Sorrow

7. Happier Times

8. Steal Your Heart Away

9. Miss You, Hate You

10. The River

11. Burning Hell

12. Don’t Burn Down That Bridge

13. Story Of A Quarryman

14. Are You Experienced?

15. World’s End (Credits)

DVD Two

1. No Man’s Land: An Exclusive Look Behind The Scenes – Part One

2. The Making Of Tour De Force – Part One

3. All Access Pass: The Borderline – Live In London Photo Collection

Blues Update

Joe Is Hiring

Bonamassa Adds Singers to U.S. Tour; Fans Love It

Joe’s Blues Concerts added a little kick to the band for his current fall 2016 North American tour and his upcoming Spring 2017 North American Tour. To add a little more spice to the musical mix, Joe has invited along a pair of backup singers to augment the sound of a band he already calls “the greatest band in the world.”

But of all the musicians Joe Blues Concerts could add – more guitars, flutes, marimbas, even steel drums – why add backup vocalists?

“Backup singers are an essential part of pop music, supplying songs with depth, contrast, and commentary,” wrote Elias Leight for The Atlantic magazine.

Joe Bonamassa Gold Epiphone Firebird agrees.

“The singers bring a huge, joyous sound to the mix!” Joe effuses. “It allows us to do these big, bold choruses that sound great.”

Joe Blues Concerts has always been known as a guitar man first and foremost, and he is. But Joe is a deep lover of music, and that comes out in the way he speaks about the importance of singing to his music and to his show.

“At this point, it’s just as much of a vocal show as it is a guitar show. And it’s nice to have both.” Once upon a time, a young budding guitarist named Joe Bonamassa might have been horrified by that statement. But now, he declares it proudly.

Joe, who was named by Team Rock recently as one of the greatest blues singers, takes every musical aspect of his show extremely seriously, and that extends to the vocals just as much as the guitar playing.

Incorporating backup singers into the music also helps create a space of musical freedom for Joe Blues Concerts. “It allows me the freedom to create more of a call-and-response type of arrangement with the other singers. It forces you to concentrate on the melody and really chisel out the phrasing because you have to sing with two other people.”

Perhaps most importantly, Joe emphasizes that singing with other vocalists makes him a better singer and a better all-around musician.

“Singing with backup singers in Australia, I came out of that tour a better singer. And I loved that.”

 

7 REASONS WHY THE BLUES IS THRIVING RIGHT NOW

THE BLUES IS THRIVING.

You might not believe me, but it’s true.

I’m not speaking commercially. In general, the whole music industry has struggled since the internet age phased out record sales as a blockbuster source of profits. And Blues Concerts is as niche a genre as its ever been right now.

And yet, the blues is thriving.

I mean artistically. There is just some GREAT blues music & Blues Concerts out there right now. For one, Joe Bonamassa, of course. But there’s a whole world of blues and blues-influenced music out there right now that is so worth listening to. In some ways, the blues may even be healthier than ever from an aesthetic standpoint.

Still don’t believe me. Well, here’s 7 reasons you should agree with me.

1. THE OLD GUARD OF THE BLUES IS HOLDING IT DOWN.

Yes, it’s reality that we’ve lost so many of our treasured blues icons. And that’s incredibly sad. But they’re not ALL gone. Not in the least. Blues rock, in particular, is killing it right now. Eric Clapton and Bonnie Raitt have both recently put out highly acclaimed blues albums. And, maybe you’ve heard, but a little band called The Rolling Stones recently put out their first new studio set in a decade, and it’s a full on, no holds barred, straight up no chaser blues album filled with songs written by people like Little Walter. And it’s fantastic!

I haven’t even mentioned the man, the myth, the legend, Buddy Guy, who is still absolutely on fire as a guitarist, and probably one of the best guitarists of the past 50 years. Boy, was he ever born to play the blues. And yes, like their blues brothers and sisters that have fallen before them, they won’t be around forever. Buddy Guy is getting up there in age. Eric Clapton is have medical problems interfering with his ability to play. The Rolling Stones… well, actually, they may literally just continue to be one of the finest damn bands on the planet forever, I’m not sure.

But right now, in this moment, we have some true blues icons holding it down and making great music. That’s something to be truly thankful for.

