- published: 10 Nov 2013
- views: 5834884
Joe Bonamassa (born May 8, 1977) is an American blues rock musician, singer and songwriter.
Bonamassa opened for B.B. King when he was only 12 years old. In the last 13 years Bonamassa has put out 15 solo albums through his independent record label, J&R Adventures, of which eleven have reached #1 on the Billboard Blues charts.
He has played alongside such artists as Stephen Stills, Eric Clapton, Blondie Chaplin, Foreigner, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood, Warren Haynes, and Derek Trucks among others. His career highlights include performances at the Royal Albert Hall and a Grammy Award nomination in 2013. In addition to his music career, Joe Bonamassa runs a nonprofit organization called the "Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation" whose mission it is to further music education by funding scholarships and providing music education resources to schools in need.
Joe Bonamassa was born in New Hartford, New York. He started playing guitar at age four. His father was an avid music fan and exposed Bonamassa to records by Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Joe was very inspired by these British blues rock records. When he was 12 years old, he had his own band called Smokin' Joe Bonamassa. The band gigged around western New York and Pennsylvania, cities such as Scranton and Buffalo, on weekends since Joe had school on weekdays. Bonamassa played a crimson 1972 Fender Stratocaster he called "Rosie", which his father had bought in Utica, New York.
Do you know what it means to walk alone?
And what it means to be, be by yourself?
Do you know what it means when there?s no one to bring you good news?
Then you know, you know the meaning of the blues
Do you know what it means to cry alone?
And what it means to cry by yourself?
Do you know what it means to love a woman you can?t own?
If you do, then you know the meaning of the blues
I?ve been weeping and weeping,
Moaning and moaning,
Crying and sighing all the day
I?ve been hiding my tears
Feel like dying
Wishing love would come to stay
And do you know what it means when the lord is taken away?
I cry, oh I cry
Oh I cry everyday
Yes I know what it means to walk alone
And how it feels to walk by myself
Yes I know what it means to love a woman you can?t own
Yes I do,
I know the meaning of the blues
Yes I know the meaning of the blues