Joseph Leonard Bonamassa was born on May 8, 1977. He is an American blues rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his career at age twelve by performing with B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen albums on his own record label, J&R Adventures. Eleven of these albums have reached number one on the Billboard Blues chart.
Bonamassa has performed with many famous blues and rock musicians. He has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. He is well-known for having a large collection of old guitars and amplifiers.
In 2011, Bonamassa founded the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation. In 2020, he started Keeping the Blues Alive Records, a record label that helps support blues musicians. Some well-known artists associated with this label are Dion, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Joanna Connor, and Larry McCray. Bonamassa works on many of these projects as a producer and collaborator.
Early life
Joe Bonamassa was born in New Hartford, New York, and grew up in Utica, New York. He has Italian heritage. He began playing the guitar at age four, with encouragement from his father, who loved music and introduced him to British blues rock recordings by Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, which inspired him greatly. At age eleven, Bonamassa was taught and trained by American guitarist Danny Gatton. When he was twelve, he formed his own band named Smokin' Joe Bonamassa. The band played shows in western New York and Pennsylvania, including cities like Scranton and Buffalo, only on weekends because he had school during the week. Bonamassa played a red 1972 Fender Stratocaster guitar he named "Rosie," which his father gave him.
In 1989, Bonamassa performed with B.B. King at about twenty shows. Before he turned eighteen, he played in a band called Bloodline with the sons of Miles Davis, Robby Krieger, and Berry Oakley. Even though Bloodline did not become famous, it showed how skilled Bonamassa was as a guitarist.
Career
Joe Bonamassa's first studio album, A New Day Yesterday, was released in 2000. It includes original songs and covers of artists like Rory Gallagher, Jethro Tull, and Warren Haynes. The album includes a guest performance by Gregg Allman on the song "If Heartaches Were Nickels." It was produced by Tom Dowd and reached No. 9 on the Billboard Blues chart.
Between 2002 and 2006, three of Bonamassa's studio albums reached No. 1 on the Billboard Blues charts. All five of his solo studio albums at that time were in the Top 10. In 2009, Bonamassa performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where he played a duet with Eric Clapton. His live album, Beacon Theatre: Live from New York, was released in 2012. The show included a guest appearance by Paul Rodgers, a musician who previously performed with the bands Free and Bad Company.
In 2013, Bonamassa released a live acoustic album called An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House as a CD/DVD/Blu-ray set. This was the first time he performed a fully acoustic concert. The group that performed the show was organized with help from his longtime producer, Kevin Shirley. The final three-night concert of his 2013 spring tour took place at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. In March 2013, Bonamassa performed four shows in London with three different bands and a horn section at one event. Each show had a unique set of songs. These performances were recorded for a DVD released in October 2013 as Tour de Force.
Bonamassa's album Different Shades of Blue is his first solo studio album since So, It's Like That that includes only original songs (except for a short instrumental cover of a Jimi Hendrix song). He wrote the album in Nashville with three songwriters: Jonathan Cain of Journey, James House (known for work with Diamond Rio), and Dwight Yoakam, Martina McBride, and Jerry Flowers (who has written songs for Keith Urban). Bonamassa aimed to create serious blues rock rather than short, radio-friendly songs. The album was recorded at a music studio in the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas. It reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on the blues chart, and No. 1 on the indie chart.
In May 2015, Bonamassa won a Blues Music Award for Instrumentalist – Guitar. In April 2018, Fender released Bonamassa's signature amplifier, the '59 Twin-Amp JB Edition. On June 27, 2018, Bonamassa performed at the Grand Ole Opry. He played with Chase Bryant during the final song of Bryant's set, "I Need a Cold Beer."
In 2021, Bonamassa released a live album and film called Now Serving: Royal Tea Live from the Ryman. It was recorded during a one-night concert at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 20, 2020. The event was live-streamed and raised $32,000 for Bonamassa's Fueling Musicians program, which helps musicians struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On November 21, 2022, Bonamassa announced on Instagram that he would stop using social media, fearing he might say something he would regret. He had responded harshly to a trolling post a few days earlier. He later returned to Instagram in January 2023 and said he would check in occasionally.
Bonamassa first heard Beth Hart's music after seeing her perform on television. He often met her during shows in Europe and was impressed by her performance at the Blue Balls Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland. While recording his album Dust Bowl, Bonamassa was inspired to collaborate with a female artist and thought of Hart. They met in a hotel bar in Dublin, and Hart agreed to sing lead vocals on an album, though she initially thought he wanted her to sing backup.
