Keeping The Blues Alive with Joe Bonamassa

The list of blues artists on today’s music charts is unfortunately getting shorter and shorter.  Joe Bonamassa is an artist doing everything he can to use his blues roots and stay in the music game.  This isn’t the first time that I have mentioned that name, but I thought I would give you a little more history behind this great guitarist.  I found a couple of interviews with him, a riff lesson from the guys and gals over at StevieSnacks.com, and a great trio performance that makes him shine.

Gibson Lifestyle did an interview with Bonamassa about his roots and gear choices here at http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/joe-bonamassa-0525-2011/.

Joe Bonamassa was born to play the guitar. His parents owned and ran a guitar shop in Utica, New York, so he was literally surrounded by the instrument from birth. A fourth-generation musician, Bonamassa took to the guitar early on, receiving his first axe at the tender age of four. By 11, he was cutting his teeth with Danny Gatton and, a year later, he opened for B.B. King. From there, his rise to the top of the guitar world has been a steady one, from his teen prodigy band, Bloodline, to his award-winning solo career and, more recently, his tenure in the supergroup Black Country Communion.

Along the way, Bonamassa has been a constant lover (and abuser) of the Gibson Les Paul. With Gibson USA proudly announcing, this week, the new Gibson USA Joe Bonamassa Les Paul, we sat down with the mild-mannered gunslinger to talk axes.

Tell me about the new Gibson USA Joe Bonamassa Les Paul.

Well, I’m excited, man. It’s a cool guitar. I mean, essentially, a guitar that’s like the Bonamassa Custom Shop one and the Epiphone one like we did last year, but it kinda has the appointments of a Les Paul Studio. It’s not bound, but it’s a Gibson. I think it’s really cool. I’ve been playing it. I’ve had the prototype for about two or three months, maybe more. I think more. And I’ve been playing it, and it’s got an inviting neck. It’s one of those guitars that makes you want to play it.

But I think it will be good for the kids out there who don’t have $4,000 to spend on the Custom Shop one and the ones who didn’t get the thousand Epiphones that were sold extremely quickly, actually. So I think it’s a good opportunity. And I think it’s also a good opportunity to get a guitar into the hands of some kids, which is kind of the whole point anyway.

How much input did you have on this guitar? Was it a true collaboration between you and Gibson USA?

I spoke to my ER rep and all the guys in Nashville at Gibson USA and we came up with a concept. They used a lot of the specs from the Custom Shop one – you know, the neck size and the dish and everything else. And so, a lot of the work was already done, because we’ve had really good luck with the Custom Shop ones. And you know, we’ve done them in sunburst and blue and all the different colors. And [laughs] I think that’s it. And gold, of course. But yeah, it was one of those things where a lot of the work was already done, so they just took the specs off the Custom Shop one and kind of amalgamated it into their factory – which a lot of people don’t know their factories are separate.

So it was a real blast and, you know, when the first prototype came out I was really shocked. They did a really good job. I didn’t really have a whole lot of comments for it.

You’ve always been associated with Les Pauls. What is it about those axes that’s always spoken to you?

You know, everybody has this sound in their head. You know what I mean? The ideal guitar sound that kinda fits in your head. And for me, it’s a really thick, kind of mid-range-y, warm sound. You know, not a lot of top end, but it still has enough drive and saturation to where it’s not too clean, but it’s not too overdriven, but it’s very articulate. You can dial it in on any guitar, but it takes a lot more work. But when you plug a Les Paul even just straight into an amp – you know, Marshall amp or whatever, Fender, whatever – it just does that thing, you know? It’s very, very easy for me to achieve the sound that I hear in my head with a Les Paul. So I’ve been using those kinds of guitars forever.

What was your first Les Paul?

