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Billie Burke once said that, "Age is something that doesn’t matter, unless you are a cheese."
In music, critics like to assemble a musical hierarchy by evaluating different qualities each performer holds within their skill set; be it knowledge, general ability, autonomy, collaborations, songwriting, I mean we can go on forever. The pecking order seems to be, though unofficial, strongly influenced by one’s age, paralleling with their "experience" and production in the musical realm. Thus names like B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page & Jeff Beck interchange constantly as "the best" varying from list to list. However, when someone’s skills circumcede their expectations at an age, adjustments must be employed to permit the young’n to ascend the ladder of dominance and fight for the throne. Thus is the case with Joe Bonamassa.
At 32 years old, Joe is one of the few guitar prodigies to accomplish all that he has conquered in music at such a youthful age. His second studio album, So It’s Like That received a number one ranking on the Billboard Blues Chart. His follow up album, Blues Deluxe, which released in 2003, also found its way to number one on the Blues Charts. The following albums traced the footprints of the priors, all leading the way to blues nirvana and admiration. Joe, also known for his astonishing covers of the classic, has the entire package of proficiency & deference that will ultimately place him on top of the list of the all time greats.
In 2009, Bonamassa released The Ballad Of John Henry, which has been his biggest internationally praised album to date. This, accompanied by the October release of his anticipated Live From The Albert Hall DVD, has declared this truly to be the year of Joe Bonamassa. Now as he embarks on a multi-country tour, Jarrod Dicker speaks with the guitar sensation to discuss his playing, touring, the new album/DVD and much more.
UG: I heard you’re currently heading Guitar Center’s, “King Of The Blues” contest. Can you just give a run down on how that’s going?
Joe Bonamassa: It's been going great. The Guitar Center people are really nice, you know? Hell I put most of their employees through college through one sense or another with the amount of guitars I buy from them [laughs]. Honestly it's truly been really fun and we're all about the kids around here. So we like to encourage the kids to play and do musical stuff. It just seems like a real natural fit. I've kind of been the spokesperson for this deal for the last eight months and it's really been going well.
On November 16th, you left for a multi-country European tour. This seems to be a popular stomping ground for much of your touring. Is this a solo tour or will other artists be featured on the bill?
Well generally if other artists show up at a gig, I announce it the day of. It's generally “An evening with,” and on this tour we don't have an opener except for England. My friend Sandi Thom is going to come out and do some shows with us. It’s awesome because we get to see our friends while touring, and she's our tour mate. Other than that, there aren't really any other artists. There could be some later possibly, in places like Milan, but generally if it's a solo gig it's “An evening with.” I do two hours, two and a half hours so we give a good show. More notes for the dollar or your money back!
In October, your feature DVD, “Joe Bonamassa Live from the Royal Albert Hall” was released. One of the chapters includes a duet of you with Eric Clapton playing the blues classic, “Further on Up the Road.” He’s played this with many artists such as Robbie Robertson, Jeff Beck and more. How did it feel to share the stage with the British Blues legend?
I mean it was an incredible honor of course. The guy is my hero. And what is more remarkable is the fact that he took time out of his day to get to the show. He was able to get that sorted out and then come over and do the gig with us. It was fantastic, really fantastic.
The beginning of this year (February) kicked off with the release of your new album, The Ballad of John Henry. How has the overall reception been now that it’s been in the public eye for the past nine months?
This has obviously been our biggest album to date. It's been the biggest world wide success we've ever had so far. Again, it's been so phenomenal to see how accepted and popular this music has become. And tonight's a really weird and momentous night to be speaking with me… This is because you're talking to me before my 20th Anniversary Concert.
Ah, that’s badass as hell. What an accomplishment, kudos to you good sir.
Thanks man.
And now this is your fourth consecutive album produced by Kevin Shirley aka The Caveman, correct?
Yup, that’s right.
Do you credit him with the ability to transform the special style you attain and transcend it to another level like he had done with Led Zeppelin, Rush and Dream Theater?
Absolutely. He has done so much and is definitely one of the people in this business that I really appreciate. Kevin has been such a great guy to know and he's also been really tremendous as far as finding material and giving a focus and vision to my music. It's been really great…so how do I quantify an impact he’s had on my music? I've made six albums that were relatively of cult obscurity and then all of a sudden he comes in during 2005 and now, well, just this week I have three albums on the charts. So to quantify it is difficult to really describe in words the impact Kevin Shirley has had on my music.
How did you particularly fall into playing guitar?
Pretty easy, my dad played. He was a guitar dealer and had a bunch of stuff (guitars) all over the house and what not. And that was kind of the deal there. It was a family business.
It seems like you were born to create music. Did musical theory and a lot of the complexities in the field seem to come easier to you?
No not at all. Nothing ever came easily and still doesn't come easily. It's just one of those things for me that... I mean, I still have to work at it. I am an example of this. You completely have to work at it if you expect results.
What guitars will you be slugging around during the fall/winter tour?
I basically have a Gibson Les Paul Signature that I've been using which I love. They're like my children [laughs]. I basically use Gibson and I use a Yamaha acoustic every once in a while.
BB King was quoted when you were a child stating, “This kid’s potential is unbelievable. He hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface. He’s one of a kind.” And in 2005, he personally requested that you open for his landmark 80th birthday celebration. Seeing how solid your relationship is with B.B., would you say that he was The Most influential musician in your development as a guitar player?
