Gibson Skylark 2008 Joe Bonamassa

Joe Bonamassa
(1977)

Main guitar: Gibson Les Paul Standard 1959
Must-hear track: Sloe Gin

It's not easy to reinvent yourself as an adult artist when you were a child prodigy. Joe was a student of Danny Gatton and a protégé of B.B. King before he was even old enough to drive, and he was touring with the band Bloodline (alongside other prodigies, children of stars like Miles Davis or Robby Krieger) before he could vote. But everything could have ended just as quickly—and in fact, the other members of Bloodline all vanished into the show business ether. But Bonamassa always had an unstoppable work ethic, and by relentlessly touring, he eventually carved out his own sound and solo discography.

It all started in 2000 with A New Day Yesterday, a solid blues album featuring guests like Leslie West, Gregg Allman, and Rick Derringer who endorsed the young musician. At the time, Bonamassa played Strats and Teles, and the influence of Stevie Ray Vaughan could still be heard in many of his phrases. Gradually, though, he found his own path when he switched to Les Pauls and combined his Marshall Silver Jubilee amps with boutique heads for a tone that was as bluesy as it was fat and organic. This was also when producer Kevin Shirley began collaborating with Bonamassa—a partnership that began with You & Me (2006) and continues to this day. Sloe Gin (2007) and The Ballad of John Henry (2009) were big hits that solidified Joe’s reputation as the savior of the blues—the future of a genre once thought to belong only to baby boomers nearing retirement.

Since then, Bonamassa hasn’t slowed down his touring schedule and keeps finding new ways to make his shows unique—whether it’s a tribute concert to Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, a tour honoring the Three Kings of Blues, or the British Blues Boom. He also records albums with singer Beth Hart and plays in bands like Black Country Communion (alongside bassist-singer Glenn Hughes) and Rock Candy Funk Party. At the same time, the gear obsession of someone born into guitars (his father ran a guitar shop) has only intensified to the point where he owns about ten Bursts, two Korina Flying Vs, and a mind-blowing number of rare instruments. That said, these guitars aren’t kept in storage—they hit the road with Joe. After all, that’s what they were made for.