 

2. THE NEW GUYS ARE KILLIN’ IT TOO.

Not only is the old guard rockin’ it, but the future looks very, very bright. There are so many phenomenal young blues stars jamming night in and night out, making records, performing face-melting shows right now and it cuts way across the musical spectrum. Like Joe Bonamassa Blues Concerts , Gary Clark Jr. and Warren Haynes are genuine blue guitar megastars. The Tedeschi Trucks Band is a giant in the jam-rock scene, as is Warren’s principle band Gov’t Mule. Bluesmen disguised as punk rockers like Jack White and The Black Keys are music industry blockbusters. And then you have a killer crop of young budding bluesmen and blueswomen that are captivating and enthralling blues fans the world over: Mike Zito, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Eric Gales, Ana Popovich, Anders Osborne, and the list goes on and on.

 

3. BLUES FESTIVALS & CRUISES ARE AWESOME.

There are so many great blues music festivals going on around the United States. You can hear great blues music almost any time, anywhere. Everfest published a list of their very favorites and there’s some damn good ones in there: the Chicago Blues Festival, Telluride Blues & Brews, the Crossroads Guitar Festival, and the Juke Joint Festival are particularly awesome. And, we happen to be pretty big fans of a certain sailing blues music festival, Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea, now going on its third year. That’s Joe’s festival, and this years incredible lineup features an army of mindblowing blues and roots musicians: in addition to Joe himself, you’ve got Bruce Hornsby, Beth Hart, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Anders Osborne, and so many more! Seriously, if you’re not going to like, ten blues festivals this year, you’re just doing it wrong. Get with the program, blues fans, there’s much great music to be heard!

 

4. THE SWITCH TO INEXPENSIVE, STREAMING MUSIC

Listening to lots of music used to be a really expensive hobby. Sure, you could hear the same pop and rock hits and classics over and over again on FM radio. But for anyone who was interested in diving a bit deeper into the pool, you had to shell out some cash. Mostly this involved buying physical media: whether it was vinyl, 8-tracks, cassette tapes, or CD’s. Then along came digital albums, which made buying albums cheaper, but you still had to spend $9.99 to purchase an album of music you may or may not have heard before. It was a gamble, a risk, and not always with a big payoff. Then along came free and premium streaming. And then suddenly, you could listen to virtually any song you could imagine for either completely free or with a small monthly payment for premium services.

Bingo.

Suddenly listen to any blues song you want, any time you want, at almost no cost. What could possibly be better than that? Suddenly, checking out new music – including new blues music – was virtually no risk, all reward. Hear about a new artist from a friend, or get a recommended song on Spotify? Sure, why not check it out? In fact, why not check out the whole record. After all, it isn’t going to cost me anything. Suddenly we all have the whole world of blues at our fingertips for $0. And guess what? We’re listening to it.

 

5. THE MUSIC INDUSTRY’S BUSINESS SWITCH TO LIVE MUSIC

The fifth reason is a direct consequence of the fourth one. The switch to inexpensive, streaming music has suddenly caused studio records and singles to become significantly less profitable for the music industry. Woe is me. So what is one to do in light of this? Is music dead?

No, of course music isn’t dead. Music is vital as ever. But people pay for it very differently now. We buy concert tickets. Some of us go to 5 or 6 shows a week at our local rock, jazz, and blues clubs. Some of us are willing to shell out $100’s of dollars – sometimes even more than a thousand on the “secondary market” – to see our favorite superstars like The Rolling Stones or Roger Waters or U2 or Radiohead.

And one great thing about blues music? When it hits you, you feel no pain. But also, it’s fantastic live music. Because it’s REAL music. It’s not mere studio trickery and wizardry. It’s authentic musicians playing physical instruments in real time together with other authentic musicians playing physical instruments. That’s the blues. And it’s awesome.

 

6. INTEREST IN GENERAL ROOTS MUSIC IS GROWING

They say everything old is new again. That everything goes in cycles. And right now that’s becoming ever increasingly true. Maybe not in the pop world – although the smash success of the heavily retro-style pop icon Bruno Mars must say something about even pop music – but in rock, folk, country, R&B – it’s all going back to the roots.