Bonamassa, Hart, and producer Kevin Shirley created lists of soul songs they liked to choose material for their album, Don't Explain. They selected twelve songs, but only ten were recorded. Bonamassa and Hart each chose five songs for the album. Some of Hart's favorite tracks included "For My Friend" by Bill Withers and "Sinner's Prayer" by Ray Charles. Bonamassa wanted to cover "I'll Take Care of You" by Brook Benton and "Well Well" by Delaney Bramlett & Bonnie Bramlett.
Their follow-up album, Seesaw, was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Blues Album category in 2013. Hart and Bonamassa released Black Coffee on January 26, 2018. It was produced by Kevin Shirley.
Bonamassa is a member of the jazz-funk band Rock Candy Funk Party. In 2013, the band released their debut album, We Want Groove. It was followed by Rock Candy Funk Party Takes New York – Live at the Iridium, a live recording from three nights at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City. The band also performed on Conan on February 10, 2014.
Bonamassa is the guitarist and secondary lead vocalist for the hard rock supergroup Black Country Communion. Since 2010, the group has released five albums, with the latest called V, released in June 2024.
Between January and July 2015, Bonamassa produced podcasts with Matt Abramovitz, a fellow guitar enthusiast. The episodes, called Pickup Radio, discussed the history and stories of guitars, guitarists, and sometimes non-guitarists connected to blues and rock music.
In August 2021, Bonamassa appeared as a contestant on To Tell the Truth. In 2024, he contributed guitar to a re-release of Mark Knopfler's "Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero" to support the Teenage Cancer Trust. On September 7, 2025, Bonamassa was a special guest at a
Guitar and amplifier collection
Joe Bonamassa is known for collecting many old guitars and amplifiers. He began collecting when he was young. His parents owned a music store in upstate New York, which is now named Bonamassa Guitars. His first vintage guitar was a 1963 Stratocaster. For a time, he often bought guitars he did not use, and later sold many of them to focus on those he played regularly. In a 2020 online interview, Bonamassa said his favorite guitar is a 1951 Fender Telecaster, called "The Bludgeon." This guitar has been changed to include a special pickup in the neck position. In 2021, Fender and Bonamassa announced a special version of "The Bludgeon" made by Custom Shop Master Builder Greg Fessler.
In 2014, Bonamassa bought a 1958 Gibson Flying V from Norman Harris of Norman's Rare Guitars. He named the guitar "Amos" after its original owner, Amos Arthur. He plays this rare and valuable guitar during concerts.
Bonamassa collects many Gibson Les Paul guitars, including nearly a dozen "bursts" (1958–1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard models). In 2021, Epiphone released a replica of his 1958 Gibson Les Paul Custom in black.
He also owns over 100 amplifiers, mostly old "tweed" Fender models.
Bonamassa calls the area of his home with vintage gear the "Bona-seum." He has said that he has collected guitars and amplifiers for most of his life, with enough to create a museum of rare and vintage equipment. In a 2019 Guitar World interview, he stated he owns more than 400 guitars and 400 amplifiers.
Although Bonamassa is an expert in guitar and amplifier equipment, he does not like using guitar pedals. In a 2017 MusicRadar interview with Black Country Communion collaborator Glenn Hughes, Bonamassa said this.
Influences
Bonamassa is different from many blues rock guitarists who came before him. His influences are British and Irish blues musicians, not American artists. In an interview with Guitarist magazine, he mentioned three albums that greatly influenced his music: The Beano Album by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, Irish Tour '74 by Rory Gallagher, and Goodbye by Cream. He also said that Stevie Ray Vaughan's album Texas Flood influenced him when he was young. Among other musicians, he listed the early blues work of Jethro Tull as an influence and named Martin Barre and Mick Abrahams as important musicians who inspired him.
He explained his influences further in an October 2008 interview with Express & Star and in a December 2012 interview with MusicRadar.
Keeping the Blues Alive Records
In June 2020, Dion released an album called Blues with Friends through a new record label named Keeping the Blues Alive Records (KTBA). This label was created by Bonamassa and Roy Weisman to help Dion and other blues musicians share their music. The album includes songs performed by artists such as Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and others. Bob Dylan wrote the liner notes for the album. Blues with Friends reached No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart for 9 weeks and stayed on the chart for 59 weeks total. It also reached No. 4 on iTunes and appeared on charts in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, and Australia.
