The 36-year-old American has been credited with moving the genre forward, paying homage to those who paved the way before him while building on their legacy. Bonamassa is that rare breed of musician who can effortlessly play the most complicated of songs, and his guitar-playing skills are already legendary. His solo career stretches more than a decade, and he’s currently touring with a bevy of talented musicians, creating a blues extravaganza that shouldn’t be missed.
It helps to have music in the blood and Bonamassa comes from a long line of established musicians. His father began teaching him guitar at the ripe old age of four, and he was confidently playing Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix tunes by the age of seven. His talent was soon discovered by Danny Gatton, and the American virtuoso began mentoring Bonamassa at the age of eleven. The following year Bonamassa opened for BB King, and he went on to form his first band when he was just 14.
Despite his American roots, Bonamassa takes more inspiration from the British blues scene. Although he cites artists like Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson as influences, Bonamassa found the musical styles of Eric Clapton and Rory Gallagher more to his liking, favouring their more open interpretation of the blues. This is reflected in many of his songs, which are often based on a blues sound but not confined to it.
Bonamassa found some early success with Bloodline, a group comprised of the offspring of famous musicians like Miles Davis and Robby Krieger of the Doors. The band had a number of successful singles, including ‘Stone Cold Heart’ and ‘Dixie Peach’, which were both recorded in 1994. And then his career really took off following the band’s demise, and Bonamassa released his first solo record, ‘A New Day Yesterday’, in 2000.
A musician’s quality can often be gauged by the company they play with, and Bonamassa has worked with some of the biggest names in the business. He frequently plays with Clapton and has collaborated with other musicians including Joe Cocker, Ted Nugent and Warren Haynes. Most of his albums feature guest performances, and it’s not uncommon for Bonamassa to invite prominent musicians to play with him live.
Since his debut in 2000, Bonamassa has recorded a staggering ten solo albums – the most recent being Driving Towards the Daylight, which was released last year. Although he hasn’t enjoyed widespread mainstream success, many of his albums have fared well on the Billboard Blues charts, with A New Day Yesterday (2000), You and Me (2006) and Black Rock (2010) all reaching the number one spot.
While Bonamassa obviously revels in playing the mainstays of the blues genre, he experiments with a range of other sounds that makes his interpretation more interesting than most. He uses a collection of instruments, including some that hail from far-flung corners of the world and add an exotic flavour to his music. Tickets for this show aren’t cheap, but Bonamassa has been known to tour with as many as a dozen other musicians, so expect a full performance that makes the most of his dynamic back catalogue.
Joe Bonamassa
Falconer Salen; Falkoner Alle 9, Frederiksberg;
Tuesday 20:00;
Tickets: 515kr,
www.bittetnet.dk
