So how would you like to be a blues artist and share a birthday with the great Robert Johnson? Well if you’d like to know, just ask Joe Bonamassa. Robert Johnson was born on this date in 1911 and 66 years later along come Joe! Hum, Joe was a child prodigy. He caught the ear of the great B.B. King at the age of ten, King said at the time:
“This kid’s potential is unbelievable. He hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface. He’s one of a kind.”
By the time he was 12, Bonamassa was opening shows for the King and toured with acts that included Buddy Guy, Foreigner, Robert Cray, Stephen Stills, Joe Cocker and Gregg Allman! Share a birthday with Robert Johnson a child prodigy a great guitarist, que up that Twilight Zone Music!
Anyway I’ve been a fan for a while now, both solo albums like Dust Bowl, Driving Toward the Daylight and others are in my library, along with his work with Beth Hart and Black Country Communion. His latest album Joe Bonamassa: An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House is on the iPod and I’ve briefly listen to it maybe a listen on his birthday would be a good thing!! If you never listen to Joe you have to give him a try! Like the Orange County Register says: :
“Joe is unquestionably among our greatest living guitarists, destined to be counted among the greatest of all-time.”
I agree with that as I am sure many other people do! One thing that I didn’t know was that Joe began his career in a band called Bloodline, where he teamed with the sons of Miles Davis, Robby Krieger of The Doors, and Berry Oakley of The Allman Brothers Band! Oh and another is that he has a new side project the jazz-funk band Rock Candy Funk Party which released its début album We Want Groove in January of 2013. The album features nine original, instrumental tracks that mash-up funk, jazz, and rock with virtuoso musicianship. Maybe I’ll check that one out too!!
So to celebrate Joe’s birthday lets’ step back in time and watch a 16-year-old Joe Bonamassa perform “Stone Cold Heart” with Bloodline.