“I’m 63 years old and I’ve seen some of the greatest rock bands and guitarists of all time, including Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Doors, Moody Blues and the Beatles. Joe Bonamassa is right up there with the best. He plays and sings rock and blues like Eric Clapton — and Clapton has showed up at a show to jam with him!”
This is what Tommy Shea, my partner Peggy’s husband, told me when I asked him how he liked the recent Joe Bonamassa concert they went to. The concert was at Radio City Music Hall last month. “Like a lot of New Yorkers, I had never been to Radio City before and Peggy took me there for my birthday,” Tommy said. “It was just fantastic. The audience ranged from baby boomers like myself, to young kids. It was a nice mix and everyone appreciated this amazing guitarist as well as the other musicians playing with him.” The band included Gerry O’Connor on Irish fiddle and banjo, Mats Wester on the Nyckelharpa (a traditional Swedish fiddle-like instrument), Carmine Rojas on bass, Tal Bergman on drums, Derek Sherinian on keyboards, and Lenny Castro on congas. “All are exceptional musicians,” Tommy said.
Joe Bonamassa started playing guitar at age four in his parents’ guitar shop. He was only 12 years old when he opened for B.B. King, who called him “one of a kind.” In the last 13 years Bonamassa has put out 15 solo albums through his independent record label, J&R Adventures. Eleven of his solo albums have reached #1 on the Billboard Blues charts.
“I can’t believe more people don’t know about him,” Tommy said. “He performs guitar riffs that are incredibly difficult to pull off and makes them look easy. He’s attracting a growing fan base around the world and you really should go see him if you have the opportunity.” Based on Tommy’s recommendation, I am definitely going to make a point of seeing Joe Bonamassa play next time he’s in NYC.
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