Joe Bonamassa

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Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa live at the Stafford Center in Stafford, TX
Background information
Born	May 8, 1977 (1977-05-08) (age 31) Utica, New York, USA
Genre(s)	Blues, Rock and roll, Blues-rock
Website	http://www.jbonamassa.com

Joe Bonamassa (born May 8, 1977) is an American blues guitarist/singer. Guitar One Magazine has stated that he just might be the best guitarist of his generation.^[1] His blues-rock style is similar to that of Stevie Ray Vaughan's.

1 Early life
2 Influences
3 Solo career
4 Discography
5 DVDs
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Early life

Bonamassa was born in Utica, New York. At the age of 11, during a short period of being mentored by country musician Danny Gatton he learned such styles as country and jazz. During this time with Gatton, Bonamassa sat in with Gatton's band whenever they played in New York. He first opened for B. B. King at 12 years of age. At 14, he was invited to attend a Fender guitar event; during that trip to the West Coast he met Berry Oakley, Jr. Joe and Berry founded the group Bloodline with Miles Davis's son Erin and Robby Krieger's son Waylon. They released one album which produced two chart singles - "Stone Cold Hearted," and "Dixie Peach."

[edit] Influences

In an interview in 'Guitarist' magazine (issue 265), Joe Bonamassa cited the three albums that had the biggest influence on his playing: John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (the 'Beano Album'), Rory Gallagher's 'Irish Tour' and 'Goodbye' by Cream.

These influences are evident in his music, but Joe has been influenced by other artists; notable examples include Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Danny Gatton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, and Buddy Guy. Bonamassa's style of playing incorporates the wide range of genres these influences cover: Rock, Blues-Rock, Jazz, Country, Delta Blues, and Electric Blues.

[edit] Solo career

Bonamassa's first solo album, "A New Day Yesterday", was released in 2000 and produced by the legendary Tom Dowd. Bonamassa added drummer Kenny Kramme and bassist Eric Czar as bandmates to tour and support the album.

After touring to support his first album, Bonamassa and the band returned to the studio in 2002 and worked with producer Clif Magness to release his second album "So, It's Like That." The second album contained more traditional rock music than his previous studio album, attaining number one on the Billboard Blues Chart.

Positive fan feedback resulted in the 2003 release of "Blues Deluxe," which was released to support the Year of the Blues. The album features nine covers of classic blues tunes along with three songs written by Bonamassa. This album also reached number one on the Billboard Blues Chart.

2005 saw the release of "Had to Cry Today," which returned to the more traditional rock music sound heard in "So, it's Like That." In late 2005, after extensive touring with his previous trio, Bonamassa changed the line-up of the musicians in his touring band. He enlisted the help of bassist Mark Epstein and former Kenny Wayne Shepherd drummer, Bogie Bowles.

In 2006, Joe release his fifth full-length studio album, entitled "You & Me". This album also appeared at #1 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart. For the recording of this album, Bonamassa enlisted the talents of multiple studio musicians such as Jason Bonham, son of the legendary John Bonham. "Your Funeral And My Trial", a track on the album, featured harmonica prodigy LD Miller. "You & Me" is Bonamassa's most heavy blues album, breaking away from the heavier rock styles featured in "So, it's Like That," and "Had to Cry Today."

"Sloe Gin" was released in August of 2007, and, as of March 2008, has spent more than 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Blues Chart. This album features much more Acoustic Guitar work than any of Joe's previous albums. Bonamassa's touring band underwent another change for this album's tour; bassist Carmine Rojas replaced Epstein and keyboardist Rick Melick was added. Both of the new bandmembers took part in the recordings of "You And Me" and "Sloe Gin".

[edit] Discography

1994 – Bloodline
2000 – A New Day Yesterday
2002 – So, It's Like That
2002 – A New Day Yesterday, Live
2003 – Blues Deluxe
2004 – Had To Cry Today
2006 – You & Me
2007 – Sloe Gin
2008 – Live From Nowhere in Particular^[2]

[edit] DVDs

Live at the Rockpalast was released in 2005, and recorded at the Burg Stazvey in Merchernich, Germany ^[3]. It is one of the last concerts Bonamassa performed with his original band. A New Day Yesterday, Live was also released as a live DVD, given away for a short period of time with "So, It's Like That." Signature Sounds, Styles and Techniques was released in 2006. The DVD description says: Admirers of Joe Bonamassa's blues-rock guitar sound to learn how he does it. Playing the Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul, and Fender Telecaster, Bonamassa leads viewers through lessons on slide guitar, rhythm, soloing, equipment, and effects.