Blues Update

Blues Update

 

In our ongoing series, Gibson.com examines the work of some Gibson guitar greats. Let's get some gritty blues-rock with the tireless Best Blues Artists Joe Bonamassa...

Signature Sounds

Best Guitarist in the World Bonamassa's critics say he doesn't really have his own guitar “voice”. Thing is, Bonamassa is such a scholar of blues-rock he's soaked it all up like a sponge. And wrings it all out with finesse.

“Initially, I had no clue that the Lonnie Johnsons and even the Robert Johnsons of the blues world existed. I just wanted to play like Paul Kossoff, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton when he was in Cream,” he once told Guitar World. “As a 10-year-old, the subtleties of traditional blues are lost on you, especially after you hear Alvin Lee on “I’m Going Home” busting out the Gibson ES-335 with four double-stacked Marshalls. British blues was my favorite music, and it still is. It’s big and ballsy and dangerous, and that all appeals to me. The country blues came later.”

JB's usually modest about his melange of sounds: “I still feel I’m struggling to step into my own shoes as a musician,” he said recently. “Every day I work on refining my phrasing. Whenever I hear my playing, I can’t detach from my influences: there’s my Jeff Beck, there’s the Clapton bit, the Eric Johnson bit, the Birelli Lagrene bit, the Billy Gibbons...”

He told Guitarist magazine, “I love Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson and T-Bone Walker and stuff like that, but I couldn't sit down. I was always forcing myself to listen to whole records by them, where I'd rather listen to Humble Pie do "I'm Ready" than Muddy Waters, you know? I think, the English interpretation of the blues just hit me a lot better, you know?"

If you want to think blues-rock soloing technique, Bonamassa reckons, “It’s all about the internal bends. A guitar is so tactile, and when you’re playing bends – and bending notes is a big part of my style - there are so many notes within the note you’re bending from and the note you’re bending up to. For me it’s about filtering out the bad notes and finding these little quarter-tones, as you drop down the bends, to make a very crisp statement that people can feel.”

In a nutshell, Bonamassa is about slow bends with sudden flurries of shred-like speed, spot-on intonation, fat tone, plus controlled feedback. Easy!

Best Guitarist in the World Joe Bonamassa and Gibson

Joe plays many makes of guitars, many types of guitars, but he's a certified member of the Gibson family. He owns many Les Pauls, his favorite being one of quite a few vintage '59 sunbursts he owns. “Serial number 90829. It’s the first ’59 that I bought, and I never thought I would pay that much for anything other than a house.

“That guitar is perfect for me. The neck shape, the way it plays and responds – no matter how good you are, that guitar doubles back and says: Is that all you’ve got for me today?”

Gibson worked with Joe to produce the replica Gibson Skinnerburst 1959 Les Paul . It's hand-aged by Gibson Custom to precisely reproduce Joe's unique guitar, from its “dirty lemon” finish to back-body wear to precisely-replicated pickups.

2016 adds the Les Paul Joe Bonamassa Tomato Soup Burst , in a richer color. There's a hardtail version and one with a Bigsby vibrato. It's Joe's homage to the early '60s, with his favored knobs arrangement and the pickguard and case hand-signed by Joe. So get one quick, as it's a Limited Run.

Gibson Custom also makes the Bonabyrd – a Les Paul body with Firebird headstock in, of course, the color blue. Radical!

Joe's massive Gibson haul also includes various Goldtops, reverse and non-reverse Gibson Firebirds, a '62 Polaris White SG, various ES-335s, Flying Vs, a Gibson U-Style Harp guitar, a one-off Gibson Skylark and... many more.

This guitar addiction started young for Bonamassa: “My father owned a guitar shop in the '90s,” he recently told Guitar Aficionado. “He would always buy and sell. In my teenage years I socked away some money and bought what I could.

“I work every day of my life to pay for it all. Collecting guitars is something I’m very passionate about. I enjoy doing it and meeting people around it. I’ve met a lot of my best friends this way, almost exclusively through the guitar.” Amen brother!

Essential Listening

Whoa, where to start? The live Muddy Wolf At Red Rocks was a big commercial success. Tour De Force – Live From The Royal Albert Hall is another great live album, also on DVD/Blu-ray video. His blending of ZZ Top's “Just Got Paid” and Zeppelin's “Dazed And Confused” on a Gibson Flying V (with added Theremin) is mind-boggling.

The Ballad of John Henry album takes on blues folklore, Driving Towards The Daylight is Gary Moore-esque in its heaviness of guitar on some cuts.

Inevitably, there's yet another new album: Blues Of Desperation out March 2016 and in summer 2016 Bonamassa also tours the U.K. in a Salute To The British Blues Explosion. Clapton, Page and Beck rockin' will abound. And you can almost guarantee there'll be a DVD.

Watch!

There are many live DVDs out there, so here's just one example from Joe B's official YouTube channel. It shows how JB's he's inherited British Blues Explosion guitar style into classic blues tunes, in this case Howlin' Wolf.

Or, for more ideas for your own playing be sure to watch his Bona Jam Tracks via JoeBonamassaTV (website and YouTube). Here, Joe shows us how he plays “The Ballad Of John Henry”.

Source: Gibson

Blues Update

The writing sessions for Blues of Desperation took Bonamassa back to Nashville, where he’d composed Different Shades of Blue, to work with some of Music City’s top tunesmiths, people like James House, Tom Hambridge, Jeffrey Steele, Jerry Flowers and Gary Nicholson.

“These are some of the best guys in the business,” Bonamassa raves. “Lyrically, you’ll hear the proverbial trains, mountains, valleys and other blues references about heartbreak and loneliness but there are also some poignant moments about getting away from the stressful, crazy demands of life and losing yourself with your special someone. I think anybody will be able to relate.”

realized album yet, with the material ranging from the gutsy, gritty blues call to arms of “This Train” (Joe’s guitar is set to “rude” throughout) to the elegant yet emotionally shattering ballad “What I’ve Known for a Very Long Time” to the soul-nourishing, acoustic-based Americana of “The Valley Runs Low,” on which Bonamassa’s voice rises up majestically to meet Barnes, McRae and Tippins in gospel-like rapture. And then there’s the bleary, tequila-soaked “Drive,” dripping with the kind of raw, wicked and unsettling sensuality that could make David Lynch green with envy.

Throughout the record, Bonamassa’s epic guitar playing conjures up stirring benedictions and explosive exorcisms of sound. “No Good Place For the Lonely” features some of the guitarist’s most cauterizing licks yet, and the walloping title track is a white-knuckled, six-string thrill ride guaranteed to jolt the senses. Guitar fans everywhere (like those who recently voted Bonamassa “Best Blues Guitarist” in Guitar World magazine by an overwhelming margin) will consider Blues of Desperation a treasure trove of axe riches.

“There are some long solos on this record and even some mini-jams in the middle of a track where the band would just jive and crank it out,” he says. “[During those jams], we do a tip of the hat to Beck and Clapton from the ’70s. I think guitar nerds and music fans like myself will love it.”

Packed with unparalleled musicianship and teeming with the most enthralling collection of songs in Bonamassa’s career,Blues of Desperation is guaranteed to knock out critics and fans alike. By exceeding his own vertiginously high artistic goals, Bonamassa is bound to shatter all other expectations with this record and reach new audiences – no mean feat when you continue his astonishing track record of hits now includes 15 #1 Billboard Blues Albums (more than any other artist in history). 2014’s Different Shades of Blue debuted at #8 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart, making it his highest charting album, his first top 10 and accounting for his biggest sales week ever. In 2014, the guitarist received his first-ever Grammy nomination (for Best Blues Album) for the album Seesaw, his second collaboration with blues singing star Beth Hart, and was named 2014’s Billboard Blues Artist of the Year.

“They always try to write off the blues. Well, we’ve proven tonight that at least 9,000 people like the blues.”

So says Best Guitarist in the World Joe Bonamassa on Joe Bonamassa: Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks, a new live CD, DVD and Blu-ray that will be released March 24.

The shows were recorded last Labor Day weekend, when Bonamassa and his band performed a tribute to blues legends Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

Below, you can check out two preview clips from the DVD. Up top we have Bonamassa’s version of Muddy Waters’ “I Can’t Be Satisfied,” followed by Howlin’ Wolf’s “Shake for Me.”

 

I really enjoy talking to great guitarists about other great guitarists. I mean, they’re the experts, right? But usually I find that the world’s top players are quite reluctant to rank one another. They’re normally of the mind that there is no “best” player, and that it’s all in the ear of the beholder. Then again, I’ve chatted with quite a few who steadfastly believe that Jimi Hendrix is number one, and that no one can touch him.

Once in a while a scorecard of the socalled “greatest” guitarists will come out, and then the chatter will pick up again. Such was the case a few weeks back when Rolling Stonepublished its 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list. I for one took exception to it, as you can see here. And when I called acclaimed picker Joe Bonamassa in Bakersfield, California, the other day in advance of his upcomingVancouver gig, the subject came up again.

As expected, Bonamassa didn’t complain that he wasn’t on the list–even though readers of the prestigious Guitar Player magazine voted him Best Overall Guitarist last year–but it was clear that he wasn’t thrilled with how some of his own six-string heroes were ranked. For one thing, his childhood mentor Danny Gatton was nowhere to be seen.

 

 

Blues Update

Press Release

Guitar Rock Star Redefines Blues Rock with New Studio Album

Joe Bonamassa evolves as blues-rock musician with highly-anticipated new album Blues of Desperation, out March 25

Blues guitarist is Facebook phenomenon

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — GRAMMY-nominated blues-rock guitar icon Joe Bonamassa announces his brand-new studio solo album,Blues of Desperation (J&R Adventures), which will be released March 25, 2016. Like his previous solo disc, 2014’s Top 10 Billboard hit Different Shades of Blue, this record features all-original material, and it sees the maverick superstar guitarist, singer and songwriter tossing away the rule book as he continues to reinvent and redefine the blues-rock genre like no other artist working today.

Watch a sneak-peak EPK of Joe recording in the studio here:https://youtu.be/xXMnxkYt7BU

Pre-order now athttp://joeb.me/bod-album, Amazon, and iTunes.

“I want people to hear my evolution as a blues-rock musician,” says Bonamassa, “somebody who isn’t resting on accomplishments and who is always pushing forward and thinking about how music can evolve and stay relevant.”

The writing sessions for Blues of Desperation took Bonamassa back to Nashville, where he’d composed Different Shades of Blue, to work with some of Music City’s top tunesmiths, people like James House, Tom Hambridge, Jeffrey Steele, Jerry Flowers and Gary Nicholson.

“These are some of the best guys in the business,” Bonamassa raves. “Lyrically, you’ll hear the proverbial trains, mountains, valleys and other blues references about heartbreak and loneliness but there are also some poignant moments about getting away from the stressful, crazy demands of life and losing yourself with your special someone. I think anybody will be able to relate.”

Best Guitarists Bonamassa and his longtime producer Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Journey) convened at Nashville’s Grand Victor Sound Studios (formerly known as RCA Studio A), and during an intense, five-day period they recorded 11 galvanizing songs with a crack group of musicians including drummers Anton Fig and Greg Morrow, bassist Michael Rhodes, keyboardist Reese Wynans, horn players Lee Thornburg, Paulie Cerra and Mark Douthit, and background singers Mahalia Barnes, Jade McRae and Juanita Tippins.

Of his decade-long collaboration with Shirley, Bonamassa says, “I can explain our relationship with one word – ‘trust.’ I completely trust in Kevin and his musical promptings. He pushes my musical ability by challenging me to not just rest on my laurels or settle for ‘good.’ He expects more out of the other musicians as well and will not hold back when he sees us falling back into our usual routine.”

“Which sometimes calls for unorthodox measures,” says Shirley, who admits that his idea of augmenting Bonamassa’s usual recording band with second drummer Morrow was engineered to “ruffle Joe’s feathers.”

“I wanted him to work a little harder, like in his early years,” he says, “so I brought in an additional drummer, just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons.” Of the results, Shirley raves, “Recording ‘Blues of Desperation‘ is one of the most exciting recording projects I’ve done. What a joyful noise we made!”

Blues of Desperation is King Of Blues Bonamassa’s most powerfully diverse and boldly realized album yet, with the material ranging from the gutsy, gritty blues call to arms of “This Train” (Joe’s guitar is set to “rude” throughout) to the elegant yet emotionally shattering ballad “What I’ve Known for a Very Long Time” to the soul-nourishing, acoustic-based Americana of “The Valley Runs Low,” on which Bonamassa’s voice rises up majestically to meet Barnes, McRae and Tippins in gospel-like rapture. And then there’s the bleary, tequila-soaked “Drive,” dripping with the kind of raw, wicked and unsettling sensuality that could make David Lynch green with envy.

Throughout the record, Bonamassa’s epic guitar playing conjures up stirring benedictions and explosive exorcisms of sound. “No Good Place For the Lonely” features some of the guitarist’s most cauterizing licks yet, and the walloping title track is a white-knuckled, six-string thrill ride guaranteed to jolt the senses. Guitar fans everywhere (like those who recently voted Bonamassa “Best Blues Guitarist” in Guitar World magazine by an overwhelming margin) will consider Blues of Desperation a treasure trove of axe riches.

“There are some long solos on this record and even some mini-jams in the middle of a track where the band would just jive and crank it out,” he says. “[During those jams], we do a tip of the hat to Beck and Clapton from the ’70s. I think guitar nerds and music fans like myself will love it.”

Packed with unparalleled musicianship and teeming with the most enthralling collection of songs in Bonamassa’s career,Blues of Desperation is guaranteed to knock out critics and fans alike. By exceeding his own vertiginously high artistic goals, Bonamassa is bound to shatter all other expectations with this record and reach new audiences – no mean feat when you continue his astonishing track record of hits now includes 15 #1 Billboard Blues Albums (more than any other artist in history). 2014’s Different Shades of Blue debuted at #8 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart, making it his highest charting album, his first top 10 and accounting for his biggest sales week ever. In 2014, the guitarist received his first-ever Grammy nomination (for Best Blues Album) for the album Seesaw, his second collaboration with blues singing star Beth Hart, and was named 2014’s Billboard Blues Artist of the Year.

Bonamassa’s stature in the music industry has built steadily over the years. Along with his longtime manager, Roy Weisman, the iconoclastic guitarist built his own successful record label, management and concert promotion company called J&R Adventures. In addition, his connection to fans on social media has grown to over 2.4 million Facebook friends, over 131K Twitter followers and 130K Instragram followers.

Prior to the release of Blues of Desperation, Bonamassa – a touring monster who averages about 100 shows a year – will be kicking off the year with a January DVD recording of his intimate acoustic show at New York’s Carnegie Hall before embarking on his second annual Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea blues cruise in February and a full-on electric band trek through the U.S. in April.

Joe Bonamassa presented a new live tribute to Albert, B.B. and Freddie King summer 2015.

 Dubbed Three Kings of Blues, the show will continue in the vein of Bonamassa’s previous blues productions that began with the 2014 production of Joe Bonamassa – Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks, a tribute to the music of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.

To download a free song from Joe Bonamassa – Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks, click here:http://bit.ly/1CVeXra.

Three Kings tour tickets went on sale Saturday, February 7 at 10:00 a.m. (local time). ClickHEREto buy & to get updates on more tour dates: http://www.jbonamassa.com/tour-dates.

For the concerts, Bonamassa had backed drummer Anton Fig, bassist Michael Rhodes, former Double Troublekeyboardist Reese Wynans, and horn players Lee Thornburg (trumpet), Paulie Cerra (saxophone) and Nick Lane (trombone).

The tour took place on August 7 at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ and wraps up August 29 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. The Greek Theatre performance was filmed for DVD and Blu-ray and will continue Bonamassa’s tradition of honoring concert venues like the Royal Albert Hall, the Vienna Opera House, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Beacon Theater. As with all Bonamassa DVD shoots, the performance at the Greek  bought some interesting collaborations in presenting this historic music.

Best Guitarist in the World Three Kings Tour was covered on the following dates

(All dates, cities and venues below subject to change.)

Aug 07 – Camden, NJ, Susquehanna Bank Center**

Aug 08 – Holmdel, NJ    PNC Bank Arts Center**

Aug 10 – Saratoga Springs, NY,  Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center**

Aug 12 – Bangor, ME, Darlings Waterfront Park**

Aug 14 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Blossom Music Center**

Aug 15 – Dayton, OH,  Fraze Pavilion

Aug 17 –  Denver, CO,  Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Aug 20 – Salt Lake City, UT,  USANA Amphitheatre**

Aug 22 – Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre**

Aug 24 – Paso Robles, CA, Vina Robles Amphitheatre

Aug 25 – Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Bowl

Aug 26 – San Diego, CA, Humphreys by the Bay

Aug 28 – San Diego, CA, Humphreys by the Bay

Aug 29 – Los Angeles, CA, The Greek Theatre

Source

Best Guitarist in the World Bonamassa will be be backed by Anton Fig (drums), Michael Rhodes (bass), Double Trouble’s Reese Wynans (piano, Hammond organ), Lee Thornburg (trumpet, horn arrangements), Paulie Cerra (saxophone) and Nick Lane (trombone).

The tour kicks off August 7 at Camden, New Jersey’s Susquehanna Bank Center and ends August 29 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The Greek show will be filmed for DVD and Blu-ray. As with all Bonamassa DVD shoots, the performance at the Greek promises to bring some interesting collaborations in presenting this historical music.

You can check out all the dates below. For ticket information, visitjbonamassa.com/tour-dates.

A portion of the proceeds from this tour will go toward the Keeping the Blues Alive (KTBA) foundation, a non-profit Bonamassa founded in 2011. KTBA has funded 111 music projects and five scholarships across the 50 states, reaching more than 20,000 students. In August 2014, Bonamassa played to a sold-out crowd of more than 9,000 fans at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. For each ticket sold, $5 was donated to KTBA, raising more than $40,000 to fund struggling music programs around the country.

For more information, visit keepingthebluesalive.org, jbonamassa.com and Bonamassa’s Facebook page.

2015 Joe Bonamassa Three Kings Tour (Successful tours that have been covered)

FRI Aug 7 CAMDEN, NJ SUSQUEHANNA BANK CENTER
SAT Aug 8 HOLMDEL, NJ PNC BANK ARTS CENTER
MON Aug 10 SARATOGA, NY SARATOGA PAC
TUE Aug 11 CAPE CODE, MA CAPE COD MELODY TENT
WED Aug 12 BANGOR, ME DARLING’S WATERFRONT PAVILION
FRI Aug 14 CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER
SAT Aug 15 DAYTON, OH FRAZE PAVILION
MON Aug 17 MORRISON, CO RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE
THU Aug 20 SALT LAKE CITY, UT USANA AMPHITHEATRE
SAT Aug 22 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA SHORLINE AMPHITHEATRE
MON Aug 24 PASO ROBLES, CA VINA ROBLES AMPHITHEATRE
TUE Aug 25 SANTA BARBARA, CA SANTA BARBARA BOWL
WED Aug 26 SAN DIEGO, CA HUMPHREYS CONCERTS BY THE BAY
FRI Aug 28 SAN DIEGO, CA HUMPHREYS CONCERTS BY THE BAY
SAT Aug 29 LOS ANGELES, CA GREEK THEATRE