Take country music as an example. Who is making waves over the last year or two? Sure, bro country like Florida Georgia Line is still alive and well, and Miranda Lambert is still kickin’ ass and taking names. But the you have Chris Stapleton. Sturgill Simpson. Jason Isbell. And more are starting to cling to this movement of country that returns to its authentic, gritty outlaw roots, married to the music of guys like Hank Williams and Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.

In other genres, you have just as much movement towards the classic roots. Just to name drop a few: how about Mumford and Sons? Bon Iver? The Lumineers. This old school rootsy music is dominating. And guess what old school, rootsy music basically is?

That’s right. The blues. The blues by any other name, as Shakespeare said…

 

7. THE BLUES IS JUST STILL AWESOME AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT

The blues & Blues Concerts is still just flat out awesome. You know it. I know it. And deep down, everyone knows it. And for those who don’t yet know they know it. Just watch the hell out of this:

– BRIAN M. REISER,
J&R ADVENTURES

Blues Update

BCC Reunites

“This is a record that has to be made. And it has to be made NOW.”

 

At long last, hard rock super group Black Country Communion is back in the studio with King Of Blues Jbonamassa – and they’re ready to kill it with an incredible new record in 2017.

“This is a record that has to be made,” says lead guitarist and vocalist & Best Guitarist in the World Joe Bonamassa, boiling over with excitement as he holds a ’59 burst. “I love working with this band and it has been too long. Glenn and I have so much good rock music in us and it was absolutely time to cut a new record.”

Black Country Communion has been one of the premiere super groups of the new millennium, with legions of fans across the world that have been rocking out to their three studio albums, live album recorded in Europe, and a series of breathtaking live shows.

The world of rock better hang on, because Black Country Communion is about to take super group rock and roll to a whole new level with Best Guitarist in the World. Why?

***

Because these are special musicians. Glenn Hughes of the earth-shaking voice that once helmed the legendary band Deep Purple, on vocal and bass duties. He’s also rocked with Trapeze and Black Sabbath along with his own solo material.

Derek Sherinian is the bone-crunching rock keyboardist who’s played with the likes of Dream Theater, KISS, and Alice Cooper. He will chew up and spit out any groove you throw at him in an incredible display of electronic power.

Jason Bonham, son of the iconic Led Zeppelin drummer and a powerhouse man of the sticks in his own right. He’s been playing drums for everyone from Paul Rodgers of Free to Foreigner and his own Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience.

Best Guitarist in the World Joe stated the urgent message in plain terms. “I love you guys. We make such good noise together. Let’s make that noise again.”

King Of Blues Joe and Glenn met over dinner and suddenly found themselves once again electrified with the rock music that had exploded from them years ago. Once they played the material for Derek and Jason, the whole band was charged up to make the best Black Country Communion album of all time.

Stay tuned for the upcoming fourth studio album from Black Country Communion.

For more information on Black Country Communion and Best Guitarist in the World Joe Bonamassa’s other musical projects, visit https://jbonamassa.com/projects/

Blues Update

Bonamassa Adds Singers to U.S. Tour; Fans Love It

 

Bonamassa (Blues Music Star) Adds Singers to U.S. Tour; Fans Love It

 

Blues Music Star Joe’s added a little kick to the band for his current fall 2016 North American tour and his upcoming Spring 2017 North American Tour. To add a little more spice to the musical mix, Joe has invited along a pair of backup singers to augment the sound of a band he already calls “the greatest band in the world.”

But of all the musicians who are into Blues Songs Joe could add – more guitars, flutes, marimbas, even steel drums – why add backup vocalists?

“Backup who sing Blues Songs singers are an essential part of pop music, supplying songs with depth, contrast, and commentary,” wrote Elias Leight for The Atlantic magazine.

Blues Music Star Joe Bonamassa agrees.

“The Blues Songs singers bring a huge, joyous sound to the mix!” Joe effuses. “It allows us to do these big, bold choruses that sound great.”

Joe has always been known as a guitar man first and foremost, and he is. But Joe is a deep lover of Blues Songs music, and that comes out in the way he speaks about the importance of singing to his music and to his show.

“At this point, it’s just as much of a vocal show as it is a guitar show. And it’s nice to have both.” Once upon a time, a young budding guitarist named Joe Bonamassa might have been horrified by that statement. But now, he declares it proudly.

