GO AHEAD AND ASK
BY JOE COFFEY
Some of us make gear, some of us play
it, and, in our case, some of us work at a
media company that aims to keep everyone
informed. That’s why we facilitate this discus-
sion every month. There are certain conversa-
tions that need to take place just between
us gearheads. This month we wanted to give
Premier Guitar readers a chance to ask guitar
guru Joe Bonamassa a few questions.
Few guitar players have had the kind of
impact on the guitar-playing community that
Bonamassa has had at such a young age.
Barely into his 30s, he has been a professional musician for nearly 20 years. He had
won B.B. King’s respect by age 10, was
touring with the likes of Buddy Guy, Gregg
Allman, Robert Cray and other notables by
12, and has developed a habit of releasing
albums that floor critics and dominate blues
charts. His recent double-DVD release, Joe
Bonamassa Live From The Royal Albert Hall,
is must-view stuff.
His most recent CD, Black Rock, reunites him
with King in a fun-as-hell romp with Willie
Nelson’s “Night Life” and showcases his blues
prowess as expected, but also captures him
rocking harder than ever. This is no surprise to
anyone who has seen him live—it’s quite obvious
that should he ever decide to cut a straight-up
rock record, it will simply be insane… full of
old school Zeppelin-esque moxy, passionate
solos and of course, that tone. Needless to
say, music fans are stoked about his latest project, a rock-oriented supergroup called Black
Country Communion that finds him laying down
heavy rock grooves with Glenn Hughes, Jason
Bonham, and Derek Sherinian. Details of a
much-anticipated record and tour have yet to be
released. In the meantime, Bonamassa has been
playing to packed houses in Europe. He took a
moment between dates in the UK and Denmark
to answer questions submitted by you, the PG
faithful, and selected by staff editors.
Photo by Karen Rosetzky