In 2020, Dion also released a song called "You Know It's Christmas," which features Bonamassa and was co-written with Mike Aquilina. Dion made music videos for all of his songs and shared them on his website and social media platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube.
A song from Blues with Friends titled "Blues Comin' On," performed with Bonamassa, was nominated for a 2021 Blues Music Award. The album also received AllMusic's Favorite Blues Album award.
Joanne Shaw Taylor released a charting single called "If That Ain't a Reason" from her No. 1 blues album The Blues Album in 2021. Joanna Connor released a No. 1 blues album titled 4801 South Indiana Avenue in 2021 through KTBA.
In November 2021, Dion released an album called Stomping Ground. Most of the songs were written by Dion and Mike Aquilina, except for a cover of "Red House." The album includes guest artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa on the song "Angels in the Alleyways." Pete Townshend wrote the liner notes for the album. Stomping Ground became Dion's second No. 1 album on the Billboard Blues Albums chart.
Other artists on KTBA include Larry McCray, whose album Blues Without You was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the Blues Music Awards in 2022. The album also won the No. 1 album title in 2022 from Blues Rock Review magazine. Robert Jon & the Wreck released a single called "Waiting for Your Man" in 2022 through KTBA.
In 2022, Joanne Shaw Taylor released a live album titled Blues from the Heart: Live. A single and music video for "Can't You See What You're Doing to Me" from the album feature Kenny Wayne Shepherd. All of these projects were produced by Bonamassa.
Other artists on KTBA include Dave Mason, who released a song called "Dear Mr. Fantasy" featuring Bonamassa in 2023. Jimmy Hall and Marc Broussard are also part of the label.
In March 2024, Dion released an album called Girl Friends through KTBA. This marked his third No. 1 blues album. In October 2024, he released a song titled "An American Hero" with Carlene Carter. Music videos were made for all the singles from the album.
In January 2025, Dion released a single called "New York Minute" from his album The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher, which was released in October 2025. He also included a new version of his song "Abraham, Martin and John" on the album.
Discography
Studio Albums
• A New Day Yesterday (2000)
• So, It's Like That (2002)
• Blues Deluxe (2003)
• Had to Cry Today (2004)
• You & Me (2006)
• Sloe Gin (2007)
• The Ballad of John Henry (2009)
• Black Rock (2010)
• Dust Bowl (2011)
• Driving Towards the Daylight (2012)
• Different Shades of Blue (2014)
• Blues of Desperation (2016)
• Redemption (2018)
• Royal Tea (2020)
• Time Clocks (2021)
• Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 (2023)
• Breakthrough (2025)
Live Concerts
• A New Day Yesterday Live (2002)
• Shepherd's Bush Empire (2007)
• Live from Nowhere in Particular (2008)
• Live from the Royal Albert Hall (2009)
• Beacon Theatre: Live from New York (2012)
• An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House (2013)
• Tour de Force: Live in London – The Borderline (2014)
• Tour de Force: Live in London – Shepherd's Bush Empire (2014)
• Tour de Force: Live in London – Hammersmith Apollo (2014)
• Tour de Force: Live in London – Royal Albert Hall (2014)
• Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks (2015)
• Live at Radio City Music Hall (2015)
• Live at the Greek Theatre (2016)
• Live at Carnegie Hall: An Acoustic Evening (2017)
• British Blues Explosion Live (2018)
• Live at the Sydney Opera House (2019)
• Now Serving: Royal Tea Live from the Ryman (2021)
• Tales of Time (2023)
• Live at the Hollywood Bowl (2024)
Collaborations with Black Country Communion
• Black Country Communion (2010)
• Black Country Communion 2 (2011)
• Live Over Europe (2011)
• Afterglow (2012)
• BCCIV (2017)
• V (2024)
Collaborations with Rock Candy Funk Party
• We Want Groove (2013)
• Rock Candy Funk Party Takes New York: Live at the Iridium (2014)
• Groove Is King (2015)
• The Groove Cubed (2017)
Other Collaborations
• Don't Explain (2011)
• Seesaw (2013)
• Live in Amsterdam (2014)
• Black Coffee (2018)
Solo Projects
• Easy to Buy, Hard to Sell (2020)