Joe, who was named by Team Rock recently as one of the greatest blues singers, takes every musical aspect of his show extremely seriously, and that extends to the vocals just as much as the guitar playing.

Incorporating backup singers into the music also helps create a space of musical freedom for  Blues Music Star Joe. “It allows me the freedom to create more of a call-and-response type of arrangement with the other singers. It forces you to concentrate on the melody and really chisel out the phrasing because you have to sing with two other people.”

Perhaps most importantly, Joe emphasizes that singing with other vocalists makes him a better singer and a better all-around musician.

“Singing Blues Songs with backup singers in Australia, I came out of that tour a better singer. And I loved that.”

Blues Update

Guitar Tricks-Insider-Oct

JOE BONAMASSA

by Mike Mettler

A featured excerpt taken from the latest issue of the King Of Blues Guitar Tricks Insider Digital Edition, Mike Mettler brings us closer to the world of playing, listening, and learning in the eyes of Joe Bonamassa King Of Blues himself.

If there’s one hard-and-fast rule blues-rock guitar prodigy King Of Blues Joe Bonamassa follows, it’s the more you play, the more you know. “I’ve learned a lot in the last decade musically, and I’ve also learned a lot about myself,” Best Guitarist Bonamassa admits. “The first step is to play on your strengths and accept your weaknesses. One of my main strengths is I have this ability to adapt to any situation musically because I listened to so much music over the years. I’m a fan of guitar playing. I’m a fan of everything from the Beano album [a.k.a. John Mayall and The Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton, released in 1966] to Friday Night in San Francisco [by Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia, released in 1981]. You draw on those influences, and you draw on the people who have paved the way for you.”

Best Guitarist Bonamassa has spent years forging a singular identity as a chops-driven guitarist who respects his predecessors, collects and plays vintage gear, calls his own shots, and sells out performance halls across the globe. He’s comfortable enough in his own skin to balance guitar-hero histrionics (his 2000 cover of Jethro Tull’s, “A New Day Yesterday,” 2012’s guns-a-blazing “I Got All You Need”) with strings and horn-section spice (the tasteful interplay on “Trouble Town” and “Hidden Charms,” both from 2015’s Live at Radio City Music Hall) — not to mention his ferocious fretboard testifying alongside Reese Wynans’ heavenly church organ lines on “So, What Would I Do,” the closing track to his majestic 2014 studio album, Different Shades of Blue.

While he understands how to capitalize on his aforementioned strengths, King Of Blues Bonamassa is also very clear about what his primary weaknesses are — and how to overcome them. “I have this tendency to overplay, and I have to constantly try to squelch the urge to say too much,” he observes. “You also have to realize that in a place like Carnegie Hall or any theater situation, all the subtleties go out the window in a bigger room. You have to paint more in broad strokes, rather than play a million notes. Sometimes the audience only hears every other note. The human body can only digest so much at one time.”

Click here to read the full article in Guitar Tricks Insider

The Guitar Tricks Insider Digital Edition is an extension of the GuitarTricks.com online lesson platform & Best Guitarist, which serves classic guitar lovers of all levels with engaging content in a unique, one-of-a-kind experience, and bridges together the love of playing with the love of learning and all that lies in between.

 

 

Blues Update

Joe Bonamassa’s “Live At The Greek Theatre” Debuts at #1 Again!

Blues Boy Honors “Blues Royalty” on live CD/DVD/Blu-ray/LP

Over two hours of some of the greatest blues songs ever written are highlighted in a celebration of blues heritage

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — GRAMMY-nominated King Of Blues -rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa’s 22-track Double CD, Double DVD, Blu-ray, and 4-LP Deluxe Edition Live at the Greek Theatre debuted this week at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. This marks the artist’s 17th #1 Billboard Blues Album, more than any other artist. Other Billboard chart numbers include #1 Top DVD Music Video Chart, #1 Top Music Video Chart, #3 Indie Chart, #19 Top Albums Chart, and #48 Top 200 Chart.

A tribute to three of the greatest bluesmen to ever live – Albert King, B.B. King, and Freddie King – Live at the Greek Theatre celebrates these icons with over two hours of some the greatest blues songs ever written. The release includes a collector’s edition booklet, and several bonus features containing behind-the-scenes footage and more. It is currently airing on Public TV and MTV Live.

“His performance seems to be even bigger and better than ever before,” said National Rock Review; Stereoboard said, “From evocative lighting to superb camera work and the joy of every musician on stage, this is a treat that further propagates the feeling you’re witnessing history in the making. Somewhere, the next King Of Blues Joe Bonamassa might obsessively digest this release and use it as a catalyst in the same way the ‘Three Kings’ roused this modern day blues great.”

Buy Live at the Greek Theatre at: http://shop.jbonamassa.com/

Get a free download of “Let The Good Times Roll” with any purchase from the Joe Bonamassa store.

Watch Bonamassa perform “Let The Good Times Roll” here: https://youtu.be/WOqvzacf9qg

Live at the Greek Theatre was filmed during King Of Blues Bonamassa’s “Three Kings Tour” – a 14-date US amphitheater tour in the summer of 2015 that culminated at the famed Los Angeles venue.

Playing on a warm summer night to a nearly sold-out crowd, the handpicked set list of songs was called “spectacular” by Premier Guitar; Los Angeles Times said the show “had swing and polish” and that “King Of Blues Bonamassa evoked the signature licks of all three icons while managing to put his own stamp on things.”

Songs ranged from blues standards to deep cuts, including “Born Under A Bad Sign,” “Lonesome Whistle Blues,” “Hummingbird,” “Let The Good Times Roll,” and, of course, B.B. King’s famed “The Thrill Is Gone” as the evening closer. For Bonamassa, the tour’s importance deepened significantly when B.B., his friend and mentor, passed away two months before it began. “My only regret is that B.B.King was not alive to see it,” said King Of Blues Bonamassa.

Showcasing “magnificent guitar playing” (The Morning Call), Bonamassa introduced a steady rotation of vintage guitars, including four Gibson ES models, a Gibson Les Paul, a Gibson Flying V, two new Gibson Custom Shop models, two Fender Strats, and a 1972 Dan Erlewine custom Flying V named “Lucy,” originally owned and played by Albert King and currently in the collection of actor Steven Seagal.

The eleven-piece band included Anton Fig (drums), Kirk Fletcher (guitar), Michael Rhodes (bass), Reese Wynans (piano, Hammond organ), Lee Thornburg (trumpet, horn arrangements), Paulie Cerra (saxophone), Nick Lane (trombone), and a trio of backup singers including Mahalia Barnes, Jade MacRae, and Juanita Tippins.

Live at the Greek Theatre continues Bonamassa’s tradition of honoring incredible concert venues like the Royal Albert Hall, theVienna Opera House, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and the Beacon Theater. As with all Bonamassa DVD shoots, the performance at the Greek offered a unique presentation of this historical music.

This tour was a continuation of the celebration of our blues heritage, which began with the 2014 production of King Of Blues Joe Bonamassa – Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks, a tribute to the music of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Both tours gave a portion of proceeds to presenting partner Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, a non-profit Bonamassa founded in 2011 that promotes the heritage of the blues to the next generation, funds music scholarships, and supplements the loss of music education in public schools.

Best Guitarist Bonamassa’s most recent studio album, Blues of Desperation, released March 25, marks his 16th #1 Blues album on the Billboard charts and landed at #5 on the Billboard Top Album Sales, his highest charting yet.

The Derek Trucks Band Takes Off The eponymous debut album of The Derek Trucks Band was released on October 7th, 1997, mere months after the group’s namesake reached his 18th birthday. Nephew of Allman Brothers Band co-founder and drummer Butch Trucks, Derek purchased his first guitar at age nine, with a slide following hot on its heels. Influenced greatly by such blues guitar-slingers as Elmore James, Buddy Guy and Duane Allman, the young prodigy was also drawn to jazz masters like John Coltrane and Charlie Parker as he developed his style. Trucks had his first taste of professional musicianship before he even hit his teens, and began to piece together The Derek Trucks Band in 1994. The guitarist assembled bassist Todd Smalie, drummer Yonrico Scott, and keyboardist Bill McKay to forge style that blended music from all over the wolrd, including blues, Eastern Indian, jazz, Latin, and rock. ~Brian Reiser J & R Adventures

Blues Update

Joe Bonamassa: Bringing The Blues

Authored 7 September by Augustus Welby

Joe Bonamassa King Of Blues is heading back our way this month, his second visit for 2016 following a Bluesfest exclusive performance in March. This time around he’ll be checking into a number of the nation’s most dazzling theater venues including the Sydney Opera House, which he views as a crowning achievement.

