The following content is related to the August 2013 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now, or in our online store.
Joe Bonamassa picked up a guitar at age four, could cop SRV and Hendrix licks note-for-note by age seven, and was discovered by B.B. King while still in his pre-teens. Now 36, Joe Bonamassa is known for his awe-inspiring electric work, consisting of lethal licks and fist-pumping riffs.
He’s hugely responsible for today’s blues-rock resurgence and its rocketing back into the mainstream. While his electric style could be described as being equal parts Eric Clapton, Eric Johnson and Danny Gatton (his former instructor), it’s Bonamassa’s breathtaking acoustic work—as showcased on the recently released live, all-acoustic masterwork An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House—that prompts coverage in this month’s column.