My first Les Paul was a 1980. It was a 1980 that my father traded a mustard-color Fender Stratocaster for back in like, this is 1981-1982. He didn’t like [the Strat], because the Fender didn’t have good enough frets – which it didn’t. Actually, somebody tried to hack them out at one point. And this opportunity came up to get a Les Paul Standard. And it was a sunburst, you know, 1980 Les Paul Standard. And it was really… for me it was a real treat. And again, it was louder and it was thicker, and it had a lot of really good qualities to it. But I was also like six years old, so…

Do you still have it?

No, I don’t. I traded up. I’ve kind of like been collecting guitars for, god, it has to be over 20 years, 22 years maybe. I finally just got my first real ’59 this year and, you know, that’s a real treat. I worked my way up through the Les Pauls of yesterday to get the Holy Grail, so to speak.

You don’t take that on the road, do you?

I do! I absolutely do.

Really?

I insure the hell out of it and I take it on the road. The way I look at it is: what am I going to do with it? Leave it at home? You know? I tour nine months a year and, what I going to do, come home, noodle on it on the couch… you know? Go, “Wow look at this, I’ve got a ’59 Les Paul that never gets used, maybe on a recording here and there.” I’d rather get a nice case for it – which I did – hire an ex-secret service agent as my security guard – which I did [laughs] – and take it on the road.

That’s nice to hear. I get a little depressed when I see vintage guitars in glass cases in restaurants. They’re like little tombs, you know?

Well, yeah. And they’re very functional. You know, my guitar is 52 years old and, honestly, it plays and sounds great. But the important thing to realize – and yes, it is a fantastic Les Paul and when people play it, even when you don’t tell them it’s a ’59. They say, “Wow, this is a really great guitar. I mean, we don’t care if it’s a 1979.” But the truth of the matter is, it’s still just a really good guitar and, if I look at it in those terms, I really have no problem taking it on the road.

Now an interview with Gibson Lifestyle about Gibson guitar may be a little biased.  So I searched a little more to find an interview that features Bonamassa’s tone and his influences.  I came across a feature from GuitarWorld.com here at http://www.guitarworld.com/dear-guitar-hero-joe-bonamassa.

He’s a former virtuoso whiz kid who grew up to become one of the most influential blues guitarists of the day. But what Guitar World readers really want to know is …

As a guitar fiend and noted Les Paul lover, do you think reissue Les Pauls truly are comparable with original Sunbursts [1958–1960 Les Pauls]? This is an ongoing argument on the Les Paul forums. — James Oliphant

A guitar is a guitar. Whether it was made yesterday or 51 years ago, if it’s good, it will stand the test of time. I have played about 20 real ’Bursts in my day, ranging from brilliant to so-so. I think the stuff coming out of Gibson Custom is as good as my original vintage Gibsons, and sometimes better. It’s subjective, but that’s my honest opinion.

A lot of people chase after your tone. How do you feel about that, and do you have any advice for “tone chasers” in general? — Kaji

I’m honored people think enough of my playing to chase my sound. Hell, I chase other players’ tones all the time. I just bought an entire collection of early Mesa/Boogie Mark I and IIB amps, as I was going for that Steve Lukather, early Eighties tone. I have his signature model Music Man, too. I think Steve is one of the great guitarists of all time. He has tone, feel…the whole nine yards. Anyhow, you want to know what I sounded like when I plugged it all up? Me. At the end of the day, you as the player create the tone coming out of the amp. The gear is part of it but by no means all of it.

I hear talk that you have formed some kind of supergroup with former Black Sabbath singer and Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes. Please fill us in on who’s involved, what you guys are up to and how it will impact your own group. — Andy Bradford

I did form a group with Glenn, [ex-Dream Theater keyboardist] Derek Sherinian and [Led Zeppelin/Foreigner drummer] Jason Bonham. It’s ace. They are all so good. We just finished cutting tracks for an album that should be released later this year or early next year. We are still working on a name. We were called Black Country—named after the industrial area in England from which Jason and Glenn both hail—but it turns out someone else already had that. Touring will depend on demand; we’ll have to see as it gets closer.

However it works out, it won’t affect my solo group. I will always tour with that. It does mean a bit more work and travel on my part. I’m totally having a blast, so it’s no problem.

I saw you play with B.B. King when you were around 12 and am happy to see you still out there slugging away and getting better all the time. But do you think there are any disadvantages to having been out in the spotlight so young? — Wyatt Libby

There are some disadvantages. I was thrust into an adult world very quickly, and that can make anyone somewhat socially maladjusted to dealing with people your own age. But I wouldn’t trade any of it. The 17 years of struggle, the epic early European endurance test tours…none of it. It makes me who I am today. I am happy, fulfilled and grateful for the life I have.

It seems to me that your music used to be more focused on blazing guitar playing and is now more about songcraft, with a place in it for guitar work. Why the switch? Was it a commercial decision, or are you just following your instincts? And do you ever get the urge to let it rip? — Phil Dyson

My albums have gotten more song oriented because I didn’t want to be known for a jam; I wanted to be known for a song. [Producer] Kevin Shirley taught me that at our first meeting in 2005. It has always stuck with me. Plus, I play all the time in my shows. We just don’t do the 20-minute “Pain and Sorrow” jam anymore. So the answer is no, I really don’t get the urge to be the three-verses-and-20-minute-solo guy anymore.

I was at the Gov’t Mule show in Chicago last fall when you jammed for two songs, and it was fantastic. That helped introduce me to your music. I’ve been watching those YouTube videos over and over and am convinced that you and [Gov’t Mule guitarist] Warren Haynes should work together for real, recording or touring. What do you think? — Art Hoffman

First, thank you for your patronage. Second, Warren and I have been friends for more than 15 years. He wrote one of my most well-known songs, “If Heartaches Were Nickels,” and is by far one of my greatest influences, both vocally and guitar-wise. I imagine we will do more in the future. Both of us are busy at the moment, but I would really love to record with him again.

Dude, how did you lose so much weight? — Fred Weiss

Low carbs and early bird specials—eating dinner at 4:30, then nothing else for the rest of the day. A systematic light-starvation campaign; learning to enjoy the sight and smell of food rather than the taste of it. To be truthful, between 2005 and 2007 I got fat on success. It was a blast gaining weight but a total blag taking it off. (P.S. My girlfriend is Scottish, so I can use the word “blag.”)

I know you’re a gear whore, but if a vengeful god ordered you to get rid of everything except one guitar, one amp and one pedal, what would be left in your greedy little hands? —Scott Schneider

I’ll take my Gibson Joe Bonamassa Les Paul #001 plugged through my Marshall Silver Jubilee that I have had since 1993. It recently stopped working, so [amplification expert] Peter Van Weelden has it in Holland for a million-mile check-up. You can have my pedal. Now who’s the greedy one?

Will blues continue to influence guitar players in the years to come? — Rico Jones

Totally! It will always influence guitar playing. Blues will change with time, just like cars. My grandfather drove a Sixties Pontiac back in the day but now drives a Saturn. The concept of the car has stayed the same, but it has been updated for 2010. The same holds true for the blues.

If you had to choose the quintessential Joe Bonamassa song to go into a time capsule, which one would you pick? — Patty Patrick

“The Ballad of John Henry”: blue-collar kid does good, stays sort of humble and never stops striving to make it better. That’s me in a nutshell.

Bonamassa has a lot of great videos on YouTube of performances all around the globe.  I found one that offers a cool, small club vibe and features his guitar playing and vocals in a rock/blues trio.  Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hytToent3kw.

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/hytToent3kw” width=”420″ rel=”0″]

And to close up this article, the great people over at StevieSnacks.com produced a video that highlights one of Bonamassa’s licks.  You can probably hear it in his solo stuff and with Black Country Communion.  See it here at http://www.steviesnacks.com/free-lessons/that-joe-bonamassa-lick.html.

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/z3wQ0Tzaojo” width=”420″ rel=”0″]

There are a lot of other great blues/rock guitarists out there today, but Joe Bonamassa has being seeing some real success recently.  I hope you enjoyed the article.

Thanks,

Griff