JOE BONAMASSA - "They've Been Writing Off Blues Since The '60s, And Then Somebody Came Along And Gave It A B12 Shot"

Blues guitar legend Joe Bonamassa is featured in an in-depth interview with Dean Delray, where he talks about guitar collecting, the state of the music industry, comedy, Dumble Amps, and more. Check it out below.

Bonamassa: "They've been writing off blues since the '60s. It's always been perennially written off, and then somebody came along and gave it a B12 shot. My time was 2009. A few years later, Gary Clark Jr., and then Marcus King. Every 10 years someone comes around and gives it a kick in the ass. In the '80s, it was Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins. (In the) early '90s it was Gary Moore, who went from being a rock guy to 'Still Got the Blues'."

"B.B. King always used to say this to anybody; it wasn't just me. It would be all the people he mentored - Derek Trucks, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Johnny Lang - everybody he'd give a stage to. He'd say, 'Listen man, my goal, when I'm dead and gone, is to see this music thriving in a hundred years.' And he passed that wisdom down to a lot of people."

Looking ahead to 2024, Bonamassa fans have much to look forward to as the artist announces his upcoming tour dates. The spring US tour will see Joe performing at a series of iconic venues, starting on February 19th in Louisville, KY, and continuing through key cities across the US. The tour promises to bring Joe's unique blend of blues and rock to an eager audience, culminating with a special Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea IX cruise. In April, Bonamassa will head to the UK, performing at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London. These performances showcase Bonamassa's continued evolution as a musician and his unwavering dedication to the blues genre.

For more information on Joe Bonamassa, his latest releases, and his philanthropic work with KTBA, visit his official website here.

(Photo - Adam Kennedy)