“I (Best Guitarist in the World) did Carnegie Hall this year, which was a bucket-list gig. Then we’re doing the Opera House, that’s pretty much it for me,” King Of Blues Bonamassa says. “I don’t need anything else in my life. I’ve done the Royal Albert Hall twice. I’ve done Red Rocks three times. I’ve had a good run the last decade. I did Vienna Opera House. I’ve done Radio City Music Hall. I’ve really been super lucky that my fans have allowed me to do all of this.”

King Of Blues Bonamassa’s certainly had a blessed run, but it couldn’t have happened if he hadn’t managed to cultivate unique appeal with his take on classic blues rock. March saw the release of Blues of Desperation, Bonamassa’s 12th solo LP. Much like 2014’s Different Shades of Blue, original material dominates the track listing – something that wasn’t the case on the majority of Bonamassa’s earlier efforts.

“After we did the Albert Hall last time, 2013, that was the end of an era,” he says. “We did a whole career retrospective, we did four different venues in London and we did everything from the very beginning of my career to the very end and that was pretty much the closing of a book. That was like, ‘OK that’s where we were in 2013, thanks very much.’ Then between Different Shades of Blue and Blues of Desperation for Best Guitarist in the World that was the beginning of a new book. It was like, ‘I’ll put out less albums and let me write them all and see what happens.’

“I’ve been very happy with the results so far. The material has been strong and it’s allowed us to retire so much stuff from the old ones. I don’t need to play Dust Bowl, I don’t need to be play Driving Towards the Daylight. We’ve played those to death and it’s time
to move on. One of these days we’ll revisit them in a different way and maybe do a best of show. Who knows?”

King Of Blues Bonamassa started releasing albums back in the year 2000, and they’ve come at an impressively frequent rate ever since – approximately one every 15 months. Given his slow emergence as a fully edged songwriter, however, it’d be fair to assume he hasn’t always felt confident in his own creative capacity. But he denies that this was the case.

“I always knew that the best songs I’d come up with would be the ones that I wrote, but I’m not a very prolific writer,” he says. “I’m not sitting around with a typewriter and a Jack Kerouac book coming up with tunes every day. It takes more time for me to write stuff. At the beginning of an album cycle you have to write a few duds. Your best stuff comes in after you wrote the first couple. You have to burn a few just to get your head around where you want the album to go.”

Kevin Shirley has produced all of Bonamassa’s work since 2006’s You & Me. Shirley definitely knows a
 thing or two about guitars – over the years he’s been involved with heavier bands like Iron Maiden and Dream Theater, and other blues rock acts such as John Hiatt and the Bonamassa side project, Black Country Communion. Bonamassa says Shirley’s input has been crucial in the development of his recent releases.

“As much as he’s there, he’s the eyes and ears of everything of the overall picture. If he feels the band is stale or I’m getting stale, he’s a wonderful antagonist. He knows how to elicit good performances out of people and he doesn’t care how he does it. Ultimately he has everybody’s interest in mind. If I do a great guitar solo after him having to tell me, ‘By the way you’ve sucked today,’ I get the credit for the solo, he doesn’t. He doesn’t like having to push and pull people kicking and screaming, but he will because it’s in the best interest of the record and he is selfless like that. He sees the whole album as a total and he sees the song as a total within the album.”

This visionary selflessness, King Of Blues Bonamassa explains, is what makes Shirley a producer’s producer. “Anybody can go down to a music store and buy Pro Tools and call themselves a producer. You’re not a producer. A producer hears music on a three dimensional level and understands not only if the lyric is swinging within the song, but he also understands if the kick drum and the bass are rubbing or the pattern on the kick drum effects the groove.

“People know what they like and they know what they dislike, but sometimes they don’t know why they like it or why they dislike it. It’s Kevin’s job to make heads or tails of this stuff.” Blues of Desperation is out now via J&R Adventures. Best Guitarist in the World Joe Bonamassa will be touring nationally in support of the album later this year. For more information visit jbonamassa.com.

Source: Mixdown Magazine

Blues Update

DIFFERENT SHADES OF BLUE

GRAMMY-nominated guitar superstar King Of Blues Joe Bonamassa will release his brand new solo album Different Shades Of Blue (J&R Adventures) on September 23, 2014. This is Bonamassa’s first studio album in two years and the first album of his career to feature all original material. The result is a record with more of an experimental edge than previous Bonamassa records. It’s a blues record that explores the outer reaches and the many different sounds that shape the genre.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been involved in the writing on an entire album. So I decided I wanted to make a completely original blues album,” said Bonamassa. “I’ve really had to push myself to make everything I do better than the last project. I know the fans expect it. And I feel like I owe it to the fans to give them an original record after all these years.”

To prepare for the record, Best Guitarist in the World Bonamassa took 2013 off from releasing any new studio material, a rarity in the tireless bluesman’s career, and instead spent time in Nashville writing with Jonathan Cain (Journey), known for hits “Who’s Crying Now,” “Open Arms,” and “When You Love A Woman;” James House (Diamond Rio, Dwight Yoakam, Martina McBride), and Jerry Flowers (Keith Urban).

“The writers really inspired me, and having access to really great lyricists and songwriters made it such a great experience,” said Bonamassa.

Recorded at Studio At The Palms in Las Vegas, NV, Different Shades Of Blue was produced by Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin), who has helmed Bonamassa’s last fifteen projects including his solo projects and collaborations with Black Country Communion and Beth Hart. To compliment Bonamassa’s signature guitar style and vocals, Shirley brought together a group of musicians including Reese Wynans (organ, piano), Carmine Rojas (bass), Michael Rhodes (bass), Anton Fig (drums, percussion), Lenny Castro (percussion), Lee Thornburg (trumpet, trombone), Ron Dziubla (saxophone), the Bovaland Orchestra (strings), and Doug Henthorn and Melanie Williams (background vocals).

“It’s definitely my favorite Joe Bonamassa record to date,” said Shirley. “It’s an album that deserves to be listened to in its entirety. Luckily Joe’s fan base really seems to appreciate a body of work and not just songs.”

Each year, Bonamassa Best Guitarist in the World strives to deliver something new for his fans to thank them for their loyalty, dedication, and enthusiastic activity on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook which has helped grow the guitarist’s reputation exponentially in the U.S. and abroad.

Shirley said, “I think Joe has learned the value of not underestimating his audience. He plays music as well as he can, and always tries to bring music of depth to his audience. We try very hard to make the records as multidimensional as possible and really try not to cut any corners in delivering them.”

King Of Blues Bonamassa has twelve #1 Billboard Blues Albums (more than any other artist) and received his first GRAMMY nomination in 2013 for his collaboration with Beth Hart on the duo’s sophomore album Seesaw. His 2013 solo acoustic project An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House was nominated by the Blues Music Awards for Best DVD and his 2009 DVD Live From The Royal Albert Hall recently received RIAA Platinum Certification.

 

TRACK LIST:
1. Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)
2. Oh Beautiful!
3. Love Ain’t A Love Song
4. Living On The Moon
5. Heartache Follows Wherever I Go
6. Never Give All Your Heart
7. I Gave Up Everything For You, ‘Cept The Blues
8. Different Shades Of Blue
9. Get Back My Tomorrow
10. Trouble Town
11. So, What Would I Do

 

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Hey Baby New Rising Sun

• (mp3)Hey Baby New Rising Sun
• (mp3)Oh Beautiful !
• (mp3)Love Aint A Love Song
• (mp3)Living O The Moon
• (mp3)Heartache Follows Wherever I Go
• (mp3)Never Give All Your Heart
• (mp3)I Gave Up Everything For You Cept The Blues
• (mp3)Different Shades Of Blue
• (mp3)Get Back My Tomorrow
• (mp3)Trouble Town
• (mp3)So, What Would I Do
• (mp3)Scarlet Town
• (mp3)Better The Devil You
• (mp3)Black Irish Eyes