It’s between him and Eric Clapton. Both were really fantastically influential.
How about any of the original Delta Blues players?
I mean, obviously. I share a birthday with Robert Johnson, but the English stuff was the stuff that really got to me more than anything.
Being one of the young prodigies, do you have any special bond with the other guys that did it at a young age like Derek Trucks and Walter Trout? How do you compare yourself in relation to them, both with and against?
You don't compare yourself against them; you just try to carve out your own niche. I love Derek and Walter. They're both great people. I've known them both for 20 years...I've known Walter less, but Derek and I have known each other 20 years. But, you know, you carve out your own niche. Walter's thing is completely different than Derek's thing. My thing is completely different than Derek's thing. And there's room enough for everybody. I think it's a really exciting time in music because there's a new crop to it. There's a bunch of guys and girls, Susan Tedeschi and a few others that are getting traction and starting to get notoriety. And all of a sudden there is a definitive new generation that's popping up and it's only taken them 20 years to get there, you know? Having to play Donkey Kong, dodging barrels on their way up to the top of the mountain [laughs]. But it is what it is; the ones who persevere and don't give up actually go out and accomplish it.
Like you were saying before, things in music and theory don’t come easy…
And I'm a living breathing testament to that. Again, it's one of those things where, how do you really measure it? It's a real exciting time for Blues and this kind of music because of the competition. Obviously when you put out a record you look to what everyone else is doing and you’re kind of like, 'Well hell I have to raise my game because Derek just put out a really good record, and then Susan and Walter just put out a really good record.' You know, you kind of have to raise your game and you obviously want to be better than everyone else but you also don't begrudge anybody for their success if they do better than you. It just makes you better.
You seem to be one of those artists that are continuously on the road. Is this something that you enjoy doing or is it for other reasons like promotion, etc?
Touring is how you make your living now. Touring is how I pay the bills and have a big truck with my name on it and have three completely different sets of gear [laughs]. You know it's as monetary as it is to simply having to go out there and build fans. We had a sold out gig last night and we're playing the same deal tonight, we've done House of Blues ten times before in my life. And I've had 30 people come to me at the end saying how this is their first time seeing me. So there you go, new fan, new fan, new fan. And it's bringing a bunch of those together and you repeat the step about 4 or 5 thousand times over a course of 20 years and you end up where we're at now.
You oversee your own independent label, J&R Adventures with your partner and manager Roy Weisman. Do you find this business approach alleviating as opposed to having the “big machine” behind your every move and release?
Weisman and I can have a meeting and it's like, ‘Hey you wanna do something?’ And then it's done, meeting over. You know what I mean? Record companies are crazy. Anybody with a following and is selling records is crazy to be on a label right now. If you have a tract record and you can sell records, you're so far ahead of the game. If you sell 100,000 or a little over, you're so much better off just starting your own company. A) You make the money B) You control your life. So there's no reason not to be able to control your life and not have someone tell you what to do. I just have an aversion to that anyway.
You are also a DJ as well. Are there any other instruments you enjoy playing?
I play keyboards extraordinarily poorly and play drums even worse [laughs]. The sound of a drum set being thrown down a flight of stairs and the sound of me playing is not much different.
I recently interviewed John Mayall and asked him where he saw the Blues heading in forthcoming generations? He feels that a lot of the old timers keep it going, but they also pride themselves in inspiring kids and musicians to participate in their musicianship earlier. When I heard this, I thought of you instantaneously. How did you discover the Blues?
My dad had a good record collection. And that was pretty much it, all home grown. I do listen to John Mayall. He's a guy who definitely should be classified as a British BB King almost. His legacy and work is so profound.
Being a musician who respects the work done by classic artists, is there any modern music that you follow in today’s scene?
Not much actually. I listen to a ton of radio, but stuff like Iron Maiden & System of a Down is stuff that I’m into. That’s the real kind of ‘stretching the boundaries’ of the definition of a genre kind of stuff.
A lot of people I speak with have some negative insight involving the direction they see music taking. It seems to be that sentiment across all genres, but I’m curious if you think the Blues will eventually pass away…being that it is such a classic genre that builds off the groundwork of those of old?
I don't think so. To me, it's like; I can sit here and kind of be uber optimistic and say it's going to grow until we rule the world. I doubt that's going to happen realistically. But there is definitely going to be a market for it. Also, there are more kids coming to my gigs now. There has definitely been a transitional shift in who comes and sees the gig. There are girls now which is like seeing the Northern Lights during the day…aka it's rare [laughs]. There are more women and girls and there are kids! And that's the new generation. That's the crowd I'm going to be playing for in 20 years. The people that are 55-60, in 20 years will be 75-80. They're not coming to gigs. Maybe some of them will, but you're going to lose some of those. So you really need a new generation of fans. By in large, musicians don't understand that concept. They're some that do, and they will do well. But by in large, some musicians in the Blues don't understand that concept. You also have to sit people down as well. Seated shows will do better for you…
Really, I assumed otherwise…
Who wants to stand for 2 hours? I wouldn't stand for anyone for two hours, you know? I'd like a seat [haha].
Well Joe, it’s truly been a pleasure. Hope to see some more work in the New Year.
There absolutely will be. I’m expecting to go back into the studio and we are planning on releasing a box set. More touring as well! Thanks Jarrod.
Photo credit: Christie Goodwin
Interview by Jarrod Dicker
Